CRICKET

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVIII, Issue 297, 1 December 1928, Page 8

CRICKET

(By

“Mid-Oft”)

MATCHES IN HAWKE’S BAY,

NOTES ON SATURDAY’S GAMES.

Perfect conditions prevailed last Saturday for the competition of the second series in the H.B.C.A. senior competition. The first outright victory was recorded by Old Collegians who were playing their first match of the season against United. In the other game Scinde recorded their first victory since their re-entry into the senior division. The victims were High School Old Boys who were obliged to follow-on. The teams who batted on the first day of the series held a strong position as the wickets were none too favourable to batsmen on Saturday. Consequently it was an uphill fight for United and High School Old Boys. The position of the various teams are showing in the following championship table:—

Double Single Ch. W. L. W. L. Pts. T.C.0.8 1 _ _ _ 4 Scinde — — 1 1 4 H. 5.0.8 — — 1 14 United — 1 1 — 3 Heretaunga .... — — — 11 Note—The points are taken on the basis of four for an outright win, three for a win on the first innings, and one for a loss on a single innings match. The batting honours for the day are given in the following list:— Kautier (Scinde) 89” Williams L. H. (H. 5.0.8. 57 King (United) 49 Worker (H. 5.0.8. 44 Note—“lndicates innings carried over night. As the wickets were in favour of the trundlers several good averages were recorded. The best on the day’s play are given below:— Pell G. (Scinde) seven wickets for 29 runs. Evans (T.C.0.8.) five wickets for 50 runs. Worker (H. 5.0.8. four wickets for 16 runs.* Stephenson (T.C.0.8.) four wickets for 30 runs. “The innings was not completed. OLD COLLEGIANS’ WIN. .

In reply to the 262 recorded by Technical Old Boys the previous week, United had lost two wickets for 33 runs. Pedlow and King carried on, but in the second over a smart thrown in by Nairn accounted for the former. Temperton joined King who was scoring freely and when the score was 68 Temperton was caught. Evans was in fine form with the ball and captured wickets in ijhick time. Things looked dismal for United when Schofield and George Stevens became associated in a ninth wicket stand and the score standing at 84. The pair safely brought the score past the century before separating. Stevens was lucky in that he dropped once. Hindmarsh made the last stand, and the pair, after each had been given a life, brought the score to 155 before the partnership, which had realised nearly 50 runs, was severed. The end came three balls after the tea adjournment when they were endeavouring to gain eight runs to save a follow-on.

Evans was the most successful trundler though the tail-enders had smacked him about. He finished up with five wickets costing ten runs apiece. In all, five bowlers were tried out. Next to Evans the most successful was Nairn whose two wickets cost 12 runs each. He showed that he could handle a ball and no doubt Skiper “Shep” will take him under his wing at the nets. The batting order was altered considerable in the follow-on. It was not expected that Old Collegians would find United so easy to dig out a second time. However a strong attack was made and by means of excellent fielding the wickets commenced to fall just as rapidly as before tea adjournment. Four batsmen—G. Stevens, Scott Kelly, King (not out) and Mitchell) —only held their end up to gain double figures and 29 recorded by George Stevens heading the list. However United managed to score enough to send Old Collegians in a second time. They made 115 in the second innings bringing the aggregate to 270. just eight more than Old Collegians made in the one innings. The necessary runs were gained for the loss of two wickets, nineteen runs being recorded before stumps were drawn.

In the second innings the brunt of the bowling was borne by Stephenson, who reaped in four wickets at a cost of 30 runs.. Shepherd and Nairn who each gathering in two wickets for 9 and 14 runs respectively.

OLD BOYS’ DOWNFALL.

Scinde resumed the first innings and brought the total to a braee short of the three century mark. The end was not long after play commenced. Owen and Worker opened the reply for High School Old Boys. The latter lost no time in scoring. He scored three to Owen’s single and when Hopy was dismissed by a good catch to Yarward, the score stood at 31. Lockie Williams replaced him, and the pair continued the innings to bring the score to 97 at the tea adjournment without further loss of wickets. Williams had scored very rapidly and had taken practically nil the bowling. When the lull was called he had headed Worker’s contribution by four runs. Shortly after the interval the ex-New Zealand representative was dismissed by the Pell Brothers. His knock included five boundaries, two threes and three pairs. Two overs later G. Pell collected two wickets with the score at 309 then Mat O’Brien gave a good return and a third wicket was gained by a run out. Shortly afterwards Lockie Williams

lost his wicket to Bennett after smacking nine fours and three two. The remaining wickets fell quickly though Gifford and Doibel took a lot of digging out. It was not until they had brought the score from 133 to 173 that they were separated. The innings finally closed for 175 giving Scinde a lead of 123 on the first innings counts.

Old Boys found G. Pell the most dangerous bowler. He had them well and truly tied up and finished up with an average of seven wickets for a little over four runs apiece. Bradburn bowled consistently well and was unlucky in not collecting more than one wicket for his 22 runs.

As there was but an hour to go Scinde decided to have a little practise and elected to go in a second time. When stumps were drawn they had lost five wickets for 86 runs. Mat O’Brien proving the opposition. Worker was in good form and had the usual tail-enders of Scinde “in the soup.’’ He collected four of the five wickets and each wicket cost four runs.

Hawke Cup Prelim. Who will meet Manawatu for the Hawke Cup? That is the question to be settled between Poverty Bay and Hawke’s Bay Cricket Associations. Each has issued a challenge but the authorities in Christchurch have decreed that they play off for the right to play the present holders of the coveted trophy. The first round of the play-off between the two elevens took place in Napier yesterday. The odds ended in favour of •Hawke’s Bay. At the conclusion of the day’s play each side had completed one innings and there was a credit balance of 146 runs in favour of the home team. Poverty Bay’s account was 197 and the reply was 343.

