Cricket.

Free Lance, Volume VII, Issue 338, 22 December 1906, Page 19

Cricket.

THE bright particular featuie of the cricket at the Basin Reserve last Saturday was the perfoimanoe of the Old Boys' eleven in putting ■up the fine score of 28 b agaiimst the Midianiders. That th© spectatons enjoyed' the triumph of the ex-Coilegians was manifest to even the most casual observer, for the applause Whole they were batting was frequent and hearty. The wioket was in fine order, the weather was absolutely perfect, and tihe Old Boys' captain had no hesita^on. in taking first strike when lie won tihe tose, although by so dlomg he lost tihe services of Monaghan for the game. The Karori school-teacher is going to spend a portion of his Christmas vacation in Sydney and would only be a>ble to play on two of the Safcurdlays on which this match would be in pi-ogres*. Hence, with his team occupying the batting crease practically the whole of the first afternoon, it is but natural that the Old Boys' skipper decided to ■do without hie swerve bowler on this occasion. This loss may make a difference to tne Old Boys later on. ♦ • • Collins, the Wellington College ooy who won his way into the representative team that played against Bawke's Bay last season without having batted in a senior game, was an Old Boy on this occasion, and 1 opened witih Beechey. Both showed fine batting, amd there were 88 runs on the board before the left-hander was unlucky enough to be run out. The Old Boys' supporters wexe hugging themselves with, delight at this stage, their batsmen were giving the Midland bowlers such a walloping. But they were not yet out of the wood, and* the good start did! not ©omtinue, for when the ninth wicket fell the score was but 182. Th© batsmen had prevailed for the first wicket, but in tihe mJdldAe of the innings the bowlers had got the upper hand. Fisher and Jacobs, however, became associated' for the tenth wicket, and a better partnership than for the first wicket resulted. As a matter of fact, I believe the 104 they put together is the record for the last wicket in Wellington cricket. The partneu--ehiip was a merry one, the already tired bowlers being knocked clean off their length by the two batsmen. Everywhere — up *o a-ainet the boumid'ary and over it, m all directions on the open side — the ball was hit, cut, banged, and pulled to this great enjoyment of the many spectators. There is an end' to every thin? howevea*, but in this case it dad) not come until the Old Boys' chances of ultimately winning the match were made very rosy because of the liunid!red odd runs Fishier and Jacobs joined in putting togethei on the score-sheet. * • * Hickeon and Patrick started out for Midland, but disaster came early. The latter was quickly swapped 1 up at the wickets by C. P. Blacklock off Tucker's bowling, and Sisson, who followed him, was caught in the slips by Beechey off Dickson. The latter is another newman in the Old Boys' team, and u~ to the commencement of the present vacation was in th© Wellington College eleven. He bowls a mediinm-paoe, Kood-lengtih ball, with a nice off-break Dickeon's figurefe dn -the College eWen this season a.re : — Batting average of 70, and a bowline: average of 36 wickets for 10 runs each. Two wickets were down for n-ne rums, but Murphy ioined Hickson and the pair played out time, although tittle former was baah T dironned by J. P. Blacklock about half-wav through Irs innings. • • • The Midlanders have a lot of leeway to make tip. and their present position as 32 runs for two wickets. Provided the wicket keeps good — and tihe pitches have been in exceptional order this season — there should 1 be a lot of runs scored in this match. I like tV Old Boys' position for thiev have madie the runs and the Mi dH a ne'er* hivp very steep hurdle to get over to win the match. The double-fitmre scorers in this match were- — For Old Boys- Jacobs 57 (not out), F ; sher 49. Collins 48. Beechey 32, Wills 30. Tucker 22, C. P. Blacklock 10, and Mr. "Extras" 38.

