OTAGO'S FINE WIN

Evening Star, Issue 23501, 15 February 1940, Page 4

OTAGO'S FINE WIN

PERFORMANCES OF MERIT BATSMAN AND BOWLER HIGH ON LIST AVERAGES FOR SEASON [By “ Wallaby.”] Otago’s victory over Wellington was, a meritorious one and showed that the lighting spirit had not, after all, entirely departed from the make-up of our players. That second innings of dol after being 82 runs behind on the lirst. and the subsequent dismissal or Wellington for 211 was a splendid offset to our two defeats in the north. Tho highlights of this very interesting match have already been dealt with. Suffice it to say that the final halthour’s play on Tuesday morning was notable for some bright hitting by Whyte, the visitors’ slow bowler, who brought his score from 14 to 42 in 2o minutes, and for a very successful over from licmin, who captured both the remaining wickets for 1 run, finishing with the fine average of five wickets tor 21 runs off 13 overs. This, with his two for 72 in the first innings, raised him to fifth place in tho scale of .Upminion bowlers, and established his claim to be the chief destroying agent for Otago this season. Moloney in the second innings, and Leader and Elraes in the first did some effective trundling. Lemin’s performances in Plunket Shield games aro particularly good, for he captured 14 wickets at an average cost of 18.92. - Apart from the runs nlade, there were some excellent displays of batting by Fraser, Mills, Moloney, Toomey, and Cameron for Otago, and Ongley, Wilson, M'Leod, and Tindill for Wellington. There were some failures, of course, the most pronounced on otir side being Chettleburgh, who not only got out quickly in each innings, but got out with poor strokes. Robertson, though batting soundly enough, failed to reach 20 in either innings, thus bringing his average down from 54.5 U to 34.25, while Fraser’s went up from 30 to 43.60, which is Otago’s best for the season. Neither Elraes nor Leader got very far with the bat, but Cameron did fairly well in making 26 (top score) and 18. , '■*-, . At any rate, Otago escaped being landed with the “ wooden spoon, which Skipper M'Leod had to pack, tinwillingly, in his kit-bag and take do Wellington, despite the fact that. his province was the only one to defeat the champions, Auckland, It is to be hoped, however, that this single victory of Otago’s will not be deemed sufficient answer to the critics who _ have pointed out weaknesses in our cricket. There is still plenty of room for improvement, and even though the immediate future may'be uncertain as regards sports and pastimes generally, no harm can bo done if some means of effecting that improvement is worked ° Ut ‘ OTAGO’S AVERAGES.

Following are the batting and bowling averages of the Otago men in Plunket Shield matches this season:—

—Batting.—

PLUNKET SHIELD POINTS. The final points in the Pluniket Shield competition fox- the present season are as under»

05 W fcj) fcD b a *S **? S . ptj a ,ja . a . . 50 *3 WJ 88— CQ w © . oa •‘C ® •*» ® *t2 & -s a I s * s-| a .a J 5 5.5 .-.3 P o-h o o p-i O & fa £ fa Auckland 3 2 0 0 1 18 Canterbury 3 1 1 1 0 12 Otago ... 3 1 0 1 1 10 Wellington 3 0 1 2 0 4 TWO LEFT-HAND OPENERS. It was noticed that M’Leod, the Wellington captain, although he had five left-hand batsmen in the team, once or twice qhanged the order of batting in order to have a right-hander and a left-hander at the wickets at the same time. It used ,to be regarded as unthinkable to have two left-handers open an innings, but Ben. Barnett, the Victorian captain, has revealed the fallacy of this, and has consistently opened with himself and lan Lee, with excellent results. In the match against Queensland at Brisbane these two put on 158 for the first wicket in the first innings, and 169 as an opener in the second innings. The fact that Brown and Cook, as openers for Queensland, scored 112 before being separated in the first innings completed a record in Australian cricket, this being the firet time that there had been three opening century partnerships in one match. SHIELD NOT WANTED. In view of the great enthusiasm displayed in the Sheffield Shield match he- ; tween New South ‘Wales and Victoria (says , gn Australian writer), it is interesting to recall that jint over 21 years ago a conference of delegates from New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia in Sydney decided to suggest to the three associations that the competition be wound up, and that the State with the best record in the three seasons commencing with 1919‘2O keep the trophy. The excuse was that the cost, of insurance was too great. South Australia, however, woke up to the fact that they were likely to lose home and away matches with New South "Wales when English sides were in Australia , if there were no trophy to act as an incentive, and they refused to carry out the wish of the conference. On one 'occasion New South Wales did not worry about lifting the shield from Victoria after winning it. Now there is unde in possessing it. The members of tho gathering of December 7. 1918. over winch Sycl. Smith Trree’decl. were Messrs E. E. Bean and Tl. .11. Bush (Victoria). B. V. Scr.ymceur and J. A. Riley (Scuta Australia),

and J. T. Pope, T. H. Howard, R. A. Oxlade, E. A. Tyler, and F. A. Iredalo (New South Wales), Had their wish been carried out New South Wales would now own the shield, for they won 1919-20 and the following year—the best two out of three. BROTHERS MAKE CENTURIES. There are, of course, cases of brothers playing for senior teams, hut it is not by any means a common occurrence foxtwo brothers to make a century each in the same innings. This, however, happened recently when Aif. Holman made 134 not out and hie brother 100 for Port Adelaide. Tho former hit two 6’s and 14 4’s, and the later 12 4’s. IN AUSTRALIA, TOO. We in New Zealand are inclined to take it for granted that wickets in Australia, especially senior wickets, arc, except when weather conditions are unfavourable, just about perfect. But one notices that strong complaints are being made concerning both match and practice wickets on some of the principal Melbourne grounds. The cricket writers in that city are stressing the seriousness of this defect, pointing out that there .is nothing more disheartening to young players than to find that they cannot show their ability at practice because of the state of the wickets. This is perfectly true, and, as it has repeatedly been emphasised in these, columns, it is even more important (or at any rate equally important) to have good practice wickets than it is to provide coaches, for a coach’s work is entirely wasted if the colt is unable to practise what he has been taught.

Fraser Innings C7I 3 P3 ■ 218 s o o & ,, 0 o 'Tk . 118 cu C3 u o > 43.60 Robertson 5 137 1 83 # 34.25 Toomey .. , 2 62 0 51 31.0 Holden .. 2 55 0 36 27.60 Cutler . 5 126 0 51 25.20 Cameron 2 44 0 26 22.0 Elmes . 5 90 0 51 18.0 Mills 5 80 0 50 16.0 Moloney 5 70 0 33 14.0 Leader .. 2 26 0 17. 13.0 Begg 3 24 1 16 12.0 Lemin .. 5 2Q 3 8* 10.0 M‘Gregor 1 8 0 8 8.0 Monteath 3 14 0 12 4.63 Chettleburgli 4 14 0 5 3.50 Lorain ... -Bowling. 0. M. B. 68 6 265 W. 14 Av. 18.92 Leader 31 n 92 4 2.3.00 Elmes ... , 89 22 254 9 28.22 Moloney 82 7 299 7 42.71 Begg ... 27 5 146 3 48.66 Robertson 55 5 204 3 68.00 Chettleburgli 4 1 23 0 —