CRICKET

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 76, 29 March 1924, Page 21

CRICKET

Primary schools , notes. Kowliai ITT.-s game with Maungawhau ,1 Eden Park on Tuesday ended in anther draw, the former side putting on 'ft for three wickets, and Maungawhau jj {or five. For the latter Curson plejed a fine innings for 34, not out. y or the J.H.S. eleven, Angell 23, Vivian 21, and Hetherington 14, not out, did tto run-getting. Vermont I. were too strong in all departments for Kowhai 11., whom they defeated by three wickets and 05 runs. with 12 out of a total of 35, ws the only one of the Kowhai batsmen to stand up ag-ainst the Vermont bowling, in which Ketche secured the fine uverage of five for 6. Clarke and Veil collared the attack during Vermont's

strike, and between them put on 84 of

their side's hundred for seven wickets. Webb and Tovnser.d, of Devonport, went through the Grey Lynn side in veryshort time, the latter performing the bat trick. To Grey Lynn's small total of 18, the Shore side replied with 69, of which Meredith hit up 24. Newton East, too, made a poor showing last week against Remuera, 19 being their total. Against the suburhan ude's reversal of these figures. Clark, Harvey, and Crawley batted well for the winners, against whom Melver was the most successful trundler. ALAN PLAYER, tie University medium fast bowler won his way into tht Auckland representa tira team in 1920 and distinguisfiec himself by account ing for half th< opposing team for 4; runa in his firsi match. Since thei he has represented thi city in nearly all thi representative fix tures. Alan ha; another string t< his bow, and ha come to light oi many occasions as : hard-hitting batsman While not orthodo: he is decidedl; picturesque at th crease. In the recen game with New Souti Wales, even the fon~. j placed over the fence by this enterprising batsman.

A fine half-century by Mincham —59 out of a total of 85—gave Beresford Street » substantial win over Curran Street.

Still another collapse last -week -was that of Richmond Road, who went down to the bowling of Goldsworthy and Oounihan, of Napier Street, for the small score of 14. Meehan and Wright livened things lip for Napier Street, •who won 'by three times their opponents' total.

Finney and Batty, of Normal, eet up a good partnership, producing nearly 80 runs against Belmont, who also found Finney'fl bowling too good for them.

Newmarket proved /to be just one run better than Richmond West in a email 6core game. It 'was really Meehaji's victory, for hfl put on 22 of the 38 which his -eleven was responsible for. .

Another exciting , contest was the' D grade one between Mount Eden and Cornwall Park, which the former won by two runs—4s to 43. Hutchinson and Williams were the only double-figure contributors in the game.

With 69 down "for seven wickets, Ponsonby declared and got rid of Takapuna for 20 runs less. For the winners Keane and Jamieson performed creditably with the bat.

In view of the possible settlement in New Zealand of A. P. F. Chapman, of Cambridge University, the following notice of this popular player, from the pen of a writer in "The Sporting Chronicle," will be read with interest. The writer says: "If it were possible to take a vote among the lovers of cricket in England on the question, 'Who is the most popular player f' what would be the answer?" lie asks. There would be a big following for Hohbs, considerable support for Frank Woolley, and a heavy poll for Parkin. Among the Gentlemen, Arthur Carr, of Notts, would be high. on the list, but, to my mind, Percy Chapman would be an easy winner.

Strong exception must he taken to matches between New South Wales and New Zealand being classed as Tests (writes J.W. in the "Australasian"). If it were an Australian team that was touring the Dominion, the case would be altogether different, but it can be no Test match in the proper meaning of the term where only a State is concerned. All matches are tests of ability, but to conform with the generally accepted rule, test games are those played between representative teams of countries, such as England v. Australia, South Africa v. England, and South Africa v. Australia, and so on. Therefore the engagement between Macartney's team and New Zealand is a test of skill between the cricketing strength of New Zealand and a good travelling band from New South Wales. The modern tendency is to become very lax in the use of terms, and it will serve a useful purpose to point out that the traditions of the game should be treated almost as a religion.

