Cricket

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 55, 28 November 1928, Page 9

Cricket

By

"BURWOOD"

NEED FOR BRIGHTER BATTING

PROSPECTS FOR THE FIRST TEST

With the advent of something like summer weather, local batsmen are beginning to get amongst the runs again. It was quite heartening to see the tens mounting on the boards at the Basin Reserve, and on the Kilbirnie ground on Saturday. It must be admitted, however, that batsmen did not take full advantage of the ideal conditions offering for gathering runs. After a week of fine weather, the wickets rolled out firm and plumb, and the fast outfields gave full value for every stroke, but notwithstanding that they' were living in a batsman’s paradise, ultra caution was observed throughout the afternoon. A Great Pair. The two New Zealand representatives C. 8. Dempster and H. Foley have struck their, best form this season, and their doings‘during the past fortnight have bordered on the sensational. Last Saturday week they put on 185 for the fourth wicket for Institute against " Petone, and the innings was declared closed, after Dempster had reached 144 and Foley 57, both batsmen being left unbeaten. The pair opened the innings for Institute against Old Boys on Saturday last, And were not Separated until 260 runs were on the slate. It was a great display of defensive batting, but it is hard to understand why neither batsman could warm to their work after both had become well set. It must be admitted that Badcock, Parsloe, und Duusjkn bowled remarkably well, but more enterprise on the part of both batsmen would have enabled them, after being at the wickets for a couple of hours, to have used their feet in getting out to drive good ■ length balls. On the contrary, they elected to remain strictly on the defensive, with the result that there was little to enthuse over. Dempster has given so many sparkling displays in the past that the spectators are disappointed 'if he does not bang a couple of fourers off each over. He was unusually subdued on Saturday, and even the staid and sedate Foley scored at a faster rate. It was a great performance on Foley’s and Dempster's part to put on 260 for the first wicket against sueh a bowler as Badcoek. As they had scored 185 while together against Petone on the previous- Saturday, it really meant that Dempster and Foley were continuing their innings when they started against Old Boys on Saturday last. When Dempster fell for 123, the pair had thus put on 445 runs for the partnership—--185 against Petone and 260 against Old Boys. Dempster this season has played three innings, which have realised 41, 144 not out, and 123, thus giving him the phenomenal average of 154. Foley showed the soundest of defence iu compi.'ing his 162 on Saturday. He was at the wickets'for four hours and twentyfive minutes, and the only chance he gave ivali at 151, when he was dropped by I'jton off Dunean. Folly’s best shots were his straight drives on both sides of the wicket and through the covers, and it is surprising that hidid not exploit these strokes ofteuer between 3 o’clock and 6, when he was firmly’set. I Still there is an old cricket saying . that a batsman can only /score, as ..fast,,» as > the bowler will Dt him. Badcock ' eetjtaifly put up a great-sustained bow- , ling efort in only having .110 runs hit { off the, 45 ovefs he sent down.. Duncan also fowled accurately in securing one < for. 1(2 off 28 overs. 1 Institute, at 7 o’clock, had 318 on for 1 the loss of only two wickets. Against 1 this, University ran up 367 for the loss of eifht wickets on the Kilbirnie ground. Kilbirnie and Hutt totalled 309 for the loss of twelve wickets on the Hutt grourd, and Wellington and Petone ag- , gregated 255 for the loss of twenty wickets cn Petone Oval. It will thus be seen that Institute’s rate of s-’l'ing, slow as it undoubtedly was. compared favourably with th'- dis- ’ -11 by the other teams on the afternoon. There is peed lor . : smen aceelerating their rate of scoring after they have become well set. As Hugh Trumble remarked when here with the Australian team last season: ::A halfvolley and a long-hop should be hit.” Many Jails were sent along to Dempster ind Foley on Saturday which should have >een rattled up against the pickets. By ;aking so long to make their runs, they iave practically made a draw of the natch, as they cannot take the risk of Waring with only 318 on the slate. Students io Form.

