CRICKET.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume 36, Issue 9414, 8 April 1904, Page 4

CRICKET.

OPOHO V. PATEAROA. (Bv Otriv Patbakoa Correspondent.) Saturday last stands out prominently in the annals of Patearoa cricket, Karly in the forenoon traps, haoks and bikes discharged on the crioket ground dozens of sightseers, The ropes were up, a refreshment tent flattered cheerily outside the boundary and two andtwenty white clad and able looking cricketers looked forward to a rattling good battle at the grand old gnm?. The unusual stir was caused by the visi , for the first tiuje in local cricket history, of a team from Dunedin. The Opoho boys showed much courage in coming here. They had certainly visited Naseby on a former .occasion but there they were in the jnidst of a known civilised people. How could they know what fate might await them in this unheard of, outlandish, find probably barbarous regi n 1 Fow many of the team would have bwn left to tell the tale if two of them hud disappeared in a bog, if three of the plumpest of them had been served up for supper, all 'ot, by the ferocious aborigines of the Mani-ot*ot-o, and if the remaining halfdozen had ended all their troubles amongst the digestive pebbles of the rapacious Moa bird 1 The answer is clear: Only the.uinpire and the scorer! Perfect oricket weather prevailed for the game, and a large number of

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spectators - amongst them being Shacklock, the famous Notts ,professional—were ranged on one side ground. At eleven o'clock Opoho'foyfe. the field, and W. Chirnside and M'Lean took guard, to the bowling of Campbell and E. Cro'vife. Chirnside/put Campbell's second ball t'> the Square leg boundary, and took a single for a good stroke off Crowe's third ball. M'Lean then sent-"Campbell to the rQpes, put his fifth ball away for'a single, and was bowled off his legs shortly afterwards. ( hie for 9. W. Johnston came in, and A. .M'Lean snapped up Chirnside off Crowe, Two for 9. Cam bridge started sc'l ing at once. The more worthy his opponents the better he plays,- and his sLrok' -; oa this occasion were clean, true and, prompt. Johnston was shaping well, when he went for a shortish but easy enough run. Cambridge got home, but Johnston, with his leisurely back to the hall, was not sufficiently posted up in Kilgour's methods, and that player cutely whipped the ball along to the bowler's end a good bit ahead of the batsman. Three for 17. Grey filled the gap, and long-on got the wink from the Opoho skipper. The runs now came more freely. Grey's strokes had some luck in them, but. Cambridge's were crisp, hard and cleverly directed through vacancies in thr field. When Grey had made nine, .Vl' Donald, the bowler, was instructed by his wily, skipper to " pitch 'era well up," The slow bowler obediently pitched the next one well up, Grey mishit it towards long on, and Deans took a splendid running catch. Four for 37. Schrick joined Cambridge, but the latter soon after lost his wicket unfortunately, the ball rebounding off his pads. Five for 43. A bit of a procession was inaugurated by Cambridge's departure, Carr and Wilson being bowled in quick succession, and J. Johnston and D. Chirnside falling victims to Watkins' dexterity behind the stump, each of them for nought, Schrick was all this time batting like a hero, and when Keely came in, nine were down for 58. But he and Fred played up in capital style, and when Keely went for 12 to a smart catch by Deans the total was the very fair one of 83 ; Schrick r 22 not out got by sterling play. Watkins and M-Donald opened for Opoho ' Watkins' style at once impressed the spectators favourably. He is a graceful and very busy batsman. M 'Donald, on the other hand, is of the variety on which reststhe responsibility of many a bowler's early grave. Three quarters of an hour's play found 21 up for no wickets (90 per cent, of them Watkins'), and lunch was adjourned for at Mr Grey's Mr Watkins snapshotted each of the teams before the resumption of play, and, with a square meal in the immediate past, the batsmen resumed with fresh life—or at least Wfltkins did. But the latter's time had nearly come, the first ball from Chirnside—who relieved JVI 'Lean —scattering his stumps. One for 26. A worthy successor was found in Kilgour, the Otago representative player. You know in Naseby what he can do, and we are now also in a position to speak positively on that subject. His back play was a treat lo witness, and if his club-iuates' assertion that he was not in good form be true, then I should like to see him at his best but not against us. He put on 20 quickly, when Keely beat l.im with a fast break-back. Two for 60. M 'Donald seemed to have settled down till next Easter, but shortly after Campbell joined him he touched one of Schrick's, and W. Johnston held him at the wickets. Three for 60. Osten got a boundary hit, and was bowled by Keely Four for 63. Campbell was joined by his captain, and a lively bit of play followed. Campbell's the boy to stir'em up. A tap of four or five feet down the pitch and he would yell "Yes!" and away he would go with three yard strides, and with a broad grin on. And they always got home. M'Lean, when his partner gave him a chance, hit hard, and had nine up in four strokes. Then Johnston got one past him, and with five down for 76, E. Crowe joined Campbell. Crowe was shaping strongly when he was smartly run out by a good return by I>. Chirnside, the ball hitting the wiokets. Six for 86. M'Arthur ca,me and went, bowled by M'Lean. Seven for 86. H. Crowe joined Campbell, but the latter, after a short but very busy partnership, was well held by Wilson off a hard hit to deep midon. Eight for 108. C. M'Lean in, and Crowe hit out hard and often, Keely got M'Lean, clean bowled, and nine were down for 120, Leans, the last man, got two singles and his quietus at short intervals, and Crowe was unconquered with 21 up. Total 130, or 47 ahead. It was now evident, by the clinking of cups and saucers and the movements of a large number of the fair ones of whom Patearoa is so justly proud, that afternoon tea was ready. So were the players. The eatables were unbeatable and in unlimited quantity, and everyone was loud in his praise of the great kindness of the ladies in organising and carrying out such an acceptable item on the day's programme. At 4.15 Opoho again took the field. The second innings of the home team needß little description.. It was evident to our boys that the game was lost and won already, and they seemed to play with little heart. At the same time, Crowe bowled excellently, and with the help of Kilgour's landing nets and Watkins'skill and all round assistance from the field he annexed the whole ten wickets for the small number of 16 runs out of 42, Schrick again batted well, and Capt. Wilson showed some of his old<time leg-hitting

