OPENING OVER

Northern Advocate, 24 October 1935, Page 4

OPENING OVER

WHANGAREI CRICKETERS START SEASON BOWLERS GENERALLY ON TOP QUESTION OF PLAYING TIME, • Bowlers, like swimmers, do not easily. forget their swing, and. for opening Saturday in the Whangarei Cricket championship competitions, came out definitely on top of batsmen, who have still to regain their co-ordination of eye and muscle. Pleasing features were the , good showing made by Old Boys in their first senior appearance. Although they took tedious pains in doing so they top-scored for the afternoon. High School, too, a team regarded in some circles as being lucky to remain in the senior grade, started the season in convincing manner. Playing Time Confusion. In the junior match at Maungatapere, confusion arose as to the playing time. The match there. started at 2.15 and concluded at 6.15 p.m., with Maungata- i pere then requiring only three runs for victory with three wickets to fall. Had the playing hours as unanimously decided upon at the annual meeting—--2 p,m. to 6.30 p,m.—been observed, Maungatapere would have been almost certain of an extra point. Honours List. : , / BATTING. Tait (Old Boys) ........ 53 Wilson (Whangarei) . 43 not out Nisbet, (Whangarei) ..... 34 not out Stone (Hikurangi) 31 not out Miller (High School) .... 30 retired BOWLING. Palvey (school) 7 for 25 Fyfe'(Onerahi) .... 6 for 8 Wilson (Whangarei) . 6 for 9 Weir (Services) 6 for 38 Lord t (’Karamea) 5 for 10 Services Far Below Expectations. Although they had a season in the doldrums last .year, Nomads, for the coming campaign, have relied very largely upon some of their players regaining the form which, they have mislaid." ' Consequently, it was all the more encouraging to them to find the three new men in their team on Saturday revealing very encouraging form. • .■ i Both with bat and ball, Cormack, Who played senior in Wellington until dropping out of the game a few sea-

sons back, hinted that he will be a decided asset. Perhaps for a green bowler, he was given a little too much to do, but he flighted the ball and kept a good length. Agnew. one of the leading players in the Matamata district, collected a few runs like a champion, and was out trying a big hit. Although lie did not play last Reason. Dunning soon found his feet again, and punched the ball hard on occasion. Godfrey and Dunn, the latter favoured with some lucky escapes, helped to retrieve an indifferent start, and later Cotterill, showing little signs of the indecision which deprived him of his true worth as a run-getter last year, hit even Weir about with impunity. 4 . ' Services Attack.

Opinions that Services’ attack will be restricted this season were borne out. Except while Weir made the ball pop up white it still kept its sheen, they had nothing approaching a fast bowler. After the dismissal of Dunn and Godfrey Weir sent down four consecutive maidens. Matthews was accurate, and pitched the ball a trifle shorter than usual. Services lack the services of a firstclass wicket-keeper, Weir and Patterson started very quietly to overhaul a score of 112. In Dunn’s second over, Patterson lashed out at a full toss on the t leg and was out to an easy catch. Weir wisely refrained from responding to Wallace’s call, when the ball was hit in the direction of Collins at mid-on, a simple run-out resulting. 1 Then Weir, exasperated with thej robbery of the long grass, which pulled up his best ground shots, attempted a big hit to' a ball, which he usually would be content to keep out of his wicket, and fell to a catch at mid-off, with his tally at 13 singles. Bowlers of a similar type in Godfrey and Cormack were then seen in operation. Godfrey, especially flighted the ball to advantage, and made one spin back occasionally. He soon trapped Tapper, who was looking boundarywise from the Start. Batten, who has been out of the game for some time, showed a complete lack of con--fidence: Williams and Wilton held their ends up in a ninth wicket partnership, which was beginning to endow the game with fresh life when Cotterill got a fast one past Wilton’s defence. % Old Boys Highest Scorers. At Maungakaramea the wicket was dead easy and bowlers ■ could gain no aid from the pitch whatever. Old Boys, winning the toss, batted and in face of steady bowling and a desire to take advantage of a little match practice, scoring was 'slow. Fayne rang the changes frequently to Given and Tait, Child being replaced after three overs. It was left to Attwood to trap Given arid later he got Bright, but not until the latter had reached double figures confidently. It was in trying to turn a high ball to leg that he miss-hit, Challenger accepting an easy chance at point.

Coote took a while to settle down, but when he did it. was to reveal some pretty cover and off-drives. Williams was not the Williams of old, and seldom appeared comfortable. His keeping and play generally, hotvever, was high considering he has not touched a bat since he captained the School team in 1932. The Old Boys’ batsmen from M. Kelly down, did not convert the game into a long drawn-out struggle and all endeavoured to use the long handle. In the field they were on their toes and the only blemish was a snick missed by Williams. The six bowlers tried did hot concede many runs and Norris' sent down 5 overs for 4 runs.

’Karamea’s idea of going for the 135 was abandoned when three wickets dropped for 13. Then Challenger and Bercich were very subdued and would take no risks.

The seventh trundler given a turn at the crease was Lord and he got apiong the tail-enders. The best man in this . department on the day was Payne, despite the fact that he secured none for 20, Child, with a similar average, operated for 12 overs. Speer, Attwood and Bercich were fairly well on the stumps and the run-getters had to wait for the loose ones. When Williams went at 91 the time was 4.30 —slow run-getting—but a declaration could not be made then with safety, so that it'was after 5 when Old Boys were all out for 135. Tedious batting can be expected at the start of a new season and it is to the credit of Old Boys "that they were able to compute the highest aggregate in the senior grade. Hikurangi Not Strong. Hikurangi are not strong and their star, Lawrie, is plainly lacking in practice. The School bowlers are a stronger force than anticipated and Falyey is quite as dangerous as ever. Miller went well arid Wilson scored all his runs except for one brace, in singles. Hikurangi’s attack is weak, Bay and Teesdale being the' mainstays. The ; fielding of the School boys was keen, and Power at backward point took a hot catch to dismiss Vinn. Falvey was supported; in his bowling efforts by Mason, Kermode and Power. Kermode, during the second Hikurangi spell polished off three batsmen with successive balls. Slone, a newcomer, is apparently an acquisition, 31 coming from his blade in the second venture, when Hikurangi did much better. “Good-at-the-Pinch,” By accomplishing the difficult task of dismissing Whangarei under the century, Onerahi put themselves in a Very favourablei position, and it only required steady methods to top that tally. However, the young batsmen from the seaside went in to knopk up the runs as fast as possible. " In this scheme they had not.reckoned oh Wilson, who literally ran through them to collect the extraordinary bag of 6 wickets for 9 runs. This feat was only surpassed by Fyfe, who, a little eai’lier, had secured 6 for eight. Whangarei had quite’ a

! respectable figure ori the board for , 4 wickets when Fyfe came on to bowl. ■Whether the batsmen took things too ’ easily or not is a matter of opinion, | but Fyfe sending down straight, good • length stuff, upset 5 good wickets, and had the other caught* ! As on other occasions Wilson was j there at the,pinch to save the side, the | most amazing part of it being that he i has shown by far the most unsatisfac- ! tory form at the nets. . Onerahi—a team of colts like Old Boys—had the chance but could not grasp it. Having a second go Whangarei were able to tell a different tale, Nisbet. and Flower both batting impressively. Henceforward Whangarei will probably be a harder proposition than Onerahi found them to be.