It in pleasing .to see that the youthful university eleven are continuing to show goo] form, and are quite justifying their right to a place in the senior grade, for whldi they had to light so strenuously for several seasons. They did well to run up 3G7 for eight ivickits against Midland on Saturday. An nspitiiig lead was given by the captain, R. H. C. Mackenzie, who opened the inaings, and was not dismissed until (1 ’’clock, by which time he had scored 158 •tins. ;lt was an tunings marked more by loundipss than by brilliance. The ’Varsity captain ia in rare flatting form this teasou, • His three visits to the wickets have so far realised 128 against Kiiblrnle, 'J awilnst Wellington. and 158 against 'tidlaid, which gives him an aggregate of •I T. aid an average of 'JU per Innings. He slioull lip certain of n place in the renreleutative eleven this season. 4 Goid Start. FI. C. Bailey and MaeKenzie gave UniverHty an excellent start on Saturday by put--1 2 .4 for clle flMt Wieket, of which Balovs share was 36. This diminutive oatsuan has some good scoring strokes Wvr in e '‘ bett ? l ' sta " d was ma(le bv A. Ha’H'iga and MaeKenzie for the second e ‘ aK the Palrfut on 113, carrying the •etnrn'?n U f»- 4 «° "« 7 ‘ n0,11,1 ß s showed a im* 0 1,0 forw hB displayed two <aß ? n ‘ a r°* hfi was one of the H t inn C ?A n, "-* Gtter s hi the compe! Ro/sXZ. y of Bh6ta flgure!l ,n The Midland bowling came in for heavv ?h n w Hhl doM’< W ' A ‘ lial ; er - Wl| O secured two three f/ 6 85. 0D8 ’ CW " ing 011 t bcst witl ‘ w/>!'? and W JE llave to bat well If they wish to save this game. * A Cambridge Blue. <l. A. Rotherham, the ex-Camhridge SwL rS t} i an ‘ Warwickshire County plljei. made au auspicious first appear'l' 1 ;® 11 ' lnea i < ’ clc,tt ' t 011 Saturday. Bowling 1 aaPt'l'-'-'i «1X wickets for 62 rjias. The Englishman, who -Is' builf on mullar lines to Stan Brice, though not ' h e n dß 2 ,OMg a ri «ht-hand fastn«lluni ball, and can not only flight them in the air, but can break back sharply Iran the off. The merit of his is the pace at which bis deliveries come off th«Pltch. He left Hiddleston and ttobe?tstaildi .'’i>' with particularly good ones. Botl these batsmen had apparently becomi well set, Hiddleston being 43 and r V'uJ rt ;" 0 ?, 28 wh ® u the Englishman q?'?’ ■ Aa .Kotherham is also a tirst-dass batsman, be should be a distinct tcaw Wellington representative Hole,- who secured three for 42. also «R^u^r’ sßtting a bi * Wellngton could only total 151, Middles log (4.) Robertson (28), Westbrook (25) and OConnor (12) being the only batsmen to reach doubles. A Boy Bowler. The ‘Wellington Club, within recent years, las adopted the progressive policy of eneoiraglng their Junior players. They promote! their 16-year-old colt, It. Morgan, on Saturday, and he at once made good I>! capturing three Petone wickets for 13 mns. His victims included Hudwick, Iliudle, and Martin. This youngster has an otsy delivery, and keeps the batsmen gamsing by turning his slow deliveries bljh ways, whl’e cleverly preventing them fltai knowing which way he Is going to turn them. Wellington has sadly needed a slow bowler for some seasons past, aid lliis youngster may I urn out another lerrltt. He certainly made a sueeessful I'.rsl appearance in (be senior ranks. Wellngton certainly give more encouragemcit lo their young players than do

e Old Boys. The latter team have a really good bowler in the person of Dustin, who headed the bowling averages while at the ’ Lyall Bay School, the primary school res presentative team, and later for the Wellington College first eleven. Yet while 1 Dempster and I’oley were hitting up 260 runs for the first wicket on Saturday, Dust tin was not deemed good enough to send f down a single over. ’ S. Hiddleston also did -well with the 3 ball on Saturday, coming out with exactly b the same figures as Morgan—three for 13. 1 Hiddleston trapped each of his victims 1 in precisely the same way—a hanging ball which they played forward to and popped . the leather back into the bowler’s hands. He got a bit of his own back when he 5 caught and bowled Rotherham after the Englishman had scored five runs. Petone made a sorry showing with the bat. Eight wickets were down for 50, when the resolute Hope strode to the ’ crease, and swung the long handle to such : purpose that he'banged up 34 in no time,: •. an 4 was good for many more when the ■ last wicket fell with the total two short :of a-hundred. Hope hit a lusty sixer and / five fourers In his breezy display. - Smallwood, who notched 22, was the ; only other Petone batsman to make runs. Wellington tried five bowlers, and all met : with success. Cousins capturing two for 28, Hyder one for 5, O’Connor one for 15, Morgan three for 13. and Hiddleston three for 13. A Good Knock. There are few sounder batsmen iu the senior competition than the captain of the Kilbirnie team, W. Christopherson, Though he gave his men a good lead on Saturday by running up 24 against Hutt on the Hutt Recreation Ground, the side could only total 191. The Kilbirnie captain played dashing cricket, and had bad luck in not reaching his century, as he was brilliantly caught right on the boundary by Warnes off Watson, when ho only required six to reach three figures. It was a spec- | tacular end to a fine innings. Greig (21), V. Christopherson (20' and W. Tucker (16 , not out), were the or / others to get runs against good bowling by Leu. Beard, who captured five for .50. McGlrr (three for 44) and Watson (two for 17) also bowled well for Hutt. , On going to the wickets the Hutt batsmen at onco got busy. That trusty opening pair, Biggar and Ross, gave the side a good start, Biggar reaching 36 and Ross 24. Birch (19) and Lees (29) were both going strongly when stumps were drawn ■with two wickets down for 118. Payment of Players. A writer in the London “Daily Mail” forecasts that open professionalism must become an accomplished fact in Australian cricket, if the game is to retain its first-class players. Indications have pointed that way for some time past, but it will be a difficult job to change over from the present system of part-time professionalism. To adopt the straight-out system after the English fashion would mean that the States would have to pay salaries, since we have no counties, as in England.. and the clubs could certainly not afford ’ to maintain professional players at Australian wage rates—indeed. It is doubtful whether the majority of the States could afford to do. so. The present inethod-scems the only practicable one under Australian conditions, and there is little wrong with it save the contention of many players and their governing bodies that they should continue to be regarded as amateurs, which they certainly are not. , Fights for the Ashes. Dates for the cricket tests between England and Australia are as follow:— November 30 to December 6. at Brisbane. December 14 to 20 —At Sydney. December 29 to January 4—At Mel- 3 bourne. - 3 . February 1 to 7—At Adelaide. 8 to 14—At Melbourne. All eyes will be turned towards Bris- 3 bape-on Friday next, when the first test r match between England and Australia will commence. , With two such teams in the field, some 1 exceptionally ' heavy scoring should be witnessed, especially as neither side is 1 particularly strong in bowling.

