Strong Team On Paper Beaten On The Field

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 45, 17 November 1936, Page 14

Strong Team On Paper Beaten On The Field

New Bowlers Arise In Cricket In Canterbury (By THE WATCHMAN.)

1 UNIVERSITY, the bottom team in tne U * competition last season, scored an outstanding success in Wellington on Saturday bv beating Wellington, a side which included three men who have represented New Zealand in 1. 0. Lowry. H. D. Smith, and E. D. Blundell, and four others who have played for Wellington in J. Ell, R. T. Morgan, K. A. W byte, and H Foley, as well as a former Wellington Mercantile League representative in E. Mallard. Mallard ie a young slow bowler of distinct promise. He is right-hand with a rather whirlwind action in delivery, but his ability to turn the ball both ways is clear. His pitch is at present variable, but if he can cultivate more accuracy without losing deadliness, he will be hearu of in bigger cricket. Even now he may prove a useful second string to B. Griffiths. J. R. Lamason, who has the advantage of starting his cricket season in good physical condition because of his activities during the winter on the football field, is in fine form at present, having scored 161 runs at an average of bO.o so far. He is a fine example of a player reaching his top in the late twenties, and if he strikes form in representative matches he should be a strong candidate for the tour to England. For two seasons he lias been Wellington's most successful and dependable batsman in Blanket Shield games. His great value is that he is never better than in a crisis. E. W. Tindill came back to form by scoring 60 in a total of 164 for Midland. He and J. A. R. Blandford, who played for both Wellington and New Zealand last year, are rivals for the position of wicketkeeper for 'Wellington in Plunket Shield games. It may happen, however, that Tindill will be able to secure a place as a left-hand batsman alone if he maintains form. Incidentally the presence of these two emphasises the difficulty facing a minor association player in reaching first-class cricket. A country wicketkeeper would have to be right in the very top flight to be preferred to these two, for no selector would be inclined to pass them over to try a comparatively unknown man from afar, yet he might be one of the three or four best in New Zealand. This was illustrated with C. N. Kingston (Taranaki), than whom there have been few better batemen-wicketkeepers, who could not win selection for Wellington, and consequently not for New Zealand either, because of the rise at the same time of K. C. James. At the time both James and Kingston were good enough to play for New Zealand. Even T. C. Lowry apparently realises that, for all his undoubted skill as a captain and his ability as a batsman when in form, he has little chance of returning to first-class cricket no matter how many runs he makes in Rangitikei, so he is travelling to Wellington to play each Saturday. returning to Taihape on the Sunday. On Saturday he made 45, not in his best style but with the promise of better things to come. Canterbury Form. The Canterbury Cricket Association’s commendable plan of having a trial maten for the anticipated Plunket Shield team on show day—the second, by the way, the side has had this year—rather failed because the Christchurch Suburban Association representatives failed to measure up to the full strength of Canterbury. Canterbury made 274 —a moderate total for such a side —W. A. Hadlee scoring 72, M. L. Page 56, and J. L. Kerr 22. Five new players were tried —C. Shackei, H. Davis, D. N. Mcßae, M. Sharp and E. Mulcock. Mulcock, who took four for, five and two for 28 with the new ball, ie regarded as the bowling “find” of the season. His figures for four times at the crease in club games are: Three for 41, two for 38, six for 32, and nine for 35. Mulcock is expected to develop into a medium-

pace bowler of top class. He swings late from the off to leg and uses the leg trap. Davis, regarded as a useful "breeze” bowler, took five for 47 and four for 18. Sharp, included in the hope that he will prove to be the man to take the place of W. E. Merritt, is known in the North Island. In 1934-35 he played for Poverty Bay in Hawke Cup matches and. for Auckland in a special game against Wellington, as well as for the North Island against the South Island at Wellington, when he took one wicket for 28 runs and one for 47. He went to last year, and immediately impressed ha a slow bowler of promise. His figures in club games this season are three for 31 and four for 75 against St. Albans, and five for SO against Old Collegians. In the trial match he took one for 19 and none for 15. and made 35. Suburban's scores were 58 and 183 for eight wickets. Here and There.

L. E. Riley, the former Canterbury and Wellington representative, now playing for Kaikorai, may not remain in Dunedin after Christmas.

G. Robertson, former Poverty Bay representative, is playing in Dunedin. He made 45 in a recent club game, impressing critics in Dunedin. Dave Solomon, the Rugby All Black, is a senior grade wicketkeeper in Auckland, sharing a distinction held in Wellington by E. W. Tindill. D. A. R. Moloney, who played for Wellington and New Zealand last season, is going strongly in Palmerston North, his performances so far including two centuries and six wickets for 24 runs.

,A fine double was recorded by the University captain. A. M. Matheson, against King’s Old Boys. Batting confidently, he scored 50 not out and then routed the King’s team by taking seven wickets for 17. Auckland critics, rather prematurely, are now describing him as assured of a place in the New Zealand team which will leave for England near the end of the season.

“FERGIE” KEEPS THE SCORE Cricket Personality With English Team A slight, wiry, Australian-born Scot again accompanies the English team on its present tour of Australia, and later he will visit New Zealand. He is “Fergie,” otherwise William Ferguson, unknown to most cricket fans, yet one of the greatest personalities in world cricket. As official scorer and baggage master, he has been with every Australian team to tour England since 1905. and with every English side in Australia since 1920. The task of the players is a light one compared that of the baggage-mas-ter. Generally speaking, he has to take charge of about eighty pieces of luggage. In thirty years he has never even lost a suitcase. Scoring be regards almost as a sideline, but his labours in that direction are in the nature of one of the seven wonders of sport. He keeps the score in the ordinary way for official purposes, but he has a private system of his own by which he keeps a record of every ball bowled and every stroke made, while he decorates his score sheets with clever drawings of the ground on which the match is being played. “Fergie” has been all over the world with Australian, New Zealand. South African, West Indian and All-Indian teams. His total mileage in the service of cricket must exceed the million. Ho was with the last New Zealand team in England, and has been through New Zealand several times with Australian, English and South African sides. If be would, he could write a wonderful book on big cricket, for he has been watching it for years in every land.