CRICKET.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1336, 13 January 1912, Page 12

CRICKET.

[Bi THI Bbeixm.] . BATTING AVERAGES.

'Indicates. "Not out.":' In addition to/.the foregoing, Hickey (Host A) has a not-out aggregate of 4t runs. BOWLING AVERAGES.

' Game Moving the Right Way. " Cricket in Wellington may be moving slowly, but it is moving the right way. It is also gaining—thanks to the incomparable wickets which Saunders givesop tho spectacular side, for tho freo batsmen are growing freer, and even the unconscionable "blocker" can do a bit of hitting occasionally, without getting out. All that, of course, makes for public interest, Spectators at the Basin have, of late, shown a decidedly keener interest than in tho past. Moreover, those fragments of advice and expostulation from the man on the bank, which betoken a quickened popular interest, are becoming every week more frequent, and, though individual players inay at times find the remarks that float through the summer air a trifle disconcerting, they may be taken upon. the whole in thp best, of spirit. It is a fine aign—an indication of quickened popular interest. He is, on the whole, a splendid fellow—this "man on the bank"—and he is f&iser in his judgment, and rather more humorous in his remarks, than is the case in other New Zealand cities. North's Great Leather-Hunt. , ' The broad features of the match between East A and North at the Basin on Saturday call for little in the.way of comment. Conditions in every respect favoured the batsmen, and tho terrible East bats made tho most of them. Tho wicket had been perfectly barbered and rolled, and tho! pi tile ja "sun, which made oven the altconqueriiig batsmen a trifle indolent at times, mode both bowling and leather-hunting a sore business. The inevitable result was runs—runs that

piled and "mounted in a way that made bowlers and fieldsmen, toiling unrewarded, dizzy to witness.

OTit Man Who Broko the Bowling. ' Hictoon was the heed and front of the affliction which desoended on North. It ,waa Tucker's fortune, later in the game, i to put up a slightly higher score, and ■to giro a uracil more showy .display, but Hickson's waa the steady, "unwavering, ■workmanlike performance that went a •long way towards reducing the North to "mush." Hickson, however, was not so free on his feet as he'' some- ; times is, and lie used fewer strokes than iliis 1 skipper brought into, play later on, I but his defence, until the end came, was unbreakable, and his batting, as a rule, appeared as easy and effortless as it was •disastrous to tho bowling. Back Paget in Hickson's Book. Although "Stan" played in very few games last season—lie was incapacitated tioon after it. opened by an injury to a leg-muscle—he has long been known as a d'ront-rank batsman. He began 'to play about 15 years ago in the St. Patrick's College team. In those days Qio did not take cricket very seriously, :but he oommenced an. active tion in the gamo when ho left school and joined tho Wellington . Club. His connection with this club extended over sibout a dozen years. On several occasions he headed the batting 'averages o£ the club, and.when it went out of existence on the coming of the district tchomo he retained permanent possession rf a cup which had previously been held from year to year by the club batsman notching tho best average. Ho had been a 'holder of the cup for three or .four 1 As everyone knows, lie has generally been a tough proposition for bowlers both in club and representative matches. His last century prior to that compiler on .' Saturday was made in a match against I'etone three or four years ago. On that occasion he made 115. The Two Sides of Tucker. Some pointed things wero (aid about Ken Tiicker's genwralship on Satui,'Uiv, and there is no doubt that he neglected to reach out for a possible point, but people who blamed him on this account could not deny him high praise for his elfort'as simple batsman. It was just beautiful. Nothing better has been seen on tho Basin this seas6n than his display. His work was as easy and graceful as it was powerful, and-throughout a long innings he never made an awkward or clumsy movement. To see him cut to tho boundary is one of the joys of local cricket, mid it was a delight experienced time after time on Sotnrday. A contributor has written to eay that Tucker really made no error in gancral-

Bhip, as Is orlli could never hare been got out, in the time available, on that splendid wicket. Well, it was worth trying, but no useful purposo would be served by following the mutter up further. I'orhaps, alter alj, it was just as well, for the spectator-) at least, that things took the course they did. The Caution of "Jack" Mahoney. Mahoney is a .batsman who rather fails to do himself justice. Hut for his unduo caution and hesitancy during tho greater part of his innings on Saturday ho might very well have earned a place amongst tho centurions. Ho has a mastery of any number of clever strokes when he likes to use them, but he is hampered, by an irritating tendency to hold in and hold back. Tho latter part of his innings on Saturday was as good as anything dono by his biggor-scoring comrades, mid s'nee tho bowling' was pretty thoroughly tamed before he came to tho wicket, Mahoney has only himself to hlamo for the fact that ho failod to notch a century. Baket— a Player with a Future. Baker is a young batsman who will undoubtedly develop into a front-ranker. Free foot-work is ono of the best features of his batting, and- already he has a very good command of strokes. On Saturday he was fairly on the road to making a century when he carried au unbeaten' bat for 61. Ho is now top of tho current club averages. Some Current Chatter. One of the fine features of this week's cricket was Union's uphill victory in tho Wednesday competition. As usual, .Warnecame with the Inevitable century, and i it must bo remembered that it was a century, even though ho emerged from the -fray with his "cnances" thick upon him. lie gave quite a number. Porliaps the most notable feature of the 'Union-Vivian match was Harris's bowling. • One ,is inclined-to endorse the remark passed by a competent judge last Wednesday, who stated: "Victor Harris would getMvickets in any grade of cric-ket-r-even iu a Test Match." What a variegated caroor "Stan" Brico has pursued with tho bat this year! Ho is, of course, well up in the avorages, but his scoring has been very in and out, and inohides no fewer than four "blobs" in seven innings. His figures for separate efforts are:—o—o—l27 not out 0—0—22—78.

