CRICKET SEASON.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 83, 9 April 1929, Page 12

CRICKET SEASON.

THE FINALE REACHED

A TAME CONCLUSION

CHIEF POINTS REVIEWED.

The final-; of the Auckland senior club g;i me.s. although carrying a couple of mirprisp?. were not by any means thrillin?. Tn fact, the ending, which resulted in the F.den team carrying of! the season's honours, was rather tame. This w.is due in part to the uncontrollable factor of unreliable wickets in the late season weighting the luck in favour of one or other of the teams in matches played on two Saturdays, and in part to the policy of following out the original draw to an indefinite date (determined only by the weatherj, making the competition terminable at a stage partway through the second round. Had the leading four teams been redrawn for the second round there might still have been a tame ending, but it would have been less remote and the winning team would have had greater satisfaction in its honours. Up to near the end of the first round Tonsonby held the lead by reason of allronnd balance, and effective attack. Eden's batting strength was outstanding, but lack of sting in the bowling resulted in a string of drawn games that lost points for the side. The inclusion of Langton, who proved a slow howler promising real class, improved the balance and enabled Eden to grasp the load. Coincidentally, Ponsonby lost the services of Firilayson and Roy, which so blunted the team's attack that it fell away sadly, lacking the very bowling contrast that Eden had gained by the rearrangement mentioned. Once the bowling kept opposing scores down below the 300 mark, the solid and consistent batting of Mills, G. L. Weir, Gillespie and Postle* brought Eden home with a late run. Ponsonby dropped away to third place, and University, helped along to prominence in the early season by the bowling of Dunning, and kept up later h Y the all-round play of Garrard and Smeeton, with Matheson's bowling as a strong attacking factor, gained second place. North Shore, at the close of the season, was a strong, all-round combination, but failed to consolidate until the season was well advanced. Grafton, Parnell, Y.M.C.A. and United Suburbs all proved patchy and inconsistent throughout. The season generally has been a most successful one for Auckland. On tour the Auckland reps, were unbeaten, defeating Canterbury comfortably, and having considerably the better of a draw with Otago, while Mr. E. C. Beale's •ide of colts also had an unbeaten record against several country teams and urban sides. The only defeat was sustained at home when a match, distinguished by the keenest of cricket on both sides, resulted in a win for Wellington by 34 run. Curiously enough the distinction of the •eason was the allocation to Auckland of the Plunket Shield, the trophy being won from Wellington, the only team which had defeated Auckland. This anomaly was the result of the rules having made no provision for loss of points in the event of the loss of a match, or for points for a draw. The wins of Auckland and Wellington being equal, the rules directed the allocation of the shield on averages, and Auckland, having much the better all-round performance, got the shield. In golf parlance, Auckland won the shield on "stroke play"—but the provincial associations, including Auckland, have agreed that the event should remain unique, and have recommended an alteration of the rules to provide against a recurrence of the anomaly. The season also saw the completion of E. H. Bowley's third season as playercoach to the Auckland Association. This terminates the period tacitly set for his engagement, but reopens the question of providing a coach for ensuing years on a scale of payment less generous than that set with the engagement of Bowley. The association has agreed that it must keep a player-coach of good standard in commission; the problem is to keep tip the coaching standard while reducing the outlay to a point that will not embarrass less well-endowed associations in approaching the same market for the same good purpose. A Notable Trio. •Tack Mills and G. L. Weir, the two Eden crack batsmen, have had a red-' letter season. Mills has broken into the very select company of Auckland batsmen who have made a thousand runs for the season, while Weir, in his second year of rep. cricket, gained the Redpath Cup for most meritorious performances in the rep. matches of the season. His average of 1.51 for four innings was a fino performance for a youngster, and in addition he got seven wickets with an average of 27.28 runs. Mills is now shaping for his thousand runs in Plunket Shield cricket, his tallv now standing at 838. He started with a modest 7 and 17 against Otago at Dunedin, in January, 1025, the only match ho -was played in that season." In the 1920-2fi season he put on 140 runs (including 59 against Otago and 43 against Christchurch, both at Auckland), which was not good enough to get him a place in the New- Zealand team for Australia. Tlie following year he added 237, last season his tally was 207, and this year he added 230, which included his first Plunket Shield century. Incidentally, it seems probable that E. H. Bowlev, the Sussex professional, has played his last game in Plunket Shield cricket. In the three years in which he has been in New Zealand for the cricket season, Bowley has had a creditable all-round record in Plunket Shield jjamep. Tn 192fi-27 he made '218 runs (average 43.G), and got nineteen wickets for 374 runs (average 19.7). The following year his batting improved, and lie made 3.i9 runs (average 59.8), including a knock of 120 at Wellington, but his bowling was less effective, his five wickets costing 185 runs. Last season his run-yetting record fell off. his fally being 107 (average 41.7), but he bagged fourteen wickets for 2.">7 runs (average 18.3). In all, Bowley has made 744 runs (average 49.6) in Plunket Shield games, and has taken 38 wickets at an average of 21.5 runs apiece. He heuitM the Auckland bowling averages

in the first and third years of his appearance with the team, and the batting averages in the first and second seasons, but last season the three young Eden batsmen, Weir, Mills, and Gillespie, ranked above him in batting performances.

