Cricket. Auckland v. Wellington.

Free Lance, Volume VI, Issue 290, 20 January 1906, Page 20

Cricket. Auckland v. Wellington.

BEAUTIFUL weather prevailed on Friday last when the representatives of the Auckland anid Wellington Cricket Associations commenced their match on the Basin Reserve. The same pleasant condiitaoa was the order of things on the second day — Saturday — a fairly strong breeze tempering the heat of the sun on that occasion. The wicket that had been prepared for the match was im good! order, with, perhaps, a little too much grass on it to be a truly fast one. There were a couple of prospective holes in it, too, which might mean the cause of much anxiety on the third day of the game. For the present, I intend to deal with the first two days' play. The fact that the printer calls pretty loudly for "copy" on Monday morning will not permit me to wait for the conclusion of the play before I put some of my thought? and! comments together. The attendance of the public on both days was highly encouraging, and it was very evident that the play was keenly watched and enjoyed by those present, for anything in the shape of good work, whether with the bat, ball, or in the field, was applauded. Generally speaking, the cricket was good, and was much' better than that of the Wellington-Canterbury match. The bowling of the AuoHanders, however, was not nearly so "classy" as that of the players from the Cathedra) City, and this will, perhaps, account for the better showing made by the local players with the bat. The AucHanders, though, were much stronger with the bat than the Canterbury players, andl it is hard! to say at the present time how the match will end. My own impression is that, given, fine weather to-diay (Monday) the gam© will end in a draw. The position of the play at the end of the second day was as follows: — Wellington, first innings, 208 (Waters 42 (not out), Hickson 39, Bnce 22, Tucker 18, J. P. Blacklook 15, C. P. Blacklook 12, Redgrave 10, Laws 10, Monaghan 10, Hutcnings 8, Upham 7) ; second innings, 200 for four wickets (Hickson 100 not out, Tucker 35, J. P. Blacklock 22, Hutchings 14, Waters 4, Redgrave 14 not out). Auckland, first innings, 197 (HJaddon 65, Jones 45, Brook-Smith 35, Oliff 25, Stemson 10, Biemus 7, McNeil 3 not out, BOussey 1, Lusk 0, Neill 0, Elliott 0). Bowling figures : — For Auckland : Oliff, four for 48 ; Neill, three for 43 ; McNeil, two for 42; Stemson, one for 36; Brook-Smith, nil for 12: Hussey, nil for 22. For Wellington: Monagjhan, five for 42 ; Upham, three for 49 ; Redgrave, two for 33; Brice, nil for 28 ; /Hutchings, nil for 16 ; Tucker, nil for 23. • • • The orightest display of batting in the first innings of the Aucklanders was that of Alf. Haddon, the prof essional of the North Shore Club. Haddon is an ex-North Sydney Club man, and was a member of the same eleven that Duff, Hopkins, and Redgrave play for regularly in the senior grade competitions in Sydney. Generally, when a professional comes across the Tasman Sea, he has lost much of his own personal abilities, but Haddon is an exception to the rule. Our Northern friends have caught him iust at the time when his powers are likely to improve. Haddon's stand at the wickets is peculiar. The face of his bat is turned right in towards himself, the narrow edge facing the bowler. He is very quick on his feet, and does not hesitate in making up his mind what stroke he is going to play. All round the wicket he makes his hits, but the ones that impressed me most were the hook to leg and the drive, one stroke that landed! over the fence in front of the pavilion being a particularly pretty and effective one. The other ex-Australian in the Auckland team — "Sammy" Jones to wit — has a pleasing: personality, and is, from my view-point, an ideal coach for a schoolboy team. I remark thuisiy from the fact that the ex-Australian Eleven player is acting as mentor to the boys of the Auckland College and Grammar School, besides giving the members of the Graffcan Club the benefit of his services. This brings up another subject. Some of Auckland's wealthy men have put their hands in their pockets, and prac-