A week of two ago Ken Tucker was well down in the club batting averages. His effort .last Saturday lias, as the Americans would put it, "hoisted him some."

Charles Hickey has not had his wicket put down so far this season. It is rather regrettable that he did not partner Baker in the North-East match lost Saturday, if only just to seo what the' mammoth total would have been at the clow' of the day. The neck-and-neck race bo'wpon Hickey and Gibbes for top bowling honours for East A. is interesting. Hickey is forging ahead in this department, but. per contra, Gibbcs is doing famously with the bat. His figures for four innings played so far are:—fi3. 17, 91, and 28.

Patrick has been a very consistent performer with the bat this year. In four club ventures ho has mode 57, 21, and 2G.

Rome time ago there were doubts as to whether South would be able to maintain a junior eleven in the .field. Those who "like to see thorn all doing well" will be pleased to learn that, not only are tlioy able to run'a second eleven, but tho eleven in question is- now in a fair wav towards defeating the East juniors.

Oriental (Wednesday) contain a number of very fair players, but what a penchant they have for running one another out! On Wednesday last three of thorn again lost their wickets that'way.

Central—Not Enough Time. Colourless cricket fairly describes the last day of' play in the Central-Sonth game. First of all the interest was practically all done with in the first three-quarters of an hour, when Central increased their standing lead of two runs on the first innings to 47. South, could now \vin onlv by doing something sensa-' tional, but they did nothing very much more than ordinary. Grace (36). and Patrick (26) certainly scored fairly freely, but tho other leading batsmen, notably Laws, were slow. Central went back to tho wickets with. only forty minutes to go, so that, nothing short of a series of disasters could have possibly given South a chance. But Blamires stayed in for half an hqur, and. looked like staying for a week, so that the unequal battle was ended by mutual consent before tho call of time. ■"V Barracking, Not Gibing. P. K. Le Couteur, writing in "Cricket," is at some pains to explain away the misconception that exists among Englishmen as to the 'meaning of the verb' "to barrack." He says, in effect, that it is no more than what English partisans understand by cheering, plus a little of something else. What tho something else is, and how it comes there be explains thus :— "It is difficult and risky to speak generally of an 'Australian ■ crowd.' In tho reserved parts of the. ground one finds t!(o 6amo conditions as at Lord's, or at least very similar. In the unreserved parts one finds the same mixed gathering as in England. But if its characteristics are dfifer- : eht from those of its English coun- • terpaxt it is in this direction: it is more alive and alertly interested in the play. One might say it identifies itself more with, tho gamo than an English orowd; it feels that it itself is taking part. _ An English crickot . crowd rather gives one the imprc3-

sion that it has come to 6ee a spectacle, and be entertained. An Australian crowd has come to play. It can bo readily understood, them, that the spontaneous cries of 'Get a bag,' and'lso forth, which greet the unfortunate fieldsman who has dropped a catch are not indicative of ill-will, or bad feeling, or of anything but personal disappointment. It is the English 'damn/ pins some humour, which arises when the imagination piays with the suggestion. The crowd is essentially humorous. Imagine a.broiling hot day of over lOffdeg. in the shade, the ground hard, the fieldsmen hot and tired, thp bowlers bowled out, and tho batsmen triumphant. Fifty aftor fifty appears on the scoring-board. Thon, during one of those lulls characteristic of the game, a voice is heard advising tho captain to 'pat tho umpires on.' It is a well-worn joke, but it is always funny. This, I think, is characteristic of the Australian crowd. A player innst obviously laugh with it—if he is humorous he cartnot help himself—but he is merely foolish if he allows himself to be annoyed. He may be certain that it will be ready to cheer him heartily tho next rnom<mt, should he so deserve. An Australian crowd will grudge applause to no ono who has won it."

