CRICKET

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 136, 6 December 1919, Page 4

CRICKET

OTHER. ITEMS.

(By "Half-Volley.")

The conclusion of the third round •■ of matches arid the commencement, of the fourth round has placed a different aspect on the senior competition, Hutt having been displaced from the premier position by Petone. East and Old Boys have also moved up to the same position as Hutt, thus making the competition, at this early stage, even more interesting.' The championship table is as follows : —

With each match the standard of play is becoming better, and glimpses of old form are being shown by batsmen and bowlers, there being an increasing number of good performances. Improved form is also being displayed by the men new to senior cricket, although it has been somewhat surprising to find the Thorndon team shaping so disappointingly on recent Saturdays. The result of the first day's play of the fourth i ronnd points to an interesting finish bej ing fought out between North and Old Boys, while victories for East and Petone seem- assured. HONOURS BOARD. Apart from those already published in this column, the ' following individual performances are notable : BATTING. Condliffe , 132 not out. G. Baker 103 not out. A. Dind „ 90 Gedye .' 71 Aldersley ...__ 70 Marris .....vw.— ,- 70 .Brice .., , ' 67 Beechey 64 W. A. Baker 62 Paterson 53 Fanning 60 BOWLING Brice 8 for 10 ■ Patrick 7 f or 145; Tucker v 5 for 3* Stiles 5 for 36 Smyrk 4 f or 13 Brice 4 for 16 Fenton ......:. 4 for 22 Brice 4 for 34 Tucker ...„, „ 4 f or 48 Smyrk _ 4 for 49 I Lambert „..,-. 4 for .50 Fenton .; „... 4 for 72 Plant 4 for 79 REPRESENTATIVE MATCHES. It comes as a disappointment to learn that the Australian soldiers' team will not be able to visit New Zealand, but there is yet a prospect of seeing . team from the other "side. The New Zealand Council is moving in the matter Replies having been received from the various main centres regarding representative matches, the Wellington Association has been able to draw up a programme, which is satisfactory; in Vevery respect. Provision is made for a visit to Canterbury and Otago, as well as to Auckland, and for various matches in Wellington, some of which will be played on the Hutt ground.- Wellington is to play Canterbury at Christchnrch on the 25th, 26th, and 27th December, subsequently meeting Otago at Dunedin on tho first three days of the New Year. Should Wellington succeed in lifting the shield from Canterbury, the other match will also be played for possession of the trophy. On the Bth, 9th, and 10th January, a return match, Canterbury v Wellington, will be played at Wellington, • while another local team will meet the Nomads on the Bth and 9th January The match against Auckland will be played at the northern city on the 29th, 30th, and 31st January. To those playors who are not selected in the team to go south, it is encouraging to find that the association has arranged two other representative matches for Christmas Day and Boxing Day, ono against. Manawatu and the other against Wairarapa. Both fixtures are set down to be played at the Hutt. The Management Committee is to be congratulated upon making such arrangements for the holidays.

It is hoped to have a visit from Hawkes Bay at the end of January, and an effort is also being made to arrange a match between the Canterbury and Wellington junior representatives, to be played at Wellington on the Ist and 2nd January.

The Wellington Cricket Association recently wrote to the Canterbury Association, forwarding a copy of a request received from tbe Christchurch City and Suburbau Association for a match against a Wellington second eleven, and asking the Canterbury Association's views on the matter. The latter body has decided that the Wellington Association be thanked for its courtesy in referring the matter to the Canterbury As.sooiation, and be informed that, as the City and Suburban Association is not affiliated to the Canterbury Cricket Association, the committee could not do anything in the matter. The highest score in senior, cricket in Christchurch last week was made by W. R. Patrick—a century and a-qua-rter.

The New Zealand Cricket Council has decided that the eight-ball over is to be played in all representative matches under its jurisdiction. Following upon a communication from Hawkes Bay the Canterbury Association has decided to invite the Northern Association to send a team to play ,in Christchurch an the Ist, 2nd, and 3rd January, against a second eleven, and to offer the visiting team 30 per cent, of the net proceeds. A. R. Barker, who has represented Wellington, Hawkes Bay, Poverty Bay and Marlborough, is doing well in Blenheim. On a recent occasion he scored 78, and took ten wickets for 49 runs. Bob Mason, well known-locally as the Old Boys' skipper for some seasons, has also been playing in Marlborough. Recently, however, he went into hospital, and will probably be out of action until the New Year. CRICKET IN AUCKLAND. In Auckland no time is being lostin securing a- ■ thoroughly representative eleven for inter-provincial matches, and' the selectors have already chosen the following players to practise, in view of the forthcoming match against Canterbury : Fi S. Midlane, A. Anthony, R. Somervell (Paruell), S G. Smith, N. O. Snedden, F. Cullimore (Ponsonby), W. Brooke-Smith, E-. Rountree, R. Taylor, L. G. Taylor (Eden), F. Horspool, Saun- j ders, Burton, B. Sloma-n, C. A. Snedden j (Grafton), L. G. Uranus, 0. Dacre, B. Coates, L. Elliott (North Shore), R, Garrard, A. S. Player, and Saunders '(University). The feature of last Saturday's matches in Auckland ■ was Ernie Horspool's innings of 182 not- out. A northern critic states that it was one of those inspiring performances this batsman gives, once or twice every season in club games. This was tbe only century of the day in senior cricket, though in the second grade another of the Horspool family, Fred., knofcked up IZ9 in characteristic fashion. / ENGLISH. CHAMPIONSHIP. Yorkshire have won the cricket cham-pion-hip in England. They would have been entitled to tho-honour even if they hud not .finish*- ».t the liwd of Ml* tab!* of records. They took all the risks in en>

gaging in twice as many matches as Kent, and even if the latter's percentage of wins had been equal, the merit of their performance would not have been as high. Whilst the old men of the Yorkshire .team liave done eXtremely well — Rhodes -has taken 142 wickets for twelve runs each, and. with Hirst- and. Denton, has scored over 1000 runs—the season has been most encouraging' from the success of tho young players. It was not to the advantage of Kent thai they did not enter the field until mid-June when the turf had been sun-dried, for there is no bowler more capable than Woollev in get-' ting, the most out of a pitch. Woolloy has had to do. most of his bowling on batsmen's wickets, and yet ho has been extremely successful. He has scored a lot of runs, too, and. he is perhaps the best all-round cricketer of the day. On die whole, cricket has made a good revival, but a very bad mistake was committed m resorting to tho two-day experiment. Everybody realises that now the Financial results have also been satis; factor;'.

Pts. Pts. Ch. Won. Lost. For. Agst. Vie. ketone .-.-.i--- 2 15 2 3 _utt ._»_..._, 2 1. 5 3 2 3ast 2 14 2 2 31d Boys ...... 2 15 3 2 S'orth - 12 3 4—1 rhorndon 0 3 0 8 i