tically guaranteed a fund to provide coaching at cricket for the schoolboys of Auckland for the next five years. There is no question but that if the boy is trained anight, and if he has cricket in him, it will be developed at the hands of a good coacn, and from a casual conversation with Jones he impressed, me as a man who would get the beet results from boys. I believe there are some Wellington enthusiasts who would subscribe to a similar fund to that brought to a consummation in Auckland. Will someone start the ball rolling, to the ultimate improvement of our cracket? However, to get back to the match in question. Things weae very serious for the Auoklanders when Jones set his back to the wall, and invited the Wellington bowlers to dig him out, as he intended, to take root. As he defied the bowlers one after another, an anxious feeling began to pervade the supporters of the VPellington team, for many of them hadl been witnesses of hi* display ot aggressive cricket the time he scored 1 165 runs few a New South Wales team against Wellington. But, although he batted soundly and well, "Sammy" never became really aggressive during his innangs. His defence was as Bound a© a bell, despite the fact that he got a couple of nasty knocks on a damaged! thumb. The> late cut was his prettiest stroke, but the straight dtrive was also in evidence. W. Brook-Smith assris.ed Jones to put a better complexion on the game from the Aucklanders' standpoint. He batted in the style that entitled) him to a place in the- team, and generally met the ball with the full face of the bat. His leg-hiitting and driving were his most effective strokes. Time was when "Billy" Steinson was the biggest slogger and fastest bowler in Auckland! cricket, and he used to rock them in with deadly effect, and the field had to spread) out directly he took centre. Now, he is a mediumpace too fast bowler, and a batsman with strokes. I prefer him better as I remember him than he is now. ."Casey" Oliff showed the best allround form of the visitors on the first two days. His captain should have made him his stock bowler from one end, wiituout being the change. He mixes them splendidly, both in manner of pace aod break. With the bat he got his runs all round the wicket with good strokes. confess to a feeling of disappointment when 'M3hum" Hemus was retired in the first innings. He opened very confidently, and 1 the few strokes he made were those of a master-hand. In front of himself he was very effective, and at the same time his hit® to leg gave much satisfaction to himself and those watching him. The veteran, 'Bob" Neil, kept the batsmen very quiet the most of the time he was bowling, but generally his deliveries did not appear very dangerous. With the bat he had hard luck in dragging a ball on to his wickets that would have gone harmlessly by if he had let it alone. Neil's contemporaries in Wellington cricket are all either watching the game now from the side of the field, or find other ways of spending their Saturday afternoons than at cricket. Hussey, Elliott, McNeil, and Lusk did not cause the Wellington captain any anxiety, as between them they only five runs on the score-sheet. Huesey, for a while 2 bowled the best on the visiting Sj.de in. the second innings, but Blacklock started driving him, and knocked him right off his length. Hussey spent one season in Wellington some years ago, playing with the Wellington third' eleven. Frank McNeil is the old Rival Olub player of that name. He bowls a fast ball, with a swerve from leg, and an occasional break from the off. "Frank," however, has a hard job to keep bis back foot behind the chalk-line. Elliott is a brother of the Rev. W. J. Elliott, who used to conduct the services m the Thorndon Methodist Church, andl is now doing similar duty in the Methodist Church on the West Coast — King Dick's Hokitika, too, at tnat. The reverend gentleman was a keen enthusiast at cricket himself, and could play a fairly good stroke with the bat. Elliotts work behind the wickets was neat, if not very effective. The outstanding batsman on the Wellington side was the good old reliable — Claude Hickson. The first innings his tally was 39, but on Saturday he got fairly going, and put a threefigure score to his 1 credit as the result of two and a-half hours' stay at the wickets. I have seen many good scores made by Hickson but I do not remember anything as good as this century score. His most effective scoring stroke was the cut just clear of point, but he made almost equally as well the late cut, the pull, the drive, and the hit to leg. A good innings, in which the placing was worthy of a batsman of Hickson's calibre. The success of Victor Waters in the first innings was very pleasing to a lot of enthusiasts, and I confess to asimi-

