CRICKET

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 68, 21 March 1931, Page 22

CRICKET

By "Not Out"

SENIOR HONOURS

THE FINAL MATCHES

A LEAD FOR BRIGHT PLAY

The local senior cricket championship competition will be coucludcd with the series of matches starting to-day. Midland have pegged away consistently with wins on the first innings and in entering upon their final match they have a commanding lead of four points, their position having been improved by one point last week as a result of the outright defeat of Hutt by Old Boys. '.Through tho somewhat daring action of the Old Boys' captain a little more "life" has been put into tho competition in its concluding stages, and there is every prospect of a bright -.'finish. Hutt responded in the right way to the challenge by Old Boys, and, although defeated, thoy played their part well in providing one of the most enjoyable games of the season. Wellington, too, have been demonstrating how the game can be brightened, and in tho face of a stifle task last Saturday they brought off a splondia win, largely through tho fine forcing play by Whyto and Worker, who established a new record for the third wicket. These teams have givon others a lead which should be followed next season, and one can look forward to much brighter club cricket in the future. It is likely, too, that tho final matches, commenced to-day, will provide play of an entertaining order. Old Boys need another "eight-pointer" in their final bid for championship honours, but their chances also depend upon Midland being beaten. Midland are playing Petonc, and in their case a lead on the first innings should be good enough to make them premiers for tho season. Kilbirnie have an outside chance, their requirements being an eight-point win over Old Boys and an outright defeat of Midland by Petonc. Between Wellington and University there should be a keen battle to avoid last place. No Tifteenth Man. A little more was heard from the New Zealand Cricket Council this week regarding the Now Zealand team's tour. A statement was made by the chairman, Mr. A. T. Donnelly, as follows: "At the request of tho Auckland Cricket Association, the committee of the New Zealand Cricket Council have again considered the question of sending a fifteenth man, and have re-affirmed their decision that tho team shall consißt of fourteen men. Tho committee are fortified in this decision by tho fact that it had previously consulted T. C. Lowry, M. L. Page, and C. S. AY. Allcott, who all strongly advised that the team should bo limited to fourteen men. It has to be remembered that Lowry is a first-class wiclcetkeeper, ana can act as second wicket-keeper if required. The fifteenth man in the last Australian Eleven was C. AY. AValker, second wicket-keeper, who played m comparatively few matches on tho tour.'' Wellington's Feat. In a manner almost as dramatic as their win against Petone in the previous match, AVellington were successful against Institute at the Kilbirnie Reserve. Within three and a half hours they ran up tho total of 337 for the loss of three wickets, and interest was keen right up to the final over of the match. Institute's policy of not declaring at the close of tho first day made it imperative that the AVellington men should hit out, and hit out they did; it was a fine win, and the team thoroughly deserved the success. Tew expected Wellington to do better than make a draw of the game, but in a brilliant and forceful third-wicket partnership the runs were made. Institute were beaten in one of the highest scoring matches of the season. The partnership between B. de R. Worker, the Hawkes Bay representative, and R. AVhyte, yielded 279 runs, and constitutes a new third-wicket record in local club cricket, displacing that of 267, compiled by Foley and Banks m tho 1925-26 season. . AVorker's steadying influence and AVhyte'a big hitting wore tho deciding factors in the game, and the Institute bowlers could do nothing to disturb the •pair Worker was missed at square-leg when 53, and this proved expensive,_ as he went on to score 124 before being caught off the last ball of the day. Whyte was almost run out when 100, bnt with a great effort he saved himself. He made many strokes to the outfield, and his total of 171 included 31 boundaries. , T In the early stages of the match Institute's fielding was very sound, but a strenuous day of leather-hunting made them very tired, and with an hour to co the batsmen had most of their own way. A bowler sadly missed by Institute was Henderson. . Wellington are now level with university for the "wooden spoon," and •will be fighting hard to lose this position in the final match. Midland v. KilWrnie. By making sure of a win on the first innings against Kilbirnie at tho Basra Reserve, Midland have made their championhip practically certain. Although their tactics were no doubt warranted in tho circumstances they did not lend any element of excitement to the game. Several outstanding scores were recorded, but taken on the whole the batting was very slow. Bight KUbirnie trundlers tried their luck, but Crook, their star man, bagged only three wickets, while Bramlcy and Morris each took two. Baker was the best j batsman of the day with a total of 87 Bryant followed him with v score of oo and then Clarke, with 52. Towards the end Midland's batsmen collapsed absolutely, losing tho last two wickets without tho addition of a single run. Petone and University. Petonc's attempt to gain an S-point .win last1 Saturday was rather a hopeless one, although it meant no risk of defeat. University are not a big-hit-ting side, but they may bo depended upon to occupy the wickets for a long time for the runs they do make. When at 5.20 p.m. 'Varsity went to the wickets for their second innings, Petone had to their credit a first-in-nings score of 147 (made on the previous Saturday) and a second innings total of 151 for six wickets, at which stage they declared. 'Varsity's first innings score was 116. The result of tho game was obvious even then —a win for Petono by 31 runs on tho first innings. At tho call of time University had made 99, with five wickets in hand. The batting last Saturday was mediocre on both sides. In University's first innings Kdwards find Brice each took three wickets, for 23 and 30 runs respectively. Petone's second innings wns soninl but slow. Tho top-scorer was Lilburne, the ex-Canterbury nmn, who got 33 of! the total of 151*. He opened quietly, gave two early chances, nncl the-n hit four boundaries in succession. The University howlers' figures were

