Cricket

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIV, Issue 276, 1 November 1924, Page 11

Cricket

T AST SATURDAY saw the com--■-Amencement of the Senior Competition in Hawke’s Bay, but in Hastings at any rate the display of cricket was very poor, evert for the first game of the season. Certainly the wicket provided on Nelson Park was not conducive to good cricket, .and it is many a long day since Hawke’s Bay cricketers were asked to begin a game on such a rotten pitch. It was worse than bad —it was dangerous, Beuth’s fast deliveries on occasion flying over the batsmen’s heads. Good cricket is impossible under such conditions as these and it is to be hoped the association will take steps to see that better wickets are provided in future. The game will suffer enormously from a repetition of such conditions, which entirely preclude anything in the way of scientific batting. Hastings, who were without M. E. Wood, batted first, and were all out for the very moderate total of 86, Fryer and Beuth batting well for 30 and 20 'respectively. Miller came otit with flattering hgures—three for 9. Heretaunga fared badly when they faced Beuth on the bumpy wicket, and were all out for 81, Beuth getting six for 48. The runs were pretty evenly distributed, Bickiey scoring 11, Scott 13, Vogtherr 13 and Fear 12. Given an improved wicket next Saturday this match should provide an interesting finish, but if the pitch is as bad again anything may happen. To M. Beuth. of the High School team. goes the honour of scoring the first century of the season in Hawke’s Bay cricket. This promising bat has several time got within measurable distance of the coveted figures, but this is the first tim ehe has actually topped the hundred. This performance, in conjunction with his brother Cyril’s six wickets for 48 runs in the Here-taunga-Hastings match, make a good start for the rising generation in the season’s cricket. • High School’s good score of 258 against Scinde was principally due to beuth’s fine ■ knock, the other scores being nothing very remarkable (White 27, Heaney 22, Holt 20 and Dolbel 17). Bradburn came out with a good analysis (five for 54). . . United hold a commanding position in their game with Old Boys, who compiled 105 only against their opponents’ 218 for five wickets. Spackman put up a good double for United, taking three wickets for five runs and making 79 runs. . The wickets on Cornwall Park were ; a decided improvement on those pro- , vided on the previous Saturday, and , the juniors benefited accordingly. , The Tomoana-Whakatu match provided a most exciting finish. Tomoana ; 1 continued their first innings, the score

finally reaching 119, Sid Mitchell making 35 and H. Spence 23. Gardiner (five for 15) and Anderson (four for 26) shared the wickets. Whakatu slumped heavily in the second innings, making only 49. Lourie, bowling at a great pace, was the principal factor in the downfall, taking seven wickets for 5. This left Tomoana with 57 to get in about 25 minutes. Thanks to a plucky and determined partnership by H. Spence (24) and I. Beard (31) the necessary runs were hit off for the Ipss of one wicket and with a few minutes to spare. The last 30 runs were actually scored in a shade over five minutes. Hastings H. 5.0.8. made a plucky fight in their game with Heretaunga and would probably have done even better but for the absence of their best bat (List). Heretaunga were all out for 57 in their second innings, Newdick (four for 10) and Hickling (four for 15) being the destructive elements. Old Boys nut together 79 in their second knock (Newdick top scoring with 35). Heretaunga’s first innings’ lead of 58 getting them home by 36 runs. Bickley got five for 20 in Old Boys’ second innings. Wellington’s new coach showed good form with the ball on Saturday, and his victims included D. C. Collins, one of the best bats in New Zealand. Collins had reached 21, ahd was going nicely when Badcock trapped him with a clever change of pace. The Englishman’s bowling greatly impressed followers of cricket in the Windy City. Badcock . rather resembles Australian fowlers in his reliance on changes of pace and flight to to get wickets. One most effective, ball is sent along from, the palm of the hand. It has no turn on it, but comes fast from the pitch after a sudden drop at the end of its flight. Badcock kept a fine command of the hall, and is evidently a very fine bowler indeed.

The Wellington Club has a fine bowler an Sharpe, an Englishman who has represented Middlesex on more than one occasion. On Saturday, last he had a heavy day against Y.M.C.A., getting three wickets for 146. being literally bowled to a standstill. He will do better when he strikes form. Grant, who represented Manawatu last season, and who has played for Canterbury in previous years put together 70 in great style for Midland v. Hutt on Saturday last, the next highest score being 15. The bowling opposed to him was among the best in Wellington—McGirr, Aldersley. Nunn and Beard—but Grant played them all with confidence. Grant also did well with the ball, taking two for 23. The Wellington Cricket Association, believing that an increase in the number of senior teams would tend to lower the standard, has steadfastly, declined to grant senior status to anv more teams. Both Kilbiirnie and University have been turned down this season, and the number of senior teams remains the same as last year. Gilligan?s: English team in Australia includes only . four aihateurs-r-Gilligan, Douglas, Chapman and Mcßryan. H. L. Collins, who has been chosen to captain Australia in the test matches, owes the distinction to a remarkable big cricket temperament. Great occasions possess no terrors for Collins—the bigger the' issue the cooler his. nerve.

T. H. Lowry, of Dkawa, who captained Cambridge last season-, and who has lately been touring in America with the . Nomads team, returned to Hastings this week. It is to.be hoped he may be persuaded to turn out in local cricket, for the presence of -such a noted player would undoubtedly exercise a stimulating influence on the game in Hawke’s Bay., Last season Warren Bardsley was industriously written down as a back number, and his performances lent colour to the suggestion that he was not sighting, the ball so accurately nor so quickly as formerly. His opening performances on the New Zealand tour allowed a certain want of confidence quite foreign to his usual style, though he recovered later and got a lot of runs. This season, however, he has regained his form in remarkable fashion, and he looks a certainty for a place in the test team. Bardsley’s record in England is unequalled by any other Australian batsman. In 1909 he scored 2180 funs, averaging 46.39; in 1912, 2441 ,averaging 51.93; and in 1921.’ 2218 runs, averaging 55.45. He is the only. Australian batsman to score two separate centuries in one Test match.

Parker, the Gloucester left-hander, put up a great performance against Middlesex in the match at Bristol at the end of August. Parker secured seven wickets in each innings, 7 for 30 in the first and 7 for 101 in the second—l 4 for 131 for the match. More remarkable still, he got the “hat trick” in each innings, a very rare feat. On the previous occasion, in 1922, Parker put up a wonderful performance against Yorkshire, taking 9 wickets for 36 runs, including the “nat trick.” Albert Trott, playing for Middlesex against Somerset in 1907, in capturing seven wickets for 20 runs, got two hat tricks. He got Lewis, E. S. M. Poyntz, S. M. J. Woods, and Ernest Robson With successive balls, and later got O. C. Mordaunt, Rev. A. P. Wickham, and A. E. Bailey, J. S. Matthews got the “hat trick” for Australia against South Africa in each innings during the first match of the Imperial Triangular tournament at Manchester in 1912.

‘’The best bit of luck I ever had at poker,” said a little man reflectively, “was when 1 held five kings and only got shot in the leg.” ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ A woman is always afraid of a mouse, Except when she’s promised to love, honour and obey him. When the doctor said to his friend. “£jorry I can’t ask you round to-night, old man, I’ve got two new cases coming,” the friend replied, “That’s all right, old man, I’m a teetotaller.”