lar feeling. The fact that he was a Higher scorer than any other player on .-.a side in the nrst innings made many of those wiio advocated his claims for inclusion in the eleven whoop for joy. However, he justified 1 their arguments, and maae his runs in his usual telling mamie<r. Waters never looked like being beaten by tihe bowlers in ius first journey to the wickete. b ll+ a nasty knock in the second innings took all the sting out of his batting. Ken. Tucker shaped! with much more confidence t^aii against the Canterbury team, though in. the first innings he was a bit lucky in being mussed in the slips before he got going. Tucker seems to me, though, not to be as effective as he has been, in seasons that are past and' gone, his pet stroke, between pome and third man, being almost but a memory. With the ball Tucker was not tried as much as he should have been, although the wicket was cot to his liking. "Jack" Hutchings has yet to play an innings in representative cricket worthy of his club games; 14 and 8 were not enough for him to have made against the bowling lie had to face. "Gil" Redgrave was very steady for him both times he went in to bat. With the ball he kept a good length, and worked a bit, but was inclined toappeal a lob for "lbw." Stanley Brice drove to good purpose, this main scoring stroke of his being much evidence during his stay at the wickets. Though h& met with no buicoess with the ball, a catch was dropped off his bowling in th© slips. Pearson Blacklock favourably impressed the visitors with the manner of his batting. There are nane that can make the drive cleaner or better than he, and the fieldsman has to b& extra smart to prevent the ball reaching the boundary behind the bowler. His push-stroke to leg is a. master-piece. C. P. Bl'aeklock is a fine batsman to send in last, and it is very useful indeed to have a team of batsmen right down to the end. But, all the same, 1 think he is worth an earlier place in the order of going in. He did good work with the gloves, the oatch that disposed of Oliff being a nice one. A hard chance of stumping Haddon was misseu by him, however, under the impression that the ball was going to hit the wicket. Harold Monaghan has added still further to his reputation by his bowling in this match, and, if a bird has whispered to me correctly, it is within ~^e bound's of possibility that h& will be given a place in the New Zealand eleven to play against tihe Melbourne Club team. Though "Sammy" Jones may have lost some of his power as a batsman, he has still all the qualities that go to make a good judge of a player. TTis opinion is that Moniaghan is a marvel. "Why, sir, he swerves the ball the opposite way to any other bowler I have known, end takes watching all the time." While Jones was facing the College Old Boy he treated him with the utmost respect, and, although Haddon showed an inclination to go for him, he was missed off Monaghian's bowling when he had 50 runs on the scoresheet, and was finally caught by the l>ad off his own bowling. Monaghan's average of five wickets for 42 runs tells its 1 own tale. With the bat he got a double-figure score. Earnest Upham captained' the team in a good style, and hadl a unique experience for him, viz., that of opening the bowling with a strong northerly wind behind him. He kept "^he majority of the batsmen quiet, as he was rery steady. 'Hie only batsman that showed any inclination to put him off his length was Haddon. The Wellington captain expected a demonstration to be made against him because Conyngham was not included in the team, but it didn't come off, although it is said a slight hoot went up when Upham went in to bat. Fred Laws' got ten runs with the bat, but he gave two chanoes in getting them, and was bowled! in making a very "pussy" stroke. Laws is a better batsman than his display m the first innings would indicate. • • • When play commenced on the third day (Monday) a change had come o'er the weather of the preceding week, a fresh southerly wind, with misty rain, being the prevailing element. Though there was not enough rain to stop play, there was sufficient to make the grass wet and the ball greasy. As a result, but few of the Auckland bowlers could get a decent length, and were whanged all over the field by the Wellington batsmen who had a turn at the crease. By lunch-time, th© score had reached the great total for a Wellington team of 380 runs for seven wickets, at which stage the local captain declared his innings closed. The two not-out men — Hickson 100 and Redgrave 13 — carried their totals to 135 and 77 respectively. Brice got 50, and Laws 24 (not out). Redgrave's was a fine display of aggressive cricket against weak bowling.

He hit baird and often* pulling, driving, cutting, and 1 dragging to leg. Bait few of h.s strokes were uppish, and most of them were clear of the fieldsmen. Brice gave a good! exhibition of driving and leg-hitting, tihe majority of his rums being made from strokes of this nature. A couple of his drives landed clean over the ropes, vicing with the one made by Haddon on Saturday for* the visitors. Hickson kept his end going whenever he got opposite" the bowler, and was finally dismissed with a lightning delivery from Olift that did not rise an inch after it pitched. His total of 135 is the biggest made for some 'years in representative -cricket in Wellington. When, the next New Zealand! team comes to be picked, Claud should! be in the eleven. Laws shaped much better than in the first innings, his score being put together mainly with square cute and off-drives. The rain had cleared 1 off before play was resumed! after the luncheon adjournment, and', the wind! having dried the grass, the Wellingtian bowlers were , not handicapped with a greasy ball as (Continued on •pag&2l.)