Far Midland: C. Hicksou 15 (not out) and Murphy 15 (not out). The Midland bowlers' averages suffered considerably at the hands of the Old Boys, loading as ioliows. — Upliam, five for 87; Patrick, three for 43, Stephenbou, one for 41. * ♦ * It is hiaird to account for the tame dasplay of batting given by the majority of the batsmen in the Wellington — Phoenix match. The wicket was m slashing order, there was nothing seaisationiaJ in the bowling, and 1 tbe fiefldirag on neither side was am any way startling. Yet a strong batting side like the Wellingtons possess was turned out for the small totail for tibe diay of 166 runs. It was quite big enough, however, for Phoenix, as when the tenth nuan of the sidle was iretined the aggregate was only 110, or 56 runis less than their opponents had madia. Richardson led the way for Wellington with 42 (not out), the other double figure sco fens b©mg • Weybouirne 27, Hickson "2,6, Naugfoton 17, Gore 16, and Mil-. "Extras" 24. For Phoenix, scxwes ten and over w ere mad 1 © by McLennan 27, Burton, jun., 16 (not out). Laws 19 and Miller 10. as a consequence of the weak batting the bowlers had a meurry tame. Cobcroft was the mo»t suooe&sful Phoenician, his six wickets costag but 45 runs. Brioe got one for 18 and Laws one foi 05. For Wellington, HiMl and Luekie met with a lot ot success, their respective figures being three for 2b and five for 58; Quinn, a new bowler promoted from the juniors, got one wioket for 18. « * * The Newtown — Gas Company match was played on No. 3 wicket, and the only people that took any interest in it were the players themselves, the sooiers, and the umpires. The statistics of tihe match are — Newtown, 16b — A. Day 47, Gourlay 40, Alpe 24, Waters 13, Spraggon 11, and Gosling 11. Gas Company, 139 for five wiokets — Hawthorne 36, Topp, 36, McKay 32, Lmg&rd 16. Bowling for Gat> Company, Burke took six wiokets for 78 run&, McKay two for 12, and Lmgiard, one foi 15. « * A fortnight ago I published what 1 considered to be a fully representatrv'e eleven of Wellington cricket this season. On Monday the team to play against the Englishmen next week was announced by Messrs. Richardson, Wiren and) Tucker, the selectors. As nine out of the eleven were in my -own selection, I should' not complain. Those nine are: Upham, Brace, Tucker, Monaighan Williams, Coboroft, C. ffiekson, Mahony and Beecbey. The other two are OolLins andl Hawthorne. Of the latter I said in my notes : "Hawthorne is just getting back to has quality of two years ago and) I should l not be Burp/rised at all] if he won his way into the second match." The selectors evidently thought 3ms present form was good ■enough, and) I am not noting to erowl at them over their decision, for Hawthorn© is a good bat, a fair change bowler, and a trier in the fiald. As be has youth on his side a. little encouragement can do him and local cricket mo harm. With Collins the case, is altogethea Afferent. Last, season he was given a place in the team that played against Hawke'a Bay, and he scored 16 in an innings which was remarkable for a huge score on tne part of the Wellington team, while the bowling of the visatons was poor stuff. Then his foini with the College was considerably better than it is this season, for he had had much more play. He has only given us one innings in senior ciicket so far — ooat against the Midlandiers last Saturday — and, although it w»s> a igood one, I don't think .it was suffiecgently good to warrant the selectors ia parsing by in his favour men who have shown good form both with the bat and bal] right through the season. Mr. Richardson — as a selector — has the laudable idea of encouraging the younger players, andl ooinscders that one with the promise of Collins should be brought to tihe front as soon as possible. lam not writing with the knowledge of what prevailed with the selectors, but I feel sure that the Wel'^nffton Club captain lias sacrificed both bimsieilf and his own members in favour of the Wellington College boy. From the list of averages published below, and from the fact that tine Wal'llimgton team are the pirobabl© wdnneirs of the Senior Championship, they are entitled to more than one irepiresentiative in the eleven. It is wiell known that the Wellington team is a lopsided battJine one and' that its present position in the champuonsihip is due to the batting of about four of its members. I refer to Richardson Hidksion, Weybo'Urnie and Maliony — yet Maibonv is the only one selected. I will be told, perh ans, that Richardson is only one of three, but still if that one is not keen om the powers of his own club players it is not to be expected that Ms co-Felectons will en-

