Hurricane Hitting for Big Totals in Whangarei Cricket

Northern Advocate, 1 February 1939, Page 2

Hurricane Hitting for Big Totals in Whangarei Cricket

JJAEELY DOES THE REGLAMATI ON GROUND ECHO TO THE SOUND OF BIG HITTING AS IT DID ON SATURDAY. Particularly pleasing was the fact that the big' hitting w,as not mere but really good cricket, boa sting-some stylish innings. I On the whole,. fielding was not very brilliant, but the display of more [than one - batsman took up the attention of watchers who neglected consideration of faults in their admiration of the mounting scores. Six hundred !in two innings of senior cricket is an abnormal occurrence in Whangarei, ;'and will.be remembered as one of the greatest achievements in the history lof the . Association.

I ■ -in ■. ■ £ Nomads missed E. Collins, whose 'l final gam'e on . the previous Saturday |was~ mainly responsible for the initial i score of 297 for- his team. It was -natural that the team should feel the floss of a man who makes nearly half | the total score. Although his team suffered defeat it. will not forget what lit owes to him in making the initial [century of the season. Bowling Below Par. r Bowling was far below the usual in the Whangarei-Nomads ■match. Nomads realised from the pstart that this might prove their down* as .it ultimately did. Whangarei fatso’ was conscious of the failing and "confidently took charge of the bowlers. 1 However, it must be said that Nomads found at least one good bowler. [This was- Fraser, a junior coming into ■senior status. He proved himself ,an •excellent .standby bowler who will "ultimately be a first choice in this ’respect , '"V" ' ;• With the arrival of Dunn, halfway. .j-tWbftgfi 4 the ‘ inhihgs, Nohiad’s’ hopes [Were raised, but by this time Wham jgarei had become too confident, and [even his trundling failed completely ‘to curb the batsmen’s enthusiasm for [boundary shots. Madden bowled con'sistently well against the overwhelming opposition, while Morton’s three -overs brought variety which, however, did not tempt Whangarei out ot [the big-hit habit.

the innings of several hitters, imitating Williams’ dashing style, Weston’s dash was ,a great performance, spoiled only by its brevity. The Christmas -competition is in a very interesting position. The issue is still in doubt, and any .of the leading ‘teams are liable to come but on top. Kamo, as a result of their win. on Saturday, have taken the lead, but an outright decision by either Albion or Portland would mean a draw. Saturday saw the bowlers on top in every game. The Portland-Services game was the lowest scoring seen on the ground for ,a long time. Both, sides were out for less than 140 runs. De Mbntalk proved himself to be up to .rep. standard. Bowling unchanged, he kept a perfect length, and the batsmen at no time took charge. With the exception of Quigg, Kamo were content to cover their wicket, and even then several balls whipped through, just off the stumps. Kamo were given a lesson in running between wickets by Old Boys’ opening pair. Taking advantage of every opportunity, Kelly and De Montalk forged the runs, although they at no time gave a chance of being caught out of the crease. Quigg played a chanceless innings, and despite the accuracy of the attack, Old Boys had to be content with wickets at one end only. This player treats every ball on its merits, and, though not a forceful bat, he can be

Services’ Youngsters Improving. Power made a successful experiment by cutting down his pace. It cer‘|ainly made a big difference to his length and the consistency of his aimBatsmen accustomed to his fierce deliveries were nonplussed with his newfound accuracy. As usual, he secured a position on the honours board. Mehzies, one of the youngest players in senior cricket, will continue to rank with Power as Services’ principal bowlers. He wields ,a good bat, and continued good training should bring him to the fore as one of Wbangarei’s best. Over 300 Passed. j

depended on to hold up one end. Left-handed bowlers seem to be puzzling to most batsmen.. Both Lester and Hay were among the wickets, and were; treated with more respect than is usually given .to slow bowlers. Albion seem to have struck a bad patch. Saturday saw them lucky to share the points, as Maungatapere were only seven runs behind, and three men in hand. It speaks well of the bowling and fielding that Maungatapere were unable to score even if it meant losing another wicket to succeed. Ray. Albion’s fast bowler, can certainly put them down. An improvement in length, and he will be equal to any player in the district. Le Feux is one of the most consistent opening bats in. Whangarei cricket. A slow scorer, ho plays every ball, and is a hard man to shift. Using his feet to every shot, he plays all lound th e wicket, and sends them S along the ground. C. W.nllbank is another steady player. Opening with his brother, he helps to pave the way for most of Portland’s large totals. Although not turning in the .large scores of T, Wall bank, he -is invaluable to his side.

Excitement ran high as Whangarei approached 300. Passing Nomads’ total of 297, Whangarei had 299 up when Nisbet, who had been playing a chanceless innings, mistimed a fulltosser from Fraser. It completely baffled him, but went round the wicket out of harm's way. The next ball was pitched at a good length, Nisbet again being baffled. It took his stump and sent him back to the pavilion for an ovation well deserved. * Smart Fielding. • Services fielding is worthy of comment, as it was this that counted so much in stemming the flow of Onerahi’s second innings. Barely a single run was given away by the field, despite the difficulty occasioned by outfield bumps and hollows. McKoy played his last game in Whangarei before going north to Hukerenui. Wherever ho goes his cricketing ability will stand him in good stead. , He has a fine understanding of the game, being not only a reliable bat. but a good, safe fieldsman as well. Oncrahi will miss him very much. Williams Hits Hard. The dashing innings of Williams which set the pace for Services’ winning 90-minute strike was well worth watching. He has the natural stance j of one who makes no effort to wield | the bat, and when he hits he hits hard. , His opening partner. Batten, was j much more cautious, but this proved j profitable. -in the end, for he survived