CRICKET.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3532, 2 November 1882, Page 3

CRICKET.

Considerable interest was taken in a single wicket match which took place at Petane yesterday afternoon between two of our local cricketers and two strangers oa a temporary visit to the town. Quite fifty persons must have been assembled before the end of the matcb,'many having made it an excuse to enjoy the beautiful afternoon at that most charming of suburban retreats presided over by Host Villers. Yorky woo the toss and elected to bat. His mate Griff suggested that he should go in first and " break the bowling," and then Yorky could come forward and knock them about. Yorky could not see it in the same light, and went in himself to the bowling of Little Billee. The little'un bowled like a demon for a bit till want of condition told, and he had to take to underhand. JjTorky was knockingjthem about merrily, "anTgiving the" "Agent plenty of leather hunting, and succeeded in scoring 19 before he was bowled. Griff (the man who wanted to break the bowling) then went in, and it was worth the journey out to see him at the wicket. His manly figure, surmounted by a Tarn o' Shanter, perfectly upright, left knee a little bent, bat as erect as a popular tree—O ! Shade of Lillywhite, the very model of a cricketer. Now, said the spectators, we shall see something—so they did, for Little Billee's first ball took his centre stump, and the Bald-headed Snipe of the mountain had to retire as gracefully as he could under the circumstances. He consoled himself with the remark that it was a ball that would have bowled Murdoch or W. G. Grace. A no ball made the innings up to 20. After a short interval Little Billee went to the wicket, Yorky bowling, an , ] the B.H.S. of the mountain fielding. The first ball slean bowled him, and he was about to retire, when the umpire called him back and told him it was a trial ball. " I knew that," said the little'un, "that's why I didn't try to play it." However he only succeeded in scoring 1 before Yorky found the way into his timber yard. The Agent then appeared on the Bcene. The poor fellow seemed to suffer more than any of them from the super abundance of adipose matter with which all were afflicted; be had had a lot of running while fielding, and his breathing was like unto that of the grampus. He only Bcored 2, and his side was called upon to " follow on." The Agent went in again, and managed to score 2 more before he made room for Little Billee, who etepped up smiling and looking very determined. However, he drove his fourth ball hard back to Yorky, who Btuck to it, and disposed of him without the score being increased. Consequently the game was decided in favor of the visitore by one innings and 15 rune. Pills officiated as longstop for both sides, while Swipes and the Amateur Low Comedy Man undertook the duties of umpires. The Bald-headed Snipe ot the mountain had the cheek to claim the credit of the victory, which he said was owing to his having given way and not gone in first as he wanted to. A scratch match was got up to fill in the rest of the afternoon, and the party returned to town in time for dinner, well pleased with their afternoon's fUD.