not very good, due in part to poor fielding. Nelson, for instance, had four catches dropped oft' his deliveries. Aim's two for 30 and Macallan's two for i) were the best figures. Iv "Varsity's second knock Nelson's effort (42 not out) was the best of the- day. Rodger, who met with no success in University's first innings, took four wickets for 4G. A Risk Worth While. Old Boys gained an outright win over Hutt by declaring at the wimmencomont of tho second day's play at the Basin Reserve, when their score was 174 for six wickets, as against Hutt's total of 206. Hutt made only 132 in tlioir second innings, to which Old Boys replied with 166 for sis wickets and won by four wickets with over an hour to spare. Much of Old Boys' success was due to Duncan's excellent bowling. Duncan has been of great service to his sido this season, but he has seldom bettered last Saturday's performance of taking seven wickots for 34 runs. Lambert also did well with the ball for Old Boys. Ross, who was top scorer for Hutt on the previous Saturday, made 39 on this occasion. Aldersley and Beard wero the only other batsmen to help the score along to any extent. James followed up his S2 on the previous Saturday with another 'splendid contribution —62 not out. The Hutt captain sportingly allowed James to continue his innings after he had been given out lbw by the umpire when he had made 7. James had played the ball on to his pads, Lambert delighted the spectators with a very fine display. Included in his scoro of 48 were soveral iiite boundary shots. Lainason made 3S in tho right manner, adding his quota of big hits. Both sides mado tho game interesting and enjoyable, and the match provided a fine example of how club cricket can bo mado to appeal to the spectators. More of this type of play would make tho Saturday followings on tho reserves much larger. James took a big risk in presenting Hutt with a lead on the first innings, but it was worth it. Not only was the first eight-point win registered as a result of the gamble, but the game took a much brighter turn, and it is more ot the brighter sido tltfit is needed in club cricket. Hoping for the Best. A AVellington enthusiast's opinion of tho New Zealand cricket team has been eiven to the Sydney "Referee" cricket writer as follows:—"Our team to England is going, after all. I do not consider it stronger than the last. At any rate it is weaker with the ball. Our selectors do not seem to have taken notice of AVisden and other English writers, who said our bowling was our weakest link. The selectors should have picked another bowler and another all-rounder in place of a couple of tho batsmen. Dacre had the best return to the wiekct of any of our fielders, and he was a free bat as well. M'Girr was dropped becauso of his age. His bowling has gone off, but his batting is betterthan ever These two men will be missed, as will, I think, Henderson, who perhaps did better iv the better games than his peneral average shows. However, we are hoping for the best. Last team had four left-hand bowlers: Henderson, Allcott, Bernau, and Dacre. Tho last two did not do much with the ball, but wero useful. I think we should have had two more men as bowlers out ot Blundell, Dickinson, Masscy, and J. Newinan.'' Baggage Man. The New Zealand cricket team will not have- tho services of its baggage man on the voyage to England. Ohi) "Referee" (Sydney) states: "Mr. W. Ferguson left Sydney last week, after tho Test match, to join the Orontcs for England. He will await the arrival ot the New Zealand team, travelling home via Panama. He will assist in the transit work of the New Zoalanders, and be their official scorer. AV.F. has just finished similar work with the West Indies. He must be as hardened a traveller as even Dr. Roland Pope, the Marco Polo of cricket. A little