(Continued from page 19.)

Free Lance, Volume VIII, Issue 401, 7 March 1908, Page 20

( Continued from page 19.)

Some people are beginning to wonder whether the Phil Connolly, playing with the Petone team, is the Central Cumberland (Sydney) player of that name Report said that the latter was a great left-handed bowler, and it was probably this report that warranted the Wellington Selection Committee in recommending Connolly for inclusion in the Rest of New Zealand team to play against Auckland. It is true that the Petone player is a left-handed bowler, but, judging him on two performances with the ball against a weak Phoenix eleven, he is a long way removed firom great, and would not receive much consideration if a Wellington representative team was picked to-morrow. His contarabutiom with the bat was a cypher and I noticed him drop a simple catch m the field. Of course, great players have done similar things to this an the past, but apparently it would be better, in the selection of representative teams at any rate, if players were not taken on trust. • ■ • Tommy Taylor and Stan Birice were in a smiting humour against Phoenix on Saturday, the ball going to all points of the compass firom their bats. The Petone innings aggregated 190, to the 205 set them by Phoenix, the "doubles" being Taylor 56, Brice 51, Senior 16, Cobcroft 16, J. House 17, and Smyri 13. Phoenix, in their second mnimgs, have 149 runs on the slate for the loss of six wickets — Sanders 32 (not out), Hickey 38, H. Burton 25, and Laws 20. • • • The Gas Company team, when they started their present match, were wondering whether, if they defeated Wellington, they would be entitled to be placed higher in the championship record than the older team, even though they did not qualify for the semi-final matches. They have ceased wondering now, foT the Wellingtoii, batsmen gave their bowlers a great trouncing on Saturday, 339 runs being scored for the loss of seven wickets — N.aughton 119, S. Hickson 56 (nott out), Quinn 51, Mahony 25, Nash 24, Var© 13, and Hales 5 (not out). Richardson was an absentee for reasons that need not be stated here, but they were amply sufficient. As the Gas Company's total score amounted to 174 runs, the reason why

they have ceased the wondering ieferred to is apparent. • • • Strange to notice that Tom Hales, the Wellington smiter, had five scoring strokes against the Gas Company on Saturday, all of them singles. There is nothing like getting off the mark quickly. Otago has challenged Auckland for the Plunket Shield, the match to take place next Christmas! The following four players have scored over 1000 runs in. Otago (representative cricket . J. Baker, 54 matches, 1900 runs , H. G. Siedeberg, 32 matches, 1181 runs ; G. G. Austin, 34 matches, 1111 runs , A. H. Fisher, 46 matches, 1073 runs. D Hamilton,, the Southlandex, who made 95 runs against Otago the other day, must be something above the ordinary if the scribes are to be believed. Listen! "It were as if a Bonnor was wielding the bat with the grace and execution of a Ranjitsmghi!" And he is buried away down in Invercargill. One player I heard of 'had rather a unique experience ooi Saturday. He was playing for his thud-class team, and was dismissed without scoring. His club's junior eleven was playing on the same ground, and, being one short, the player referred to as pressed into service, and, the irony of it, was again credited with a "duck." They have some great cricket pitches m the third-class championship. I was going to say grounds, but that would be too elaborate a title for them. In a match at Petone last Saturday one of the fielding side was hurt sufficiently so as to cause his comrades much concern for about an hour, two> others had black eyes from bumpy balls, and jeu another was sorry he took part in the game. And yet cricket is called a pleasure. Sanders, the promoted Phoenix player, who is making a good stand in the second innings against Petonie, is the junior partner m tie firm of Sanders Bros., who are making a name for themselves as the builders of substantial buildings in the Empire City. They are ex-Ponsonby boys, and it was in Auckland that they both learnt how to play cricket as well as to spoil timber. The elder brother has retired from the summer game some time now, but as the wicket-keeper of the Phoenix team before Wright, another Aucklander, came hither, he is well-known to followers of the game.

J read in a Dunedm paper that "Eckkold, who is developing steady and careful tactics, hit his way to 27." Judging by his batting in the Otago — Wellington match, Eckhold has developed these tactics until he can. fairly be called a stone-waller. His cricket would be better if he developed a freer style. Some recent scores m Dunedm championship cricket . — Frank Williams (ye burly wicket-keeper) 48, Kilgour (the diminutive Otago representative, who, although a member of the touring team, did not play against Wellington) 61, Eckhold 27 (not out), Graham 21, Robeits 26, Brydon 29, Siedeberg 56, West 20 and Roberts 22. "How those juniors appeal!" This was a general lemaxk at the Basin Resen c last Saturday, when the Wadestow n-Midland teams were fighting o<ut their match m the junior championship competition on No. 4 wicket. Both sides weie equally confident in then appeals when they were in the field. "How's that?" fiom half-a-dozen throats could be heard every time. The first innings of the Old Boys against Midland, concluded last Saturday, is responsible for a lot of tilings. The 509 runs scored is the highest innings total this season, and the laigest ever scored against Midland • Beechey's individual score of 108 is the record for this season, and is the first century that has been made against the Midland team for over twenty years, and is also the highest score ever made against that team. Eccentricities of gait have been developed by all the international bowlers. Fielder, the English fast bowlei, has three distinct paces in running to the wicket, and at each change he bobs his head as if to avoid something hurled at him. Barnes, on the other hand, gets his speed up by long, slaw, seven-leagued strides, and has a huge corn on his third finger from turning the ball. Saunders describes a semicucle in leaching the crease, and ties his feet up in a knot at the moment of delivery. O'Connor, the South Australian, has a most curious wigwaggle movement, in which every part o-f his body participates, while his eyes are glued to the ground, so that he never seems to see the wicket until he is actually bowling. One might alMiost suspect him of trying to make the batsmen feel sea-sick. Noble's theory is "Pitch 'em well up; they either hit or go out."

In Otago representative cricket A. H. Fisher has taken 238 wickets at an average of 12.8 runs apiece; A. Downes. 257 wickets, averake 12.9. Reverting to the century score by Ernest Beechey against the Midlanders, in the semi-final match for the championship, the only previous threefigure score against the team now led by Ernest Upham was made by Harry Moorehouse on the 7th November, 188' d. His total was 106. I hope whoever is kkely to have the job of picking the New Zealand football team during the coming season will be shown the cricket notes in last week's "Otago Witness." Frank Glasgow, the "All Black," says that D. Hamilton, who made 95 for Southland against Otago, ts one of the best forwards in New Zealand. Frank is getting a word in for Hamilton early, all right. Gl em. Hill is the wag of the Austmllan Eleven. He is always playing jokes on his brother cricketers, and his mercurial spirits bubble up even when he is fighting for the ashes on the pitch. "Put Rhodes on, and I will try to hit sixers," he said to> English Captain A. 0. Jones during the last trial of strength. "No jolly fear," responded Jones; "you might get them." And the grin on Clem.'s face fold its own tale. After figuring in a cricket match, in which he had bowled very badly indeed a certain youth, who had recently joined the volunteers, picked up his nile and accompanied his father to the shooting range for practice. Here, to the disgust of his parent, he proceeded to shoot about as accurately as he had bowled in the afternoon. "Wide to the right, boy!" said the elder, as the marker signalled the first shot. The second attempt was signalled, "Wide to the left!" And then the unsuccessful marksman discovered that "by some means or other a blank cartridge had been served out to him. "Hallo i" he ejaculated, "what's this mean-? This is a blank! It's no Tise 1 " "Go on wi it, my lad!" drily remarked his disgusted father. "It'll be all right, I dare say ; two wides and then a 'no-ball' — that's been thy form all day!"