in to bat.

the Aucklanders had been. The visiton» .had the big score of 397 to face, and four hours to. get, them m, and they had tlie alternative of keeping their wickets, intact up till 6 o'clock to make the match a drawn one. The latter was what they set out to do — the f aimer being a practical impossibility. But at 5.3 u the last wicket fell, with the score at 177, and they were beaten by 214 runs in a game that had been very interesting and full of incidents. The Auckland mien scored as follows — Hemus 58, Brook-Smith 37, Lusk 18, Hussey 16, Ohff 13, McNeill 11, Elliott 6 (not out), Jones 6, Neill 3, Haddon 3, and Stemson 1. Though Hemus was the top-scorer, I ■did not like his display nearly so well a® Brook-Smith's. The latter improved on his showing in th© first innings, driving both the fast and slow bowlers in fine style. He hit to leg with much •effect, and his play on the off kept the fieldsmen on that side very busy. Hemus is a graceful batsman, the majority of his strokes being made "according to Cocker." He makes his rams with all the hits that go to make a finished batsman, and he places the ball generally clear of the fieldsmen. His weakest stroke seems to be the rising fast "ball on the off, for he gave a chance off one of them early in his innings, and was finally dismissed off another. Hussey plaj'ed with plenty of confidence and a straight bat, and was unlucky in getting a lbw dleoision against him just when he was well set. He, however, did not appear to have many scoring strokes. Lusk put one in mind' of his greater brother, Hugh, when he gets going. He makes his runs with very effective strokes mostly m front of himself. McNeill hit hard and often while he was at the wickets, but his strokes were generally in the air. Redgrave lost a chance of pocketing a ball off one of his lofty hits, but he dropped the catch. Jones, Haddon, and Stemson did not -weary the fieldsmen, the two ex-Aus-tralians finding Monagthan's swerves too disconcerting to make much headway. Monaghan improved the good impression he made against the Aucklanders in the first innings, his figures on this occasion being four wickets for 52 runs; TJpham, four for 55; Hutchings, one for 19 : Brice, one for 35. Brioe, who bowled with the wind 1 a portion of the time, turned' the ball from -the off letter than any of the other break bowlers. Tucker, owing to a fall from his bicycle, was unable to bowl in the second innings. The best bowler on the Auckland side on Monday was Oliff, who dismissed the three Wellington batsmen that lost their wickets. But, as* a rule, the Auckland captain did not show much judgment in changing his. bowling, being seemingly a believer in quick changes. This is a good principle on occasions, but when a bowler is doing well I think it is only fair to give him an opportunity of improving. Several of the Auckland bowlers, however, were taken off after they had only trundled a couple cf overs, and wear© just finding tiheii length. The win was a handsome one, and only further emphasises the fact that the Wellington players did not do full justice to themselves 1 against the Canterbury team. Let us hope that they will perform similarly well against the Melbourne Club next month. Cup matches commenced on the 19th December will be resumed to-morrow {Saturday). In the four Saturdays that have intervened, it is said that the majority of our senior cricketers have been indulging in those pastimes referred to by the High Commissioner in an interview recently — yachting, bowls, tennis, ping-pong, marbles, etc. It is only fitting at this stage to refer to the excellent arrangements made by Mr. B. L. Salmon, tbe hon. secretary of the Cricket Association, in connection witlh the Canterbury and Auckland matches. "Bert" is new to his position, yet he proved a past-master in studying the convenience of the players, and in superintending the ground arrangements. On all sides great satisfaction was expressed with the smooth way in which everything worked. The Auckland team expresses the opinion that Monaghan, by getting rid of Hussey, Jones, andl Haddon cheaply, won the match for Wellington. When Jones passed Lusk on his way in to bat in the first innings, Lusk, the retiring batsman, gave the caution that Monaghan swerved' from the off. "Sammy's" remark was "rats!" With all his four trips Home with Australian teams, he had never met with a bowler swerving from the off, and the result was he nearly lost his leg pin the first ball he received from Monaghan. The Junior Reps, are playing the Hutt Valley Cricket Association, at Petone, on Monday.