BOGGS BEST ALL-ROUNDER ON SATURDAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 260, 3 November 1941, Page 4

BOGGS BEST ALL-ROUNDER ON SATURDAY

The second series of matches in tlie Auckland Cricket Association's championship produced three lirst innings victories and two draws. The sides which gained outright victories on labour Day were opponents at llevonport, and as North Shore beat Grafton, the Suburban XI. now has a handy lead. The points after the two series are (outright win counting 10 points):—North Shore 16, Grafton 11. Eden 8, University (last season's champions) and Parnell 7, Training College fi, Papakura Army and Ponsonhy-Balmoral 4, Middlemore 3, and V.M.C.A. 1.

Saturday's games resulted: — North Shore, 97 for seven, beat Grafton (batting first), 35. Universitv, 111 for 8 (declared), beat Y.M.C.A., 45 and 57 for four.

Training College, 154, beat Parnell, 116. Eden, 104 for five (declared), drew with Papakura Army, 179 for four. Middlemore, 128, drew with PonsonbyBalmoral, 58 for three.

Ton Much Forward Piny.—Lacking practice owing to the wet weather conditions which have prevailed, the great majority of batsmen failed to get a start on Saturday, and low scoring was the order. The wickets were on the soft side and bowlers who could exploit the conditions and make the ball lift awkwardly always had the batsmen in trouble. Many, however, made the error of playing forward to deliveries short of a 'good length, and spooned easy catches to fieldsmen close in. Splendid bowling performances were registered by A. M. Matheson (University), J. Cowle (North Shore), and C. W. Rowntree (Pon-sonbv-Balmoral). The highest score of the afternoon went to the credit of E. G. Boggs (Training College), the Auckland Rugby wing three-quarter, who compiled 05. Next on the list was W. M. Wallace, captain of the Papakura Camp team, with 88.

Success With Bat and Ball.—Boggs, who scored 95 of the Training College total of 154 against Parnell at Papatoetoe. was thus mainly responsible for the success of his team. He went in at a critical stage, when two quick wickets had fallen for only one run on a drying wicket. Although many of his strokes were unorthodox, he played freely and confidently, some strong shots, including two sixes and four fours. If It had not been for the slowness of the outfield, and the length of the Papatoetoe boundaries, Roggs would have topped the century. He gave two chances, one in slips and one in the outfield, before mis-hitting a ball from J. A. Forsman to be caught at cover. The versatility of Boggs is shown by his performance with the ball, when he took four wickets (all bowled), for 43 with his medium-paced deliveries.

Wallace's Fine Knock.— Although he had had no practice, W. M. Wallace played a fine innings for the Camp team for 88. Settling down quickly, he scored all round the wicket with splendidly-timed shots, and he forced the pace well when his side had a chance of a win. He was bowled in the last few minutes in trying to force H. J. Harrison with Camp still 15 runs in arrears. Wallace should have been out in the thirties and again at on both occasions to n hook shot. Johns on the boundary misjudging the first chance and dropping the second. But for the 15 minutes' delay on account of rain the Camp side would surely have been successful, requiring only 16 runs to win with six wickets in hand. Solid innings were played by the opening pair, B. H. Warner (30) and C. Ste\ens (21).

