CRICKET

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 18 April 1925, Page 10

CRICKET

DISTR iCT AYERAGES

The season’s averages for the Manaia and Midland senior teams are as follow:

MANAIA Batting.

In an interview at Colombo, the following opinions were expressed by Giliigan and Hobbs as regards some of the outstanding features of the recent 'lest Matches in Australia, Gilligan said the batting of the tail was the weak point of the English team. Repeatedly, the Australians showed what a formidable tail they had. "Some of our batsmen never really got going in Australia; but this is not a new thing. Personally, I could never get going o n Australian wickets. They were not as fast as I was told they would be, except in the last Test, when the pace of the wicket at the start of our innings beat and surprised us. The wickets seemed like fire, and* we had not the bowlers who could spin the ball as much as the Australians did.”

Asked whether the Australians were stronger in bowling than the Englishmen Gilligan replied: “I should not say so. I think, and so do the Australians, that in Tate we had the best bowler in the world. I think the Australian batsmen generally are more unorthodox than ours. Most of them don't wield a very .straight bat; and playing with a cross-bat to- Tate is fatal.

‘‘l was not impressed by Ponsford. I do not think lie will be a success in England. I may be wrong, but unless he strengthens his defence, and remedies some of hi.s present faults, lie will ’be beaten on our wickets, where the ball does much more than in Australia.

“After Tate, we did not have anyone who could be called really great as a bowler.

“I think Australia has found a great bowler in Grimmett. He was certainlythe bowler who troubled us most of all. He ought surely to have been played -in the earlier Tests. I am afraid he will be very successful on English wickets. “Gregory has lost a lot of his pace. Seldom was he fast and really difficult to play during the tom*. ,Our best batsmen played him confidently. Mailey was as good as ever, and a soured of great strength to Australia. No one was really great amongst the rest of the team.

“I think England enjoyed superiority in fielding. ■ Some of the Austraians were slow, and below international standard, and I think some of these wejl-tried old champions will drop out of the next series of Tests.” “I feel sure that we shall do far better in England when the Australians come over. We shall have a wider field of selection, and, on our own wickets, 1 think we may have howlers who will heat the Australian bowlers.” Gilligan said he never wanted to play before a more fair-minded crowd. They were enthusiastic and impartial, and' as happy to see Hobbs and Sutcliffe making centuries as one of their own men. The team was extremely well treated everywhere. Jack Hobbs said: “I thought little of Poiislord judged by the international standard. He had been so highly praised .that I expected to see a really fine bat. He has some glaring weaknesses in his stance, and the wav he meets the ball. On English wickets, with the ball doing a bit, he would be all at sea.

“Kippax was not seen sufficiently, but what I did see, he is certainly not a second Tj'umper. A. Richardson is good, but a slow fieldsman. The best bat in Australia is Taylor, who is really magnificent. “Ryder does not strike me as a great Test cricketer. He was very lucky to get 200 against us. “Andrews is a fine bat, and a great fieldsman. Grimmett is the most promising Australian bowler, and I think will do very well in England. # “Hailey is as good as ever. He makes you play him all the time. Gregory has lost much of his pace. “Tate is the best bowler in the world, but does not possess the fingerspin 'that belonged to Barnes.”

Batsman. Runs. in. H.S. Avg. Maunsell ... 94 4* Git 31.33 H. Hughes ... 334 13* 54 27. S Cosgrove ... 49 2 30 24.5 McMahon ... 56 3 32 18.6 Clarke ... ... 49 4* 21 16.3 M'clvor ... ... 13 o* 9+ 13.0 Sherlock ... 84 7 28 12.0 Stephenson ... 94 8 31 11.7 A. Hughes 45 4 34 11.2 Bairstowe ... 96 9 48 10.6 Watson ... 87 11 34 8.7 . Roberts ... 50 10 11 5.0 Hickev ... ... 32 8* 1G+ 5.0 Hobdav ... 29 9 5 3.2 Whalen ... ... 13 6* 5 2.6 Wright ,.. 8 4 5 2.0 Burgess ... 3 2 3 1.5 Lea iv 3 5 3 1.5 *Once not out. tNot out. Bowling. Wickets. Runs. Average. Hickev 5 28 5.6 Wright ... 4 39 9.7 Sherlock ... ... IS 201 11.1 Bairstowe ... 24 273 11.3 H. Hughes ... 34 446 13.1 Watson ... ... 14 226 16.1 A. Hughes ... 7 13S 19.7 MIDLANDS. Batting. In. N.O. Bus. Av. Vow-less- .... 14 2 241 20 Davies .... 11 145 13.1 Dalgleish . .... 13 — 167 12.8 Thoanas .... 10 3 87 12.4 Plank .... 10 2 95 11.8 Giblin ,. .... 11 3 89 11.1 Mills .... 11 2 81 9 Nielsen .... 13 — 97 7.4 Graham ... — 47 6.7 Brodie 6 — 29 4.8 Tiddy ....... 12 3 38 4.2 Inch 8 — 14 1.7 Bowling. Ovrs. Hus. Wkts. Av. Giblin SO 291 34 8.5 luc-h ..... 40 1/1 19 9 Davies 15 63 5 12.6 Nielsen 89 454 31 14.6 Mills ....... 19 103 & 18 Graham ... 13 ( i 4 19.2 Vow less .. 135 6 22.o Tiddy 11 92 3 30.6