SUBURBS FINISH STRONGLY.

There is an old saying, "Wei! begun is half done," and to this might well be added tho dictum "that a good ending stones fGI* earlier failures." United Suburbs have the unenviable distinction of finishing last in the championship table, but they also have bright recollections <>f matches during the later part of the season in which they did particularly well after a bad start, and they rounded off their cricket for the 1925-9 season with a really meritorious performance. Ponsonby had, for once, failed to reach their regular "200 odd" in a first innings, but they were only four runs short, and Suburbs' task was by no means light. That thev set about it in such sturdy fashion wa-s a credit to them, and that they achieved it was another. Principal credit for the first-innings win must go to Norman Martin, who rounded off a very consistent season with a not-out 0.3, during which he gave only one obvious chance —a possible catch in the long field which any fieldsman 111 iijht have beeu forgiven for missing, lit' batted freely and well, being strong mi the leg side. Bushill also batted well, keeping his end up during the early stages when the bowling was fresh and dangerous, and making some vigorous and well-placed drives to the off. Kenmade a very useful 40, and had the satisfaction of making the winning hit, a two to leg off McLeod. Mention of McLeod as a bowler recalls the fact that Guiney and Monteith were also called upon.. To be perfectly frank, Ponsonby were badly handicapped by the absence of a trundler of anything more than medium pace. Suedden and Smith did their utmost, and did it well, but there was no help from the pitch for "S.G.'s" off-breaks, and the captain als-> found it a tiring job to bowl against batsmen who watched the ball right on to the bat. Snedden was not flattered by an analysis of three wickets for 71 runs —figures which represented a sound afternoon's work. NORTH SHORE ON TOP. Rather mediocre cricket ww the order of the day at North Shore when the curtain was rung down on the cricket season in Auckland. The home team experienced no difficulty in getting over the hurdle set for them by University in their first innings, and only wild hitting tactics after the opposition total had been passed enabled the visitors to get the side out, at stumps. The wicket wa? not in the condition it should have been following a week's dry weather, and was too damp for the University fast bowler, Matheson, to do anythingon. Garrard annexed most of the wickets, but in doing so he suffered a great deal of hitting round the paddock. The soft wicket rather suited him, but he did not get one through the defence of the batsmen, who were out to catches and stumping. From the first, when Saundcr? and Frater defied all attempts to dislodge them, University's chance of victory gradually receded until, when finally

the two were separated, after adding 142 rung, the students had no hope of saving the game. | Prater capped off a good season by scoring a welcome 84. The Shore captain has been particularly consistent this season, and if he strikes form (next year with the bat he ought to be in the running for

Auckland representative honours. He is one of those batsmen who believe in the maxim that "attack is the best method of defence," and seta up a good example for his team by running up a good tally in quick time. Saunders, aa far as* batting has gone this year, has not been too successful, but ho has no reason to complain that his offering of Saturday overshadows his previous performances. He accompanied his captain right through, and, although his rate of scoring was considerably slower, he played the right game in giving Frater the monopoly of the bowling. He was the first of the pair to go, and it is a remarkable coincidence that Frater went two balls later without anything having been added to the score. Player and Scott were associated for some time, but the former was! not in hitting mood, and played on the safe side. His partner, on the contrary, hit hard and often, and sent two of Garrard's deliveries sailing over the line. Don Webb, who was sent in after University's score had been passed, hit at everything that cafme his way, and took a very short time to run into the twenties. before his stumps were scattered by Bush. The latter, given the ball late in the day, came off with the best average, and might with advantage have been tried earlier. Two wickets for 18 is not a bad performance, even when the batsmen are out for a hit. Garrard, in gaining four of the North Shore scalps, bowled well throughout the afternoon, and with the aid of the soft wicket got quite a lot of play on the ball. Although he was hit about a lot. he was the strength of the students' attack, and at times kept the runs down and the batsmen in a state of indecision. On the whole the showing, however, was not the best that has been seen on the Devonport ground, and signified that cricket has had its fair innings. The players themselves were a little stale, and their thoughts were perhaps centred on the excitement of following the football, instead of on the "ame played with the bat and ball. NO STONEWALLING. There was nothing of the drearv stonewalling stuff about the match in which Parnell scored a first innings' win over Grafton. Parnell occupied the first three-quar-ters of an heur of play in losing their last three wickets, which went down for the addition of 27 runs. Thi« gave Duncan's eleven a lead of 61). With but two and a-half hours to play, it looked nothing else but a first innings' win for Parnell, but Grafton were determined to die fighting, although the result of the match did not matter one way or the other as far as the | championship was concerned. Losing no time. Grafton made their second pilgrimage to the wickets, resolved to hit the ball out of the ground just as often as | they could, and the score went up merrily. Horspool, Allcott, Walters, and

