CRICKET.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume 36, Issue 9503, 22 December 1905, Page 4

CRICKET.

NASEBY B V. PATEAROA. Last Saturday as I sat in my den, afraid to venture forth Jest I should hear the oft reiterated remark, " What a tine rain," I fell to studying the late political When one side is certain and the other side sure, how is it one .side' .will .lose ? "" After some hours of deep meditation said I to myself " It's like a game of cricket," and at that my' -heart went thump against my ribs, for was not this the very day when the Patearoa colts were to meet the doughty Naseby B. team. But surely nobody could be so foolish as to play on such a day. Sauntering round, protected by overcoat and umbrella, I came, to the Cricket Ground and there sure enough were the flannelled figures. What was it Kipling said ? There in the field was Captain Boddington looking as careworn as if a penny had gone wrong in the halfyearly balance. Here seated under the trees the usually" mercurial Owen Cambridge, iiow looking as if the claim had petered out, sat meditating on the vanity of things in general and cricket iu particular. Why should men on opposite: sides look so strangely alike. Talk about prpblems: here was one. So I looked jfuriher; afield: There were"Captain Wilsqn'and Johnston with smiles that needed ,na reading, batting away with a confidence and pleasure that even to a 'novice showed they had the bowling tied up in "a knot. There,' sitting oh his bat, smoking a long stemmed' pipe from which the blue tobacco clouds were ascending in happy circles wasjmy old friend Crerar, umpiring ibr the boys he loves so well. Joy. was writ large on his good humoured face. Joy: for 120 runs were up and only five wickets down.» To solve the'problem I hied me to Cambridge whose 'first, remark at ohce'explained the fiddle, "Just my usual luck, bowled for a blooming duck." Now I also learned that M'Lean and Chirnside had repeated one of their capital performances and that Schrick and »Carr had manfully backed up their efforts. As fdr ! Wilson'and Johnston I could see for'myself what they were doing: And weren't they doing it well % Just fancy a batsman making twenty-seven singles out of a total of |sl runs. That's, caution, and yet strange to say; Wilson was at last caught napping. Looked up, saw the ball coming, played: at it hurriedly and was bowled. Shall I say V Better luck next tipie " % No, I think they meet I the A team next time. Everybody [ seemed pleased to see- M'Dowell who [ was just out of the doctor's hands make double figures by clean vigorous hitting, and nobody grudged Keeley his share for he sends the ball travelling to square; leg no matter where it pitches, and that's rather a difficult stroke to master. 162, a. record score for Patearoa, and all out. '

Bowling averages necessarily suffer in such cases, but J. Marsiin 2 for 10, J Stephens I for 12, R Stephens, 1 for 16, and Anderson 2 for 20, come out of the ordeal very creditably indeed, i Two hours to go. Impossible to make the runs, say some • is it possible to play out time, ponder others. I In .go- Boddington .and Marsiin.; throws up; a soft full; toss to leg, which Boddington gleefully; bangs to the.boundary. " 'As the boundaries count only 3, thisbrings Slarslih in iront of Johnston, ; and now Marslini returns the compli-i Wentatid returns Johnston's kindness by playing the next 'ball on to his wicket. 1 for 3." But what is this that now . takes place,? Boddington and thac cool young' bat Paisley playaway bs if they have a 999 years'; lease of the wickets, and of course \ some runs come along now and then till 70 odd are on the sheet. Then Johnston gets Paisley with a ball which keeps Thompson comes in to join "his captain,' gives a catch which is declined and gets a run for it. Gives another catch and again gets a run for it. Lucky Thompson. Tries M'Lean with one this time. Foolish Thompson. Shouldn't give M'Lean any; I write feelingly. Now' see J. James come in. .. ? What! no bustle ; all right then, we'll not bustle," and up they trot with the runs coming gently. • But the cunning Johnston hits J.J: on the legs. " Better there than on the toe," says J. J., and .off he goes. Now the runs have been coming like the gentle rain and spectators begin to chuckle, while the whisper runs round "Where's Dave Marshall ? " No Dave is visible, and in go R Stephens and Dr Macknight, who has correctly diagnosed the case with visions of making the winning hit which is only some twenty runs off. Out they go before the deadly Johnston, and Captain Wilson looking serious as he sees the smiting

Dave come in, suggests the'drawihg'of" the stumps.'.. As .there; are'still a few seconds to go the : game proceeds. Dave makes aiJ.-tbo, umpires call time;and ,so ends a great game,., ,15' runs wanted to-win and four wickets to fall. ! Boddington with his splendidly made 82 not out deserves the ovation he received on returning to the pavilion, and a strange coiucidence reveals itself, He has made twenty-seven singles, exactly the same number as his fellow-captain had made. Johnston at a cost of 72 runs took the six wickets that fell, but though the others failed to secure wickets they bowled remarkably well when one considers the terrible state of the ball .and the ground where running catches were quite out of the question. Indeed the antics of the various fieldsmen afforded much innocent enjoyment" to the numerous spectators who have never had a cheaper afternoon's amusement. Scores:— Patearoa. W M'Lean, c Lawef, b D Marshall ... 14 W. Chirnside, c Paisley, b J Stephens ... 19 O Cambridge, b.R Stephens ' .... ... - 0 J Wilson, b T Anderson ... ... 51 j F Schrick, run out ... ... ... 17 1 E Carr, b Marshall ... ... ... 10 J Johnston, c Lawer, b Marslia ... 15 J M'Dowell, b'Marslin . ... ... 10 J Keeley, run out ... ... .'..'. XO D Glenn, c and bT Anderson... ..'. 0 W. Kirk, not out .. ... m># 4 Extras ... ... 12

T °tel ... ...162 Bowling Analysis.— H A Boddington, 9 overs, 21 runs, 0 wickets; D Marshall, 14 overs, 36 runs, 2 wickets; K , Stephens, 6overs, 16 runs, 1 wicket; J Stephens,. 4 overs, 12 runs; 1 wicket; ;T Anderson, 4 "overs, 20 runs, 2 wickets ; C Thompson, 10 over's, 25 runs, 0 wickets ; J James, 6 overs,.-10 runs, 0 wickets ; J Marslin, 4£ overs, 10 runs, 2 - wickets, - - Naseby B, H A Boddington, not out ~, ...82 J Marslin, b'Johnston ... ... 0 J Paisley, b Johnston ..'. '." ' ...23 C Thompson, c M'Lean, b Johnston' . ... 3 J James, 1.b.w.,,b Johnston ... ... 20 W C b Johnston ... ... 3 R Stephens, b Johnston ..',". ... 3 D Marshall; not out ... ... ~' 3 Extras ... '""- *"' k

Total for six wickets ... 148 Bowling.analysis.—J Johnston, 22 overs, 72 runs, 6 wickets ; F'Schrick, 8 overs, 27 runs, 0 wickets ; E Carr; 4 overs, 9 runs, 0 wickets ; WChirnside, 2overs, 14 runs.O wickets; W M'L'earT, 11 overs; 21 runs, 0 wickets. ' / Drawn game.