Matheson's Big "Hap."—Employing all his guile, A. M. Mathesnn had a great afternoon at the bowling crease, eventually ending with 11 wickets for 38 runs. A consistent length and a well-disguisert slower ball, which he made kick up, had the batsmen at ''sixes and sevens" in the first innings, in which he bowled eight overs, three maidens for eight wickets at a cost of 12 runs. He took three wickets for 26 in the second innings and but for another solid knock by K. R. Sutherland (31 not out) Y.M.C.A. may have been beaten outright by an innings. This made the third time in four knocks that Sutherland had carried his bat "all the way" this season. Rowntree Bowled Well.—Despite trying conditions and loss of time by aggravating showers, an earnest attempt by Middlemore and Ponsonby to get a decision other than a draw on the day's play, kept up interest in the game at Victoria Park. True, the scoring was not fast, but it was as fast as the batsmen could make it, having regard to the conditions and to the fact there was mighty little loose bowling. For Middlemore, the understanding between H. T. Pearson, L. H. Fisher and L. M. Smith in the matter of going for short singles was excellent, and productive of spirited duels between the batsmen and the fieldsmen as well as of steady swelling of the scores. A tally of 128 runs for 160 minutes' batting is not fast scoring for club cricket, but with a dead wicket, a slow outfield, bowling steady and the fielding alert, it represented a sound effort. The only bowler to get effective results from the wicket was C. W. Rountree (a Brabin Cup century scorer at Christchurch at New Year, 1940), whose medium pace attack was marked by persistent accuracy and well and varied length and pace. His six for 28 was an average well merited. In their turn the Middlemore bowlers kept well on the spot, though never up to Rowntree'? standard of hostility, and but for Intervening rain a close finish might have been enjoyed, instead of the honours being shared in a drawn game. In getting 58 for three wickets in 90 minutes, the Ponsonby batsmen played below their customary pace, as loss of time by rain early in the innings destroyed a sporting chance of getting the runs. AT THE DOMAIN j Slow wickets and lack of practice accounted for the run of low scoring at the Domain on Saturday, when the City and Suburban season opened. Pitches were not really difficult, but for the most part batsmen did not show the enterprise usually associated with one-day cricket. Points this season are reckoned as follows:—Outright win 10. first innings win 6, first innings loss 1, and a draw 3 each Manukau, the only team to gain an outright win already, have a useful lead of four points over Air Force and Dilworth, and a seven-point lead over last year's champion Green Lane, who drew with R.V. Results were:— Dilworth, 46, beat Tui, 44, on the first innings. Green Lane, six w'.ckets for 163 declared, drew with R.V., eight wickets for 61. Air Force, one wicket for 81, beat Brixton. 67. Manukau, four wickets for 88 declared, beat Army Service, 19 and 55.

A Close Finish.—One-day cricket usual l v brings with it some close finishes and Saturday was no exception. After being dismissed for 46 Dilworth soon had Tui in trouble by getting five wickets for 10 runs. A useful innings by L. Jack, a newcomer. Improved Tui's prospects. While he was at the wicket 34 runs were added, his own contribution being a solid 21. With three wickets to fall, only three runs were required. All the remaining wickets fell without one of these runs being scored. Dilworth thus emerging the winners by two runs.

Full Points to Mannk'ill.—Last year's runner-up, Manukau, got off to a flying start with a ten-point win over Army Service, the new team in the competition. Tl* veterans. Dunning and Mann, had the Army team out for 19. Though there was some improvement in the second innings. Manukau, declaring with four wickets down, won with an innings to spare. As the members of the Army team have had no opportunity yet of practising or playing together it is too early to pass jude ment on their prospects for the season.

R.V. Foils the Champion Xl.—The rain and a delayed declaration robbed Green Lane of any chance of taking first inning* points from R.V. Green Lane posted the century for the loss of one wicket and carried on its innings until R.V. (only moderately strong in batting) would have had no chance In normal conditions of scoring the necessary runs in the limited time. A heavy shower a'opped play for 15 minutes and a greasy ball proved a severe handicap to Green Lane after the innings had eventually closed. Four wickets fell for one run at one stage, and it looked as if R.V. was in difficult straits. A timely ninth wicket stand, in which Robertson figured prominently, saved R.V from defeat. Russell, for Green Lane, got into the sixties by careful play and recorded the highest score of the day. He was dropped early in his innings. "Run Out."—Of the 68 wickets that fell in the four senior Domain matches on Saturday, the decision on 15 occasions was run out. Runs were hard to get and batsmen took many risks. In a few instances two batsmen were at one end. and on other occasions batsmen hesitated and halted in the middle of the wicket. Brixton was particularly unfortunate In this respect and six men were run out during the course of the innings.