Australian Test Batting. Tho four Test innings leave the Leading Australian aggregates 03 follow Armstrong, 182; llinnett, 143; Tramner, 142; Hansford,■ 135; Ilordarn, 115; 11 ill, 115; ICelieway, 105. Two notouts givo Hordern an average of 57.50, though his highest score was 49 not out. Armstrong averages 45.50; Minnett, 35.75; Trump«r, 35.50; Hansford, 33.75; Hill, 28.75; Kelleway, 20.23. lioy Minnett haa mado moro runs against tho Englishmen than any other batsman this season. His six innings, onco not out, total 264, giving an average of 52.80. Hansford has next best aggregate, his six knocks producing 203. Armstrong's sovon innings tot up 191, of which 182 came from four Tost knocks. J. N. Crawford chips in here with 187 in throe innings, his 62.33 beiDg the best average exf all. Trumper has 173 for 6ix innings, Kellevray 171 for five, Hill 106 for six. Clearance of Stock of best makes of Cricket Bats, at heavy reductions. Estate of late George Denton, 58 Willis Street.— Advt. '

Is I g II d u .« o g 'o -5? 8 g o t H p ° ifj S5 . «3 Baker (East A) 157 Gl* 4 2 78.5 Mahoney (East A) 241 102 4 0 '61.0 Gibbes (East A) ... 202 m 1 0 50.5 Black] ock (North) 141 00 3 0 ' 47.0 Crorabie (North) ... 220 S3 5 0 45.2 S. Hickson (East A) 15G 100 4 0 M.o Patrick (South) ... 155 57 ' 4 0 38.7 Brice (Petone) 227 32/* 7 1 37.8 Tu'ckor (East A) ... 141 108 4 0 35.2 . Griminett (East A) 70 35 4 2 35.0 Little (Central)) ... 171 G5* 0 1 34.2 Phillips (North) .... 130 51* 5 1 32.5 Laws (South) 219 93 7 0 31.2 O'Siilliran (North) 8S 51* 4 1 20.3 Bowles (East A) ... 163 77 ' 0 0 27.1 Staples (Hutt) ... 108 47* 5 1 27.0 O'Shea (East B) ... 105 53 5 '1 26.2 Robinsou (Central) 103 01 . 4 0 25.7 G. F. Judd (Hutt) 127 44 5 0 25.4 Aldcrsley (Hutt) i'.. 145 40 7 1 24.1 Muldoon (North) ... 24 13* 2 1 24.0 Blamires (Central) 134 48 ■ 7 1 22.3 Mitchell (Central) 22 15 2 1 22.0 Bnrbor (Petone) ... 152 61 7 0 21.7 Midlnne (East A) ... 05' 24 3 0 21.0 Beechey (Central) 130 79* 7 1 '21!l! Goldfinch (East B) fit 28 3 0 21.:? Ishenvootl (Hutt).! 101 ,50' G 1 20.2 Bragge (Central) ... CO ,22- 8 3 - 20.0 Keys (bouth) ' ■ 20-■ JS"*--3 2 : -;20.0 Wynyard (North)'/ 97.81, ,'5, . 0 ...19.4 JI'Girr (East A) 92 34 (■ 1-18.4 Nunn (Petone) 10l> 53 0 0 17.6 Wagstaff (East B) 123\ 30 0 . 17.5 Naughton (Central)" 102 " 57 G'0' 17.0 AVilkinson (Contfl) 102 41 G O 17.0 Penton (South) ...119 "44 ,7 v 0 ' 17.0 Salmond (College) 83 40 G 1 16.0 Walters (South) ... .112" 37 1 7 0 10.0 Burbidge (College) 80 38' G 1 10.0 Berendsen (College) 77 ,34. G 1 15.4 Grace (South) 107 ..'.47-.7 • 0 15.2 Collett (East B) ... 107 37. 8-1 15.2 l)ickson (College) '1(10 58 7 0 "15.1 Griffiths (College) 90 23 7 1 15.0 1'anninjj (College) 102 43. 7 0 14.5 Hutchings (East B) 115 •'•86 • 8 ,0 14.3 Cornell f'Potone) .... : 08 IS , G 1 • .'13.6 Millet (College) ...'Vl'M..:; 35* 5 1 13.2 Wills (East H) ...">25. 15' 2 0 -12.5 W. Pringle (Hutt) : ,74 ,42 .'.G .' 0 . 12.3 Palgleish (Petone) 08 ■ 20 "c 1 11.3 M'Kenzie (Petone) .70 "24 1< ... 0 10.S Burton (South) .... '75 20 ' 7," 0 10.7

. Wkts.' Huns. A/pe. Hiokson (Central) 13 - 88 ; 6.6 Hickey (East A) 27 236 ' 8.7 Luckie (North) 15 . 137 9.1 E. R. Judd (Hutt) ... 27 2G9 <1.9 Gibb?s (East A) 27 280 10.3 Blamires (Central) 13 148 11.3 Laws (South) 11 127 .11.5 Brice (Petone) 28 339 12.1 Bragge.,(CcnfcraJ) ....... 22- ' 299 * ISIS 1'enton' (South) "17 : , 231 : 13.5 Patrick (South) >12 166 .' 13.8 Nash (East B) ..;13 v 193 14.8 Saunders (College) 17 • 262 15.4 I'indlay (North) ...... 12 201 16.7 Bennett (Petono) 13 227 17.4 A. H. Prinple (Hntt) 11 218 19.8 •Hatchings (Bast B) ... 12 243 20.2 ,1'inlayson (North) 14 . 316 22.5 ,Dickson (College) 10 255 25.5 T'The foregoing are bowlers who have . taken ten wickets, or more.