dleavour to convince him in that dtirectaou. Shiortily, then I .oansidieir, on their pneseait l>orm ; S. EDujkbon or \veyboua\ne — the former for p'reterenoe — ahould) have been, chosen, before Collins. The Wellington. — O'ldl Boys match has made some progress since last week. The former team have yet to make sb runs with ©even wickets in bland. Ma bony (56, not out) and Bkjhard&om (25, nob out) defied [Pucker andl Monar ghan on Jfonday night, a dhanoe of catching aud! of running out th© former beling both mussed by th© O'id Boys' "stumped-. ' These were, theouily ■occasions when, either of th© pair looked like getting out. Th© match wul'l be continued to-night (Friday) at 5.30. • • • I have said before that cricket as played' in Wellington some>tamies dlevelopies antot a farce. Th© oontinuatdloai of the Wellington — Old 1 Boys match last Friday night is a case wi point. At half-past fire, tbe time whietn play was supposed to commence, light <rain was falilimg, but, as there seemed a chance of its ceasing, th© umpires deoidledf to wait a, while before postpiomne play for tbe evening. At a quarter to six they put the stumps in, as the weather bad then cleared. They reckoned) without the OH Boys, who were mot eager to resume play, and it was almost hiadf-ani-hour later when «.~ey took the field. At that stag© the WeliMngtoon captain appealed against th© light and! the stumps were dlrawn. These ar© tihe facts and! much amplification of them would only go to prove my opening assertion that cricket sometimes die ye lopes into a farce in Wellington. • • * We Shave had brothers playing against one another in Wellington — th© Hicksons and) the Weybournes to wit — but the Phoenix have given us someuiinig new fox local cricket. In their team against Wellington father amd son. — George Burton and Ms boy — were playing together, andi both held a caitoh that was the means of dismissing an opponent. With the bat, Burton, fils showed much better form than George h>jmself, although in the latter's total of eight rune there was one beautiful ondiive. Since George last took the field for the Phoenix team he has 1 been a regular member of the Waiwetu eleven that plays for the junior ohamt. piomship. Playing in the Gias Company — N&wtown match were an uncfe and) a nephew — "Dick" Bu.rke and) Gosling. The younger one had 1 to lower has colours to his maternal uncle, Burke catching and bowling Gosling. Many years ago four Blacklooks used to play regularly for the Midlland' team— James, Henry, Robert and Arthur. James 1 is the father of the present Old Eoys players of the Blaicklock ilk. • • * There were a lot of cricket enthusiasts who growled when young Dave Collins was selected in the team that played against Hawke's Bay last year. In all his matches with the Wellington College he had shown such consastemitly good form with the bat that th© highest positions in cricket in New Zealand wexe reckoned to be within his grasp if only his ambitions lay that way. Tins season his health has not been of the best, and, although his performances with the bat have been good, they have niot been on a par with last year's. Therefore, Collins entrance into the Old Boys' senior team has been looked for with much expectancy, and there were many on Saturday wiio wished) him well when be started with Beechey as the opening batsman. He was not long at the batting crease before he convinced l the spectators that his bat was not a lump of firewood and that he had more than a superficial knowledge of the scoring strokes of a batsman that has learnt his cricket in a good school. The hope of the house of Dr. Colll'mß made his runs in good 1 style all round the wickets, and hi® initiad display in senior cricket warrants the hope that he may get going again many times for the Old 1 Boys. • * I am not prepared to withdraw anything from a previous' iemark, and that is that Beechey is our best lefthand batsman. The Midlanders are the latest subscribers to the force of this statement, for against them the Gitj Solicitor's assistant showed much ability with, the bat as well as a lot of defence. He never looked like getting out till he went too far through on one occasion and the bails were whipped! off before he got back. Wills hit hard and' often in getting his contribution to the total, some of his drives being perfect beauties. Tucker was quiet as is 1 has wont of late, and C. P. Blacklook did not get fairly going when he was turned to the right-about. ( fovtimtefl on j>aqe 20 )

