AUCKLAND DOES WELL.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 5, 7 January 1929, Page 11

AUCKLAND DOES WELL.

PLUNKET TEAM'S RETURN.

GOOD CAPTAINCY.

BOWLING CAPABLY HANDLED,

"A good all-round eide, and we were thoroughly well captained," was the comment of E. H. Bowley, the Auckland coach, who returned with the Plunket Shield cricket team yesterday.

Bowley spoke in terme of the highest praise of Allcott's captaincy. With but three other bowlers at hie command, and those all of the same type —mediumpace with an occasional fast ball — Allcott varied his attack with admirable judgment, and, as Bowley puts it, the batsmen were always "pegged down." The colt of the team wae Paul WTiitelaw, of Auckland Grammar School, who did remarkably well in his first knock in representative cricket when he hit up a faultless 2S against Canterbury.

The Auckland coach made particular mention of Rowntree's wicket-keeping at Dunedin, which he described as being well up to the best English county standard. In the same game G. L. Weir and Jack Mills, both of' the Eden Club, got centuries. For a youngster who came into senior cricket only two seasons ago Weir showed a remarkably sound defence, said Bowley, and his century would long be remembered by the bowlers who faced him. It was good to see Mills back in his best form. He batted with characteristic grace, and there was not a bad etroke during his long innings.

Turning to the bowlers, the Sussex all-rounder said Player bowled remarkably well, keeping a good length and swinging away to the off, with an occasional ball that came fast through. Dunning did his share in "keeping them pegged down," and although he bowled an occasional loose one thers came a "snorter" every now and then which had the batsman well beaten.

What Bowley described as one of the pluckiest pieces of batting he had ever seen was Horspool's effort at Lancaster Park, Christchurch, when the Graf ton player made 30 odd after having been struck in the mouth by a ball that glanced off the bat. Many a player would have retired permanently, eaid Bowley, but after a brief interval Horspool came back to the crease.

Speaking of the Southern wickets. Bowley said the Auckland team never encountered one which could be described a* hard, but neither at Christchurch nor Dunedin was the wicket difficult.

Auckland will contest the ownership of the Plunket Shield with Wellington at Eden Park this month, and a good game is promised.