Hockin all went about their business with a will, although the two first named departed before they had reached the twenties. Walters played an attractive bat for 29. and Hockin hit particularly hard for two less than that figure. Later came Bannister to carry his bat for the neat two dozen, and the innings was closed at 137 for eight. Anthony did more damage than his team-mates with the ball, taking four for 57. Sixty-nine in front, Grafton, with less than an hour to go, sent Parnell to the crease. There was just a chance that Allcott or one of the lesser lights might pull off a sensational bowling feat and snatch victory from Parnell—the red caps have not had the best of luck this season, losing two or three matches by margins of under a dozen runs—but it was a chance that did not put in an appearance. Parnell, for their part, after Anthony and McCoy had taken stock of tho bowling, went after the runs in an effort to make a four-point win out of it. but the effort was timed a little too late, and when the stumps came out they were still eleven runs astern. McCoy, who was unfortunate in not striking form until rather late in the season, batted well for over thirty, and Aitken, who had played a lively knock for 21 in the first innings, was also unbeaten with a dozen. EDEN CHAMPIONS. It would have been surprising had Y.M.C.A. stayed the victorious course of Eden, who made very light of a task of getting 156 runs to win on an April wicket, which was in good order and so easy paced that the bowlers could not get any assistance from it. It took the opening Eden pair just about ten minutes to find out that the bowling had no particular terrors, and then they set a fast rate of scoring, which was kept up to gather 330 runs in just about three hours, a rapid rate of scoring, which was in fine contrast to some of the dreary batting exhibitions which have been given in club cricket this season. Since the departure of Bowley for England, Y.M.C.A. have been considerably weakened, and apart from that the only bowler of match-winning possibilities on the side is Trevor Lyon. On Saturday Lyon did his best to give his side a good send-off with extra pace for the occasion, and before nianv runs were on might have had Mills caught in the slips had the stroke been anticipated in the way that Aueklanders knew when Harold Lusk was in the game and in search of snicks just wide of the wicket-keeper. Apart from that streaky shot. Mills was in full command of the situation. and with (J. L

Weir for a partner, jrave Eden over 100 runs for the first wicket. With batsmen of the calibre of Postles and Gillespie to follow, the issue was soon be - yond doubt. By scoring 80 runs, Mills carried his aggregate for the season to over the thousand mark.

Brook-Smith and Butler both gave lvely displays, and in the innings of the latter there were a couple of brilliant forcing shots of the kind which recalled Brook-Smith when be was. at the zenith of his powers, and one of the beat batsmen in the land. On the Y.M.C.A. side was Worth. ;i young left-hander who was making liU Senior debut. He has a run and to some extent a delivery reminiscent of S. G. Smith, who might well be a pattern to young glow left-handers, but Worth has still a lot to learn about tho virtues of length and direction. He imparts pronounced finger-spin to tinball, and for that reason has distinct possibilities. Eden fully deserved to win the championship. The team play was good throughout the season, and they were decidedly the best batting combination in the competition. The bowling was only fair until close to the end of the season and the arrival of Langton, a slow right-hand spin bowler who soon proved himself a force in club cricket, and who may have gone close to representative honours had he appeared earlier in the season. It was also proof that there are some good players in the lower grades who just want tho right opportunity and encouragement to make good. It was perhaps just as well that the result of the frame did not hang on ;i run or two. The first Eden scorer was a lad whose mathematical knowledge appeared to he somewhat hazy. an<! when he tired of the job he handed if on to another lad of about the sam > size and age. The second scorer gamelv saw his task out, and then came considerable difficulty in reconciling figures and deciphering names. However, th« xeal of the two lads was commendable. SHORE TEAM'S AVERAGES.

The following arc the averages for the club season:— BATTING. Name. R. 1. N.O. H.S. Av. R. E. Frater . 657 16 — 128 41.0!» J. E. Bush . . . 359 14 5 101 30 !>."i A. Player .... 480 16 2 136 34.32 N. Naismlth .. 112 6 2 41 28.0 > L. Saunders .. 234 15 2 48 18.o<> A, Scott 101 6 — 30 16. S:i F. Archer 153 14 2 22 12.7* P. Garrard ... 140 11 — 36 12.77 D. Webb 61 5 — 22 12.30 R- Jay 47 5 — 30 0.0". H. T. Webb . . . 56 12 5 23 8.00 P. Reld 15 3 1 13 7.5o H. I.anjcley ... 24 4 — 14 6.00 W. J. Coates . 20 8 2 12 3.41 BOWLING. Name. W. R. O. M. A v. H. T. Wobb ... 20 272 101 24 13.62 A. Player 23 393 151 45 17.1" I>. Webb 13 2">4 40 4 J!)..".: H. J. Coates . 24 48S 122 13 20,1". L. Saunders . 29 588 3 29 18 20.2s A. Scott 4 So 25 4 21.38