CRICKET COMPETITIONS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 65, 13 February 1935, Page 4

CRICKET COMPETITIONS.

LEADERS IN DANGER. (By “Point.”) Although there is another day’s play the result of the iirst innings of both Feilding and Colyton in their respective games on Saturday give a hint of possible impending changes in the leadership on the championship ladder. Redding, the present leaders, went down to the tune of three points to Colyton last week, and at the moment they have the low score of 111 runs in their first strike against Public Service. Colyton are at present only throe points on the ladder behind the leaders, and with 138 runs to their credit in their first strike against Old Boys, to which the latter have replied with three wickets dowir for 19 runs, another three-point win for the country eleven does not seem out of the way. “Point” readily admits that with the comparatively weak and uncertain batting strength of Public Service, the fate of the game against Feilding may early turn towards Feilding, the Servicemen having lost one wicket for five runs but the odds for a win at least should be on the last named team. A three-point victory for them would not make any difference in this round except to bring them closer to the second team on the ladder, but in the event of tho third round being played right through to a conclusion, the points might he useful. As the score stands at present a two-point win on the first innings would .appear to be possible for Service, as Feilding are not likely to collapse in a second strike with the game more or less at stake. The development of the two matches will provide interesting speculation, and at all events it can he taken for granted that Feilding are not going to pass unchallenged for leadership at the end of the season. It is one of the fortunes of cricket when the games extend over more than one day that both teams do not play under the same wicket conditions, and batsmen would hardly want to

bat again under the state of affairs that existed on Saturday on botli wickets. On No. 2 crease the Feilding batsmen found Barltrop almost unplayable, and his average of seven for 44 speaks for itself. Bowling well without any assistance from the wicket, the Service left-hander got a tremendous amount of' “work” on the ball, the batsmen at times being completely unable to connect with it. Donaldson deserves every credit for the 38 runs he knocked up, his innings being the result of a careful and painstaking effort. Carefully watching each ball he timed and played his shots accurately, and it was finally a beautiful delivery from Barltrop which sent him hack. The only other scorer on the Feilding side was Hansen, who got on to a ball in his first hit and• thereafter seemed to have a charmed life. In his 53 runs he pasted the short boundaries about a dozen times, but eventually tried to drive an undrivable ball and was dismissed, also by Barltrop. On No. 1 wicket the Colyton batsmen were tied up by Finlay, who secured an average of six for 36. He also got an exceptional amount of “work” on the ball, and mixing his deliveries with an occasional “wrongtin,” most of the batsmen were far from comfortable when facing him. Lacking the service of M. Waldin, Colyton shaped well under the unfavourable batting conditions and made 138. A. Waldin made amends for his failures in recent innings he has played, coming away with 29 runs to his credit, while Gibson again did well to make 37. A new recruit to the team in Thurston gathered in 22 runs before Finlay beat him, and thereafter wickets fell rather rapidly, albeit Howell and Power held things up a little, while they made 10 apiece.

H. Fitzlierhert showed that he was on the wicket when the time came for Old Boys to bat, his three wickets being obtained at little cost. Old Boys will have to make a stubborn race of it next week if they are going to overhaul the deficiency they face at present, as matters decidedly look like another win for the country eleven.