while back one stated that the Board of Control had voted £100 to him, in recognition of his work with the 1930 team. But one regrets that this amount was not, passed, apparently because the majority of the board members do not realise the value of the services he renders to touring teams." There is a strong feeling in some quarters that the New Zealand Cricket Council should have appointed a New Zealander as baggage man, preferably a cricketer who would have been able to assist tho sido in match play should tho necessity arise. Left-Handers, Ltd. By defeating Shannon last Saturday by an' innings and 4 runs, Otaki has placed itself in an unassailable position for the county championship for tho present season. Otaki is now seven points ahead of Levin, the next team, and as two points are allotted for a win and there are only three matches to be played, Otaki can be defeated in all of them and still win the championship. A remarkable feature of tho .Otaki team is that eight of the regular players aro left-handed batsmen, and on one occasion tho team batted nine lefthanders. In fact, from the available players there would be no difficulty whatsoever in fielding a full team of eleven left-handed batsmen. The captain, C. P. Atmore, who is also a lefthander, says that present indications are that the awkward right-hander will soon be a "thing" of the past, although, if only for sentimental reasons, he felt sure that the team would like to retain one of them, perhaps as a curiosity. Strangely enough, although all the team can bowl, only one is a left-handed bowler. In Shannon's second innings last Saturday ten of the Otaki players each bowled an over in succession, and the Shannon team survived only eleven overs. Was it this curious mixture of left-handed gracefulness and right-handed awkwardness that caused such a batting collapse? Mercantile League. Some splendid batting performances woro registered in the Mercantile League last Saturday, prominent among which was an excellent 177 by L. AVhmham. This gives Whinham his third century for tho season, and puts him among the select few who have accomplished this feat. Bramwell 93, Hill 90, M'Kcnzie 80, Cox 85, and Larson 70 jilt came within striking distanuo of the coveted throe figures, whilst Lock (H.M.V.) was dismissed when only two runs short. Others a little more fortunato were Brown (Hope Gibbons) 115, J. Martin (Niven's) 123, and Hannay (Dalgoty's) 122. Hannay's century is a fitting termination to an excellent season, this player having been, a consistent scorer and a tower of strength to his team. It is not often that he makes a century, but his scores are frequently worth more than tho figures would indicate. AVith the exception of the D Grade final the season is now completed as far as the usual club games are concerned, but considerable interest is being taken in the representative gauio witfi the W C.A. juniors, being commenced at' Anderson Park to-day. This game will be concluded next Saturday, and m tho ovening the league's annual smoko concert is to be held. On Easter Saturday and Monday the league team will be engaged in a match with tho AVangamii Association at AVanganui. A. team is to visit Porirua on Good Friday and Saturday for tho animal match with the Hospital team, so that players will bo well catered for over tlio holidays. The presentation, of trophies by Mr. R. A. WrJghfc nt the annual smoke concert will conclude tho activities of the league for the season.

sity arise,

SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE. Out- 1st Out- 1st right Iim. riBlit Inn. Cli. Win. Win. loss. Loss. D. Pts. Midland .... — 8 — -7 ! " Old Boys ... 1 1 — $ -- ?" Kllblrnlo .... - I - Ji S p^lo*:::::: - 4 - * -1 2s Institute ... — 1 — ;J •' :!7 Wolllngtoa .. — - — ' "~ 2i University .. — - — ' ~ di