Cricket

Hutt News, Volume 17, Issue 24, 17 November 1943, Page 5

Cricket

With three roundsoorl r the championship matcnes completed, the teams representing the Rutt District Cricket Club have reached the point where the selectors will require to make few chances. The policy of setting the players into teams as quickiy as possible and allowing team spirit to develop by making only essential transfers from one team to another, has brought excellent results in the past three seasons. The senior team is again a wellbalanced side, very str|ng in bowling and sound right through in batting. The club is fortunate in having ten of its last season s eleven playing again and the return of Champliess completed the team for its first match. The latter however, has experienced a return of shoulder trouble which developed last year when he was playing for one of the Army teams, and this may keep him out of some matches. His place will be taken by Hare who made such a good impression as a footballer with Hutt followers last Kugby season. This young player had reached second grade standard before he entered Camp and played some very sound innings. He began on the right foot in the lirst game of the season with a very solid innings for the second grade side and should

develop well in the senior team after a few matches. Another change

anticipated in the team is the replac ing of Pegler by Winyard. The former has filled the position of slow bowler in the team for the past two

seasons and proved very effective on

! numerous ocpasions. Winyard was recently discharged from the Army after service with the Middle East Forces, with whom lie built up a good reputation . as an all-rounder. He lias shown glimpses of form with the second grade team and appears the type to do well in senior cricket.

Stelir, who has again been elected to lead the side, has an excellent attack to call upon. Chapman, in the two matches played has btfwled with plenty of sting, despite < having wickets not suited to fast bowling. Buchan appears to need a game or two to get into top form. Against Old Boys and Varsity his length was a bit short on the type of wicket met on those occasions. As the wicket hardens, however, he will be a source of worry to the opposition. C. Muir has shown the benefit of the coaching he received some seasons ago both as a bowler and batsman. He uses his ability to vary his methods according to conditions, very well and his live wickets against University was an excellent piece of work. O'Reilly .probably possesses more complete.. equipment as a bowler than any the club has had for many years and will go far in the game. He has not taken a great number of wickets but a study of those he has taken shows that he has the ability to beat the best batsmen figuring in Wellington at the present time. With Winyard as his spin bowler, the Hutt skipper certainly has a good battery to let loose upon his opponents.

As far as the batting is concerned, the team has no tail and some g:>od performances should be forthcoming during the season. Stehr showe<£ excellent form against Old Boys for his 40 runs and }t is a great asset for the club's younger members' to have a batsman of his calibre as a model for them. His stroke play is very fine and his defence very sound. C. Muir, witli an even half century against 'Varsity, showed that his batting is still as solid as in past seasons. Bennett, too, has started off well. Next Saturday the team will meet Karori at the Basin Reserve. In the past the performances of the side at headquarters have not been the best, and it is hoped that the team will reveal its true form. Fast bowler Dickenson. of Karori has some good figures to his credit on this ground and resolute defence against his early overs will be necessary. The matches last Saturday were disastrous for the club's efforts to retain the club championship which it has held for the past two seasons. The senior side had a bye and the remaining four teams suffered defeat. The second grade A side did well in dismissing Johnsonville for 131' runs but failed badly with the bat. After losing 5 wickets for 7 runs, the side fought back well to get within 12 runs of the opposition's total. The leading part in this was played by Murray, who, after an absence of a season, has returned to this jteam. He batted splendidly for 57 — a really good fighting innings. He received strong support from his captain, 15. Muir, with 20, and Vogtherr with 18 not out. The latter made the gave very interesting in the dying stages but' had nobody to stay with him. A point worth drawing attention to in t'his game is the value of giving ev*;ry chance to the batsman who is getting the runs. Vogtherr had cracked 13 off an over and arrived at the end away from the bowling with only one ball of the over to complete. His partner who had only had a few balls took a' single off the next ball and* had to face the other bowler. Such singles are not worth worrying about. An in- ■ stance of this was given by Vivian, : of in a Plunket Shield match at the Basin some years ago.

Vivian 'was well set and was over the century mark when the last man came in. The latter played very few balls throughout a partnership

that added nearly GO runs. Vivian scored a single from the 7t.h and Bth ball of the over with great judgment,. Young will frequently meet such a, situation, and runs have to be sacrificed and risks taken to give the well-set batsman every opportunity. The Second Grade B team (the social team which has won the 3rd grade championship in the past two reason), lost its match on Saturday after gaining a lead on the first innings. With a lead of nearly 40 runs on the first innings the side rattled on 70 quickly, declared and put Karori in again. Four wickets were taken quickly, but then two hard-hitting batsmen set to work on the Hutt bowlers and knocked off the necessary runs. There is always some criticism when a game is lost in this way but with the necessity for getting some eight point wins in order to win the championship in a grade, a chance has to be taken. If it doesn't come oil' then all credit must be given to the opposition for its efforts to pull the game out of the fire. In this game, Andrews, another club player who has served in the Middle East, bowled splendidly in the first innings to take 6 for 29. Brown batted very well in Ilutt's firfct innings. Foth fourth grade games were lost but not without some good performances. The club team did well against an experienced Kilbirnie side, Green, Nightingale and Robinson' giving the best performances. The Air Training Corps team did a little better this week, but requires more support from the unit. It would appear wise to withdraw this team unless it fields a full side in the next game or two. The club financed this team last year but no doubt will withdraw that support • unless a i'ull side" can be, fielded re- ' gularly.