(Continued frontpage 19. j It has come at last I When lie was at Welhuigton College, Sid Jacobs was on© of 'tQie ppvwmsnTig aolts theae, and as a junior fie mad© many runs for the Old! Boys. Hjs success, however, prompted! Lam to tr.y many new strokes, »uoh strokes proving veiry frequently the causes of has dismissal before he got unto bis. stride. But last Saturday he soon got the measure of the Midland bowling and wnacked it about with many neat, natty and' effectwe strokes, placdng the bal well clear of the fieldsmen in a way that was reminiscent of him when the teams that played against him in hue junior diays ware pleased' to see him goimg back to where his mates were sitting omi the side of the field. May lias success encourage him to as good if not better things in line future. u Dahn" Fisher seems to convert his bat into- a log of firewood when he lets go at the bowling, but the saad implement had a pretty broad face on it on Saturday. Before pulling was recognised as good icricket anyone that dragged 1 a straight ball round to the on-side was held to be a master hand •t French outline. And' our athletic M.H.R. is an adept at thus style of play, for he swings hard at mostly every ball, and bis drives and otuer artibodlox strokes generally develop into French outs. His batting may not be correct aocordamg to Cocker — or whoever is the authority on crocket — but the Old Boys are prepared! to consider his latest innings as one of the most valuable he coold possibly haive played. It is said' of Fisiier that, whan his team won the toss on Saturday he jumped on lids bicycle and ran down to the Thorndon tennis courts and: had a game or two at the sister summer pastime. It must have done 'him a lot of good, for he had a fine- sight of the cricket baM while: he was batting. I don't know whether he is prepared to give a tesltnmonaall as to the beneficial effects of having a game of tennis before going in to bat, but h© should be prepared to do so. Hitherto big scorers who are having a run of badl luck might follow his example with advantage. • • « Richardson's was the only display of batting I am prepared to enthuse over at all in the Phoenix — Wellington match. He was lucky at the same time to be not out, for a simple catdh in the slips off Coboroft's bowlin^ was dropped by Laws. The Wellington captain is on© of the batsmen that takes a lot of dii<r»ing out, and he was a fixture for a long time on Saturday, getting his runs quietly and 1 in has usual style. Weyibourne was settling down to make things merry for fobs opponents when his bat went back on ham. He changed it, but the first; strobe with the new on© found! a weak spot in it amd -fcihe younger Burton held' title ball »t midkm. Hieksion, Gore ? and Naughton all looked' like making, a lot of rune, but the fates were unkind to them perhaps in that they were dismissed just when they were settling down. McLennan had' a bit of good fortune on Saturday in that Wellington's new bowler sent him along some 1 nice long hops on the leg side. "Mac" promptly sent them into Buckle-street with swinging strokes. The manner of his dismissal was very peculiar, though. An appeal was made for Ibw, but the decision was in favour of the batsman. In the meantime the ball continued on its way to the wickets and struck them, the bail falling off. He was out — "bowled." * ■* "You will get. your name in the Free Lance!" was the way a spectator told a batsman to keep on hitting the ball over the fence. And) he was right, too. Anything m the nature of free and! lively cricket always receives more than passing notice from me. R Lomax, the Old Boy whom I had sl note last week about fielding as a substitute, came out of his shell for his dub's junior team last Saturday, doing a fine bowling performance on thle College ground. He was so deadly with the ball that the hat true*. came his way. As the Old Boys' senior captain se&ms 1 to be short of bowlers, judlging by the way he keeps Tucker and Monaghan pegging away, it may pay the club to give Lomax another try among the seniors. There are many budding umpires in Wellington. One of these — an old man, and one who ought to have known better — yapped "no ball" practically ©very time TJpham bowled! on Saturday against the Old Boys. If he sends me his name and address — the "barraoker" with the sandy whiskers is tihe party I am referring to — I will be pleased 1 to send his name along to the Umpires' Assocdatdion. as a member. That body is very desirous of incsreasiner its membership, and an authority on the interpretation of the laws of the game is bound to be welcome.

The leadling bowkng and battling averages up to the end of last Saturday's pLay axe as follows —