PLUNKET SHIELD

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 143, 14 December 1933, Page 11

PLUNKET SHIELD

WELLINGTON V. AUCKLAND

LOCAL TEAM CHOSEN

Wellington's first engagement in this season's Phmket Shield cricket competition will be with Auckland, the match to be played at the Basin Reserve commencing Saturday week, December 23. A week later on the same ground Wellington's match with Canterbury will be commenced, so that with four days allotted for each match, Wellington will have a cricket festival during the Christnias-New Year holiday period. / The selection of the Wellington team to meet Auckland has been made by Mi\ K. H. Tucker as follows:— K. C. James (Wellington College Old Boys), captain. E. W. Tindill (Midland). W. Dustin (Midland). ' M. O'Brien (Hawke's Bay). J..EU (Wellington). R. Morgan (Wellington). J. R. Lamason (Wellington College Old Boys). E. D. Blundell (Wellington) k R. Crook (Kilbirnie). D. Freeman (Nelson). J. Newman (Nelson). V. H. dv Chateau (Wellington College Old Boys), twelfth man. It is intended that tlie hours o£ play each day shall be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1.45 p.m. to 3.45 p.m., and i p.m. to 6 p.m., except that on Christmas Day there will be no play in the morning. The selector has fulfilled his intention of giving preference to youth. Although Ell is the only one of the twelve chosen players who has not previously represented Wellington, the team is quite a young one. A more seasoned and stronger team could have been chosen, but in making his selection Mr. Tucker has looked more to the future than the present without unduly weakening the side. Had C. F. W. Allcott been available his inclusion would have been certain. The team is one that should be capable of giving a very creditable account of itself, and, with the one exception, the younger members of the side should profit by the experience gained last season. ■■ Tindill, O'Brien, Lamason, James, Blundell, Newman, and Freeman all played against Auckland last season, and those players, as well as Morgan, were in the Wellington team which met the M.C.C. representatives. Of the elect for the.match with. Auckland all except Lamason and Kewman participated in the recent representative trial, Town T. Country. ■ ' Reports published in Hawke's Bay and in Auckland. state that there is a possibility of O'Brien, tansferring to Auckland, there to play for Grafton. ■' There is no confirmation locally; in fact, when .O'Brien was in Wellington recently he indicated that there was nothing in a rumour in circulation then about his being transferred.