Conditions for the game were excellent. The wicket was fast and fairly true. The outfield was in tiptop order, being hard and fast. The sole disadvantage was the wind which gradually increased from the breeze to a cold and fairly strong wind. It made fielding pretty miserable in the afternoon. Bowlers found it in their favour as it came across the wicket at a slight angle and consequently the batsmen found many of the balls had a disconcerting flight. • • • Visitors Batting. First stroke went to the visitors, Winter and Joe Scholium setting the ball rclling. It was expected that the pair would make a good stand for the opening wicket. Runs came slowly and it was twenty-three, minutes before the pair were dismissed for as many runs. Scholium was the first victim end his early dismissal was a keen disappointment to the northerners. The attack was varied and this kept the batsmen alert. Things were not faring too well with them when “Hefty” Bennett came on the scene. Bennett is a well-known figure in Hawke’s Bay, having worn the black and white Rugby jersey while for the past four or five seasons he has met Hawke’s Bay cricketers while playing for Manawatu and later Poverty Bay. He lost no time in setting his comrades an example in wielding the willow. He found Mitchell and Worker easy to get on to and in a very aggressive innings pasted them in all directions. It was unfortunate for Poverty Bay that Robertson was his partner. Robertson was suffering from an injury to the leg. Consequently he was slow between the wickets. Bennett certainly made him run but, given a slick man, the pair could have piled on easily another 25 runs. Bennett was in lor 50 minutes and his free and easy style of batting pleased the lans. Other than Bennett the only batsman to give anything like a promising showing was Winter. He was injured early in the game and retired for a while. He was very cautious then but when he returned to complete hia strike he followed the example set by Bennett. With Reeves doing the funning lor him, Winter concentrated on smacking the little red ball as hard ae he could. Dow was at the other end of the wicket and shaping very well. In a stand that lasted nearly half an hour, the pair put on 54 runs. It was a good display uj bright cricket. However, once they were separated the finish was close and the innings was brought to a close after 147 minutes’ batting. Causes For Dismissal. The strange feature of the innings was the fact that the visitors got themeelves out. Hawke’s Bay were lucky to dismiss the side for less than the double century. The bowling, for the main part, was very easy and by no means dead on the wicket all the time. Mitchell, the Heretaunga trundler, was the most dangerous one of the lot. He was sending down his customary slow breaks but tliare was a spin on the ball that baffled more than one batsman. There were five leg-before-wicket decisions. Naturally one asked why? So far as this writer can ascertain there appeared to be a “nip” in several of the balls. Perfectly straight balls came along the crease and the batsmen stepped back to block them. However, the ball ricochetted off the ground at a lower angle than was expected and, beating the bat, struck the pads. There was no disputing the decisions. They were correct. Naturally the succession of leg-before decisions disconcerted the visiting colts who played with a little too much caution. Worker’s bowling was. as usual, full of tricks. Worker has not represented New Zealand, Otago and Hawke’s Bay without learning a few tricks, and he kept Poverty Bav on the alert. His placement of the team in the field was excellent. So excellent was it that of the ten wickets taken only one was clean-bowled.

Taken generally the visitors were disappointing with the bat. No doubt inexperience played a big part. The average age is barely 20 years and few of the team have played m representative fixtures. Apparently the change of turf was a little too much for the colts. However, credit must be given to the great fielding by the home side.

(Continued on Next Column).

A great number of twos were reduced to a single by the nippy clean , fielding. The best on the ground waa , Beck. He did a lot of work and saved a lot of runa. Worker, too, was in good form. The whole team , did well and not one chance was , given the batsmen. Worker’s Great Display. One cannot find much fault with the batting of the home team. ’Bbere certainly was a tail blit the first five on the list were able to do enough scoring to place Hawke’s Bay in a very good position. To make 343 is i good going for the attack waa equal to that of Hawke’s Bay. So far as “length’’ went the visitora were superior but the variety was not there. Then again the fielding was poor. Several of the colts were surprisingly lax in picking up the ball and also in returning it. Poverty Bay were certainly unlucky as regards Worker. He should have been the first wicket to fall. He sent up a simple catch between Bennett and Janms but owing to a misunderstanding on the part of tho two fieldsmen the chance was allowed to slip by. Later on in his innings. Turpitt, behind the sticks, missed two snicks off Worker's bat. These mistakes were costly. Worker went on to score a century and at the same time place Hawke’s Bav ahead. The fact that Worker was missed does not deteriorate the praise that is due to him for his sterling innings. It was Rupe Worker at his best. Grace and teauty was the keynote of the display. Watching him carefully “Mid-off” was 'particularly struck with Worker’s great wrist-work. He has the happy knack of stepping a little forward and placing the ball past the fieldsman. There is plenty of power behind the strokes too. The manner he went out was surprising. Apparently he intended to place Dow to the leg boundary for he played over the ball which carried on to get his middle stick. Some idea of the manner in which Worker gained the first century in the season’s representative programme when one sees 13 fours, threp threes and ten twos recorded against his name. Though Stephenson, O’Brien and Evans played quite well their displays were bettered by Reaney. Slow to start but once set he proved a very forceful batsman. For the first ten minutes of his innings he was ver v scratchy. He was poking about and was distinctly disappointing. However as he warmed un he gave a more promising display Still he did not show the same form as ho did while plaving for school. There appears to be n restriction or stiffness, in many qf his strokes. At the last fraction of a second he piills his bat back and so takes a good deal of power out of his stroke It wars thia verv action that was the cause or hie downfall. He was about to pull Dow to the leg hut hesitated and the ball struck the tip of the hat to roll on to his sticks. Virtually it was a miss-hit but the cause comes from ui involuntary hesitation.