CRICKET NOTES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIV, Issue 848, 27 October 1923, Page 7

CRICKET NOTES.

(By "%.’>) Indifferent cpiiditions prevailed on Saturday for the commencement pf the second matches in the ifenjw fi*t u . res i and play cgine to a premature pud just before 4 o’clock, at which stage heavy rpin set jn. Hpwpvpr, Mnnavmu hold an advantage oyer some of the pthet centres, several .having not yet gpv under way. Til fortune has, however, (logged the steps of the Wednesday .section, for, although the opening wae set down for tlte 17th, the, grounds were unfit for play, lyfiilo h similar state of affairs existed last "Wednesday. .Show week will, in all probability, entftij fui’r tiier postponement. ’ ■ n , . The two gemor matclms on Saturday found R.S.A. opposing Railway and High School facing Old Boys. R.S.A. aha High School batted first, - but innings revealed a direct contrast, for, whereas thetsoft wicket suited R.S.A., High School fared disastrously. Grant and Perrin opened for R-S-Aq and a very useful partnership resulted. It, is evident that Grant, has struck form early, for his two innings to date of 05 (not out) and 48 promise big things for this attractive batsman. Ah l.b.w. is always an unsatisfactory method of dismissal, and it.was in this manner that Grant’s innings on Saturday was brought to a close. Perrin showed an improvement on Saturday. Against High School he only escaped a "blob” being recorded against his name, and op this occasion he contributed 14 before returning on® to Mullins. Donaldson, who obtained the small total of three against High School, was not out with 19 to his credit when stamps were drawn on Saturday. Of the two wickets taken by Railway Mullins secured both at a cost of 2/ runs, out of a total of 89, Bennett, against Old Boys,_ spoilt the average or his previous contributions of 26 and 27 against R.S.A. by being caught behind the wiekets when -six. In his three innings he has succumbed twice to catches, Aim has not displayed the brilliancy pf last season, for, in his only innings' against R.S.A- he went at two, and against Old Boys was dismissed for six. MoSweeney was not out with five to hjs credit,, and this player promises well. At his. first attempt against R.S.A. he contributed 32 and was 8 (not out) when the second innings terminated. Gallichan reached double figures, but he, like Aim, can. show a far better record. Palmer was dismissed before ho bad opened Ms account, and a scoring batsmen was thus disposed of. , McDonald played a splendid innings against R.S.A, at his second visit to the wickets, but on Saturday he only reached 3 before he lifted one into the field. Pacey took plenty of risks, but escaped, and was 10 (not out) at t J l , e termination of play. High School s total of six wickets for 46 does not promise well. Rodgers with 40' (not out) • and Fleming 42 (not out) each played a very useful innings- for R.S.A. juniors against Railway. Leder with 17 was the only other double figure scorer. Tlio opening was attended with disaster, but five wickets for 113 reads quite respectable, thanks to the stand put up by these players. High School with three wickets down for 94 against Old Boys juniors were also favourably placed. Hankins with 36 (not out) was the chief contributor, but Picard, Spring and Barling all got into double figures. In the third grade R.S.A. put up a great stand against Phoenix and to nave scored 202 for the loss of seven wickets and then find the game abandoned was indeed unfortunate. According to a London cricket writer A, P. F. Chapman, the brilliant lefthanded batsman and fieldsman who was a member of MacLaren’s team of English amateurs, is to marry a sister of Tom Lowry, who was a member of the same team, The Rowrys are a well-known Hawke’s Bay family, very prominent in sporting circles. Chapman finished his career at Cambridge last year. ,E. Hendren, in heading the English first-class averages for the season, made thirteen centurjes-thus equalling Q. B. Fry and T. Hayward. His excellent achievements only, make _ pne wonder more and more why he did not get a place in the England team fpr Bouth Africa (says the Sydney Referee). In some'circles it appears to .be thought ho failed in Australia; yet in the whole of the first-class matches of the tour Hendren’s was the .finest record in figures ever associated with the name of apy Englishman put here in one season. And there tyas nothing wrong with his test match performances. In the field he saves more runs than some ordinary batsmen. make. Some big hitting was seen at Canterbury during the course of a cricket match between Kent and Hampshire. J. L. Bryan, of' the home side, played an innings of 236, hitting two sixes, one five, and thirty-eight fours. One of his drives sent the balk through an open wfefjo? of the pavilion, and it rebounded pfi a table agm n *t a Future, smashing the glass. His fine effort had a lot to do with tjie success pf Kent, with an innings to spare. NEW ZEALAND COUNCIL. SHIELD RULES ALTERED. (Per Press Asuooifttion.) CHRISTCHURCH, Oct, 26. In some ■. remarks at the" annual meeting of the New Zealand Cricket Council to-night, Mr S. Heathcote Williams, president, said the council had learned by experience m the recent M..C.0, tour and might have saved at least £IOOO by the curtailment of overhead expenses. He regretted the breakdown of' the negotiations with the Australian board of control, but the management committee had arranged for the visit pf a team from New South Wales. He hoped the incoming committee would arrange that the New South Wales team WOljld not be over-strong and that the majority of players Would be young and on the fringe of the top rank- H was a financial impossibility to consider sending a New Zealand team to Australia and England in tho very near future..; Mr William suggested the institution of honorary membership of the council at a fee of, say, five guineas, . There were hundreds of men in New Zealand who would support such a proposal, and it would bo a good- source of revenue. , • The meeting, the rule governing the Plunket Shield and interprovincial matches fo make it read in accordance with the M. 0.0. laws of cricket, with the exception that the wickets may be watered for 20" minutes, instead of 10. The Plunket Shield rules’ wore altered to provide that all notches & M\ be arranged., so that at least one match m each season shall bo played on the ground of each.competing team, In the following season, whore one match was played, two shall bo played. , ■ . Sir Francis Bell’s services to cricket were highly eulogised, and he was elected a life member of the council.