FOR THE FIRST TIME

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 80, 5 April 1932, Page 14

FOR THE FIRST TIME

KILBIRNIE CHAMPIONS , SEVEN YEARS' EFFORT CRICKET SEASON -..REVIEWED ' (By "Not Out II.") ' Although thrco-teams finished level i *m points at the head of the Wellington Cricket Association's .senior champion-■: ship'ladder, .one M■ them, Kilbirnie, had.a decided advantage over the other two when the net averages' for the-sea: son were called into account. Kilbirnie have"consequently won the champion-ship-for the 1931-32 season, and thoroughly deserved the ' congratulations -which -they received at the conclusion of Saturday's play from the inember.s of therbt'ker. teams engaged at the Basiu from officials of the Cricket Association, and from other cricket -.enthusiasts. Among those who saw the deciding games was J; Newman, the JNTelson left-hander, whose bowling,last season played a big part in taking Midland through to the championship. Last J-ear Kilbirnie were equal with Old Boys as the'runners-up, and during recent seasons they have been consistent performers iii the senior competition. ' ■ Capably Ted ;by W. J. E. ChristopherKen, one s of the most consistent scorers in local club, cricket over a long period, Kilbirnie have been regarded as serious' 'contenders-;';',, for the championship] honours right through the season. Their (stocks slumped somewhat when they •were defeated by Hutt in the, first %round, find again when they went down to Institute; but each of these teams also had .reverses,, and when Institute accounted for Hutt in the final matchr Kilbirnio again, came into the. ' reckoning. ■ although it was riot until i**they:■ had had, no easy task in; disposing j,of Old Boy's. "It is possible that Chris-1 ftopherseu has played his last season of senior cricket, and consequently: it must i|have been.particularly gratifying to him ')to have led his team to its first success an the championship competition.' Kil(birnie has played in the senior competi;tioTi for seven years, and ■ during the jast- three has been under ChristopherSen's.'captaincy. :'"•'".". :. ■■ ■-. " A CRICKET BENDEZVbtrS. ' ror,tunate in having a ground in ..the 'district from which most of its/players are' irawh', • the Kilbirnie Club., has an■enthusiastic local ' follo\ving .which •watched its performances with.exceptionally keen interest. Possibly to some exferif- becaiise no charge'is made\ for admission", "the'Kilbirnie ground 'is a popular rendezvous for cricket enthusiasts each Saturday afternoon, particularly when the home team is playing. The surroundings are decidedly esque, which is an advantage,' but'the •ground ■ has the more .important adyan-, tage of possessing one of the best t wickets ;in Wellington, with .the: result that'much of - the brightest cricket- of the, competition, is to; be seen in its [en- ■ virons.";.; •'-.'■-: .'■ ■■ ' ' .'■' "'' -::■ ;■ '-'■ • Aa. in previous seasons, the team's Jnain strength lay in its batting,'which was strong down to the eighth or'ninth man, and some big scores were compiled in the course of the season. The , Kilbirnie batsmen, however, did not alL ways produce the-runs their supporters expectejtL.from. them, and once or twice failed:;when, they had a fairly stiff hurdle against them. ?Tevertheless, taking the season as a iwhole, .Kilbirnie could, generally be. relied upon to pro- • ..<luce' plenty of runs in ' quick.. tinie. Christopherson ' was again a prolific

j scorer, and Hepburn, Crook, Coltman, and others also usually came forward with valuable contributions from the bat. ~..'■; In the bowling department the team was not quite, so well served, although opposing teams could seldom tako libeiI ties with the attack, which was usually baaked up by keen and accurate field-ing-j the team's performances in this respect alone entitling it to a high place on the championship ladder. Crook performed good service with his fasimedium deliveries, Griffiths proved hinjself an able slow' bowler, and Morris maintained ;i steady length which served to keep the batsmen quiet on occasions. Most of the members of tho team have many years of cricket before them, and it is very unlikely t'lat the club will have to wait for an-, other seven years before it repeats its success of this season. POOR FIELDING. . , ( I In reviewing the 1931-32 club season, one aspect wliieh unfortunately stands out is the poor standard of fielding. It I would be difficult to single one club out' 'for censure more than another, as most of the teams have been offenders, and a general tightening:up in this department of the gajjie^s. not only desirable but essential if the game is to'progress and to receive patronage from the public. Good bowling can seldom secure recognition as such, if the fielding is not up to standard, and good batting also loses much of its merit if the runs come too easily'on account of slovenly worlc in the field. MORE ENTERPRISE NEEPED. Although there were some Saturdays when<the skies were overcast and a dis-; concerting wind blew, the season, on the * whole, was favoured by fine weather, allowing a maximum of playing time t for most matches., .; Respite' -this', however; .and -the added-'-induce-, Iment offered under the new points sys'.tein. which) was-in, force during.the season for the first time, there were'only •three outright -wins- scored ,during the season, and two of them by the one ,club. ' A little, more..enterprise on the part'of the club'captains' could1 probably- have brought more points in tne '.way of their teams;- and would* haye [given added interest to the last few .hours 'of 'play, which; were frequently devoted to practice batting. K. C. 'James/captain of .Old Boys)--and^E. A. IWhyte, Wellington's"leader,' wvjre two who showed, 'enterprise in endeavouring to secure an-outright win, but most