COUNTRY CRICKET.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 307, 28 December 1935, Page 11

COUNTRY CRICKET.

MATCHES AT EDEN PARK.

Day of. Fast Scoring — An Expert Wicket-keeper.

Matches in the country week cricket tournament were played at Eden Park to-day, where Poverty Bay met Waipa, Manukau played Pukekohe and Riverhead tried conclusions with Xorth Auckland. With perfect weather and fast wickets and fast outfields, the conditions were all in favour of the batsmen.

Fast scoring ruled during the morning's play, the batsmen in general disclosing a refreshing tendency to hit out and get runs quickly.

RIVERHEAD V. NORTH AUCKLAND. The outstanding feature in the River-head-North Auckland match was the brilliant work of the man with the gloves for Riverhead. It was better wicket-keeping than that shown in the Auckland-Otago Plunket Shield game. The wicket-keeper was R. W. Rowntree, the former Auckland representative player and best wicket-keeper that the Dominion has known. But neither the Riverhead bowling nor fielding was on a par with Rowntree's individual part, and Dunning, the .Rodney veteran, and Wyatt, got runs at a fast rate. At 48 Wyatt was lbw, and then Lawrie came to pile the runs on. The second wicket fell at 135 when a forceful innings by Dunning closed. Lawrie hit in spirited fashion, and at lunch four wickets were down for 103. : Scores: — NORTH AUCKLAND.—First Innings. Chinning, lbw, b Blakey 79 Wyatt, lbw, b Scott 2:t Lawrie, c llawken, I) Greasley S3 Salisbury, c Rowntree, b Scott w Fyfe, not out g Falvey, not out ° Extras * Total for four wickets 103 POVERTY BAY V. WAIPA. The Poverty Bay and Waipa teams met on the No. 2 area, and Bay had first strike on a gc/od wicket.

Dow and Akers gave Poverty Bay a good start, and despite frequent bowling changes carried the score to 81 before the partnership was broken, Dow putting a ball up, and being well held by Forster at cover. Barnett, a slow righthand spin bowler, soon beat Akers with one that came in from the off, and then quickly got lid of Wells. Wilson and Stuart -were next associated, and despite frequent bowling changes scored freely. Poverty Bay had 200 runs on for the loss of four wickets at lunch. Stewart gave a great display of hitting after lunch and reached a century. Poverty Bay's innings was closed with dix wickets down for 293. Scores:-^-. POVERTY BAY—First Innings. Dow, c Forster, b Barnett 53 Akors, b Barnett «•- Wells, st Hay, b Barnett ■ 1 Wilson, b Larsen 01 Stewart, not out l+Carroll, b Hotson .......... ..... o Lysnar, c S. Shepherd, b Barnett .. 4 Seymour, not out - Extras »f Total for six wickets declared .. 203 Bowling: Larsen took one wicket for 45 runs, W. Shepherd none for 2b, Clark none for 20, A. Shepherd none for 30, Eraser none for 0, Barnett four for ob, Forster none for 18, S. Shepherd none for 13, Hotson one for 27.