SPARKLING GRAFTON BATTING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 52, 3 March 1930, Page 14

SPARKLING GRAFTON BATTING.

On a wicket that showed the benefit of rain followed by a hot sun, play was fast at Eden Park on Saturday. The wicket was a batsman's, and the rate of scoring in the Eden—Grafton game made the match watchable from the point of view of. the' spectators.

Grafton won the toss, and Allcott made the obvious choice. The state of the wicket was shown by the fairly consistent, good scoring-rj-four scored 30 and oVer. ' : "*' : ' ■ ,•■■ ■.'

■After an hdur or so of "digging-in' : tactics, Sale felt himself at home, and went on to score, a well-deserved 58. He did not 'find the bowling difficult and was content to let chances come, rather to go and chase themi Horspool, on the other hand, lost his wicket in a way that was as needless as it was foolish. Newdick, a young player whom Eden were' apparently trying out, : was sending down stuff that* *at\> times degenerated into . long hops,, .but '•■ which was • coming off 'the' pitch sometimes shoulder-high. The batsman ■timed one of them perfectly'for four. But in attempting to-repeat the operation on a ball which never had a ghost of a chance Ongoing; within .two feet of the stumps, ;he ; just flicked it gently and:./placidly into'the hands of Aitken, at cover, who never even had to move to take' the catch. -Horspool went for four, and he deserved it.

Allcott gave a bright display. During the period when he was with Sale the play was at times sparkling, and fours were the order of the day. The rep. batsman determined to make the field dance to a livelier tune, and though this ■added life to the play, it-proved his undoing. A variety of bowlers tried to move .him, but he worked untroubled throiigh Thakobau, Butler and Weir. He met his "Waterloo in Langton, but it was an expensive Waterloo. When the latter, a slow trundler, came on, Allcott gripped his bat anew, anchored his feet .firmly to the ground, and just Kit.'' A breathless six or seven minutes followed, in which,, besides hitting sundry braces and fours, he notched two ;glorioqs sixes; one .' after: the other, far up on to the Kingsland rockery. It couldn't-last, however, and the ball following, he was caught on the line; It says something' -for the temperament and the bowlings of Langton, that even while he was being hit all over the ground, he did not" lose his length; for while"Allcott hit two for the'maximum, he also clean missed two or three other balls.

- McCormick, Grafton's young. player, gave an exhibition which promised a return to form. His driving was the result of confident mastery over' the bowling, and showed well thought-out placement. . \ Both Wilson and Whelan also hit up creditable scores and 'batted with determination.

Eden's field was kept alive, particularly the boundary guarders. Six of the wickets fell for catches, and the only one missed was when Langton collared the umpire low in a vain endeavour. Mills, in slips, .snapped up; Whehur. in real Dulecpsirihji style.