It is to be hoped that a better wicket will be provided for the test match than was prepared for the game between England and Queensland last week-end. There must have been something radically wrong with the wicket when Queensland fell for 11(1, and England lost six wickets In scraping 112 together. It was the two English slow bowlers who upset the -Queensland batsmen. Freeman, the Kent professional, bagged five wickets for pl, and White,'the Somerset amateur, secured four for 20. It is doubtful if both these slow bowlers will be included in the English team for the first test, though the Australians in 192(1 played both Mailey and. Grimmett in all the test, matches. The players should all be at the very top of their form by this time, and some brave doings with bat and ball can be expected. . It would be a rash prophet who would predict Hie outcome. The game should be. a grim' struggle' throughout irt- six days,. with .victory depending largely upon the ability of the fieldsmen to accept the chances offering. England will be well served In the slips with specialists like Hendren and Chapman on hand, while Gregory will lie there with Ids giant reach and abundant euergy lo inspire the Australians. Though England has a great side, ami an id-'ni leader in Chapman, it must not bo forgotten that the Australians are great fighters. With batsmen such as Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Jardine, Hammond. Chapman, Hendren, Larwood. Mend, and Tyldosley on the English side, and such prolific run-getters as Ponsford, Woodftdl, Bradman, Kippax, Kolloway. Ryder. Oldfield. Gregory. Grimmett. and Oxonlmm to idle on the runs for Australia, heaven alone knows to what heights the scoring will soar. Tn Tate, Larwood, White, and Hammond. England appears to be stronger in bowling than Australia, lint Ironmonger, Gregory, Grimmett. Oxenhnm, and Kellewny can lie depended upon to keep neg gleg away grimly until the strong English batting side has been disposed of. (Inly twenty years of age and selected to represent his country in a cricket test, D. Bradman is a national hero tn Australia to-day. The Melbourne "Herald" said of him recently: “Following a double

failure hi the trial match in Melbourne came his two centuries against Queensland and to some extent he came back into favour. Now he is being talked of everywhere, for his batting against the Englishmen was masterly. For a boy of twenty to make successive scores of 131, 1.33 not out. 87, and 132 not uut at a time when- lie might be expected to be anxious about his Test chances shows he has tire temperament for big things. Against the Englishmen ills batting was marked by soundness and vigour. He played all the bowling with confidence, and never looked like getting out. There are faults In bis batting, as is only to be expected in a boy of his age, the most noticeable being an inclination to draw away sometimes from a ball on the leg stump; but despite this he has a very strong defence, and hits powerfully, particularly on the. drive.” H. B. Massey, of the Institute senior team, intends visiting Ids people In Sydney during the summer vacation; and will spend some weeks in Australia. Massey is a teacher at the Training College. He will be sorely missed by the Institute team. Mr. J. Garrett, Wellington, writes:— “Would you kindly answer through your columns the following question: Is J. M. Gregory, the Australian Test cricketer, playing In the forthcoming series, a right or a left-handed batsman? Thanking you in anticipation.” Jack Gregory, who is 33 years of age, Is a line all-round player. He is a dashing left-hand batsman,-fast right-hand bowler, and wonderful fieldsman in the slips.