in the making 6f his baker's dozen, but none of the ,Others did much. Opoho therefore won a well-earned victory ' : arid ; most enjoyable game by an inn-"ings^and-five runs. 'The fielding of both sides was very good. Deans and Kilgour showed safe and quick pairs of hands for Opoho, and Wtftkins at the wickets did beautiful work. I was assured by the Opoho Captain that Watkins is the coming stumper, nnd that without a doubv.he will be Otago's choice in the near future. In batting, I was much pleased with Campbell's run-getting methods. He doesn't put on any of what a friend of mine calls " gyver," but he is very keen for runs, and nearly every stroke—hard, true, and devoid of fluke—fetches them. As a member of the High School stfiff. he pl.iys with the boys there, and 1 can quite believe that he is good enough, as his comrades say he is, for any first grade team in town. Osten is a bat who has put up frequentlarge scores in second grade cricket, but who latterly has played in Opoho's first grade team. He didn't get going here, and, with the short sample we had of his vigorous style, we weren't sorry. Captain M 'Lean.is'a dangerous bat, and thet'e were ,110 tears shed when, he retired either, tPatearoa fielded well all round, and in this respect they were no; behind their opponents. Keely bowled splendidly, and Mr Webb (the Ot:».g:> interprovincial player) thinks highly of him. Chirnside also bowled well, and sent down some dangerous overs. The umpires were Messrs W. Webb (Opoho) and J. Crerar (Patearoa), and all concerned expressed entiresatisfaction with their rulings. Scores:— Opoho.—First Innings. P. Watkins. b Chii naide ... ••• 20 D M Donald, c W Johnston, b Sohrick ... 13 VV Kilgour, b Ke.il.v ... .. 2tr P H Campbell, c Wilson, b John'ton •... 23 A Osr.eu, b Keely ... ... ... 3 A fri'Lean (capt), b Johnston . ... 9 E Crowe, run out ... ... ... 4 J M'Arthur, b M'Lean ... ... 0 H Crowe, not ont ... ... i.. 21 O Deans, b Cbirnside ... ... 6 C M'Leau, b Keely ... ... ... 2 Extras ... ... ... 9

130 Bowling Analysis—J Johnston, 16 overs, 36 runs, 2 wickets; M'Lean, 13 'overs, 36 runs, 1 wicket; Chirnside, 11 overs, 27 runs. 2 wickets; Grey. 3 overs, 5 runs. 0 wickets; Schrick, 6 overs, 7 runs, 1 wicket; Keely, 6 overs, 10 runs, 3 wickets. Pateakoa—First Innings. W Chirnside, c M'Lean, b Crow ... 4 W. M'Lean, b Campbell ... ... 4 W Johnston, run out... ... ... 0 O Cambridge, b M'Donald ... ... 24 J Grey; c Deans, b M"Donald ... ... 9 F Schrick, not out ... ... ... 22 E Carr; b M'Donald ... ... ... 0 J Wilson, b-Crowe ... ... ... 0 J Johnston, st Watkins, b M-Donald .. 0 D Cbirnside, st Watkins, b M'Donald ... 0 J Keely, c Deans, b Campbell ... 12 Extras ... ... ... 8 83 Bowling Analysis—F Campbell, 6 overs, 21 runs, 2 wickets; E Crowe, 9 ovirs 33 runs, 2 wickets ; M'Donald, 7 overs, 16' runs, 6 wickets ; M'Artbur, 3 overs, 6 runs, 0 wickets. Second Innings. F Scbrick, c. and b E erowe ... ... 8 J Keely, c Watkins. b E Crowe ... 5 O Cambridge, c Kilgour, b E Crowe ... 2 J A Grey, c Kilgour, b E Crowe ... 0 W Chirnside, b J£ Crowe ... ... . 3 W Johnston, st Watkins,-b.IS Crowe ... 1 W M'Lean. c A .WLenn, b B Ciowe ... u E Carr, b E Crowe ... ... ... 4 J Wilson, c Campbell, b E Crowe ... 13 J Johnston, st Watki::?, b E Crowe 0 D Chirnside. not out ... ... 1 Kxuai ... ... 5 42 Bowling Analysis—H Crowe, 4 overs, 5 runs, 0 wickets ; E Crowe, 10 overs, 16 runs, 10 wickets ; Osten, 4 overs. 7 runs, 0 wickets ; M'Donald, 2 overs, 9 runs] 0 wickets. The visitors were afterwards entertained at a smoke concert in the school, a full report of which will appear in next issue.