W. H. Ponsford's 125 against North Jlelbourne the other day is the seventh century score that the brilliant Victorian has made in this season's cricket. The list is as follows:— 248 against Queensland, 159 against South Australia, 110 against New South Wales, 110 not out against New Si/uth Wales, 103 against New South Wales fianks, 113 against South 125 against .North Melbourne. Altogether Pon-sford has made 1364 runs jtllis season in inter-State and club jgames (including the banks' match), ?.at an average of 104 an innings. This *iis a wonderful record, but it is not, of jcourse. by any means a record. In wew South Wales several players have '.feored more than 1000 runs in the grade

games alone in a season, and in 1890-6 ,J. R. M. Maekay had the remarkable record of 2004 runs in grade and representative cricket scoriog 902 in the first-class games, and 1102 for the Bur.vop4 Club.

Warwick Armstrong, whenever his job as the representative of Peter DaW3on has allowed him, has played in '"A" grade cricket matches in Melbourne this season. But he left this month for England on a business trip. He may return with the English cricketers when they come out to Australia for next season.

If Queensland is to get a batsman in the Australian XI. of the future. Cecil Thompson is the serious cand : date. His batting this season has been the best among the Northerners made up of 46 and 01 v. N.S.W. at Brisbane: 10 and 23 v. Victoria: 54 and :?2 v. S. Australia ; and 33 and 134 v. X.S.W. at Sydney— 399 runs, averaging 49.57. He is a rig-lit-hander, witli strokes all around the wicket, but needs restraint to leave the off theory to the wicket-keeper or the hooting- crowds.

Prominence has been given of late to the qualities of Oamaru soil for the topdressing of wickets. Oamaru soil is used on the Carisbrook ground, Dunedin, the condition of which was the subject of laudatory remarks in the "Sun" by C. G. Macartney, the New South Wales side's captain. At a meeting, the other evening, of the Management Committee of the CanterburyCricket Association, R. B. Ward suggested that Oamaru soil should be obtained for topdressing the wickets at Lancaster Park. A. Dey pointed out that the groundsman at the park was satisfied that he could get an entirely suitable soil from the Cashmere Hills, and was taking step 3to get a supply. This soil had the necessary qualities for binding.

J. M. Taylor, the Sydney University cricket captain, compiled hie fourth century recently in the season's first grade. In 12 innings he liaa made 850 runs, and possesses prospects of reaching four figures. His centuries are: —104, 253, 110, and 118. In the State matches he did not strike the runs in big doses, and for this reason many are under the impression that he wag short of form. But his form has been good; so good, indeed, that at his best he has been the most alluring of all the batsmen in Sydney to watch, more spectacular evea than Charles G. Macartney haa been this summer. The University captain has played with too few-strings to his bat by limiting his clean, forceful scoring shots practically on the on-side, irrespective of direction and the length of the hall. This, no doubt, has helped to bring him down cheaply in the big matches. But he has only to judiciously curb this insistent on-eide tendency, and give fresh play to his beautiful off-side shots, to come forward to his best, and take his place alongside the greatest players of the day. If he gripe himself in this way he will be among the stare of Australia next season —star at the wickets and star in the field.

Last week Clem Hill began his 4Sth year. There are no two opinions that Hill gave up cricket all too young. It was a decision which followed a row with the originators of the Cricket Board of Control. The left-hander played his last test game at Sydney on February 21, 1908. Of those who also played in that test against Jones' XI. Macartney and Ransford are the only players still in big cricket; Noble, Armetrong and Carter lift a bat in club matches; Syd. Gregory has a game with veterans; Victor Trumper is dead; and O'Connor, Roger Hartigan and Jack Saunders have dropped out. Hill's first test match was with Harry Trott's team v. England at Lord's on June 22, 1896, and. he fell for one and five, in the second test he got nine and 14, and one and 0 in the third. But he scored 1196 on tour, averaging 27.35. Hill, however, wiped out thia bad start in later matches, and scored four centuries in test matches—llß at Melbourne in 1898, 135 at Lord's in 1899 (Vie. Trumper also got 135 not out in this match, and seven bowlers were tried out 'against them), 119 at Sheffield in 1902, and 160 at Adelaide in 1908. Hill's closest to the "double" of a century in each innings was v. England in 1902, when he scored 98 and 97. His highest individual score was 365 not out v. New South Wales at Adelade in 1900-1: and the Ma State bowlers were also biffed for 206 not out in 1895-6, and 205 in 1909-10. In more recent years, Clem took to bowla and tennis: nowadays lie is a stipendiary steward at race meetings.