OUT DOOR SPORTS AND PASTIMES

Free Lance, Volume XV, Issue 754, 12 December 1914, Page 20

OUT DOOR SPORTS AND PASTIMES

By Touchline.

CRICKET.

A Quiet Day. fT was only to be expected, after the unusual amount of century-scores the previous week, that the play at the Basin Reserve last Saturday should be on the quiet side. At times there were some flashes of brilliancy, but beyond these there is not much to enthuse about this week. The wickets and the outfield were in their usual good order, but it seems to me that, unless w© get plenty of rain directly, the groundsman is going to have a deal of trouble in keeping up hiss reputation in the matter of the preparation of the wickets for playing on. Now and again laist Saturday some of the batsmen raised the dust in making their strokes, and this is one of the signs that the turf is beginning to wear. The only remedy is water, and plenty of it—a heavy thunderstorm would do a world of good to the ground from the cricketer's standpoint, and I have no doubt the groundsman will heave a sigh of relief when he hears the raindrops pattering down. ',* * * * The Best Displays from the aggressive standpoint, were given by F. Joplin and li. Macintosh, of the University team. The former has not been doing too well this year, but he. gave a display in keeping with his reputation on Saturday. He went in third wicket down, and remained at the batting crease until the innings was ■concluded, during which period 178 runs were added to the score.

Things, however, were very quiet until ■Joplin was joined by Macintosh, and then the score went up by leaps and bounds. The fast bowler hit hard and often, using the drive mostly, the partnership adding 73 runs to the score. "Where Joplin gets his power from to make his shots surprises one at times, for in his stance at the wickets he crouches a lot, and appears to be all tangled up. But the drive has heaps of wood behind it every time, and the pull ■shot round in front of square-leg reaches the boundary with a regularity that is interesting. It is pleasing to see this promising - youngster getting runs, for, in his Wellington College days, he gave every appearance of reaching a high standard of excellence. * * * * The Old Boys started well in their endeavour to reach • the total set them by Bast the previous week —464—but they fell away towards the finish, the tail failing to wag even a little bit. Dan Hay and E. M. Beechey started, and 51 runs were on the board when the former left. Tucker joined Beechey, and 56 runs were added for ■the lather's wicket. Another 44 went on before Tucker was dismissed, and then things sagged until Wills and F. Beechey got together for the sixth wicket — 61 runs being the result of their partnership. And the end came with the total at 279, the last four wickets only managing 24 runs. « * # •» Two of the Veterans. The Old Boys who did best were old boys in deed and in truth —~K. H. Tucker and F. Beechey. _ The old Midlander gave an excellent display, making hisruns without the least appearance of effort. The square cut was made as well as it could be, and the balls coming «lown on the leg-Bide were punched very hard. All round the wicket Tucker's shots were of a good class.

Fred Beechey has been making a lot of runs this season in Wednesday cricket, but his 52 on this occasion was his best effort on behalf of the Old BoysHe kept himself well in hand all the

way, but when he did hit he hit very hard, although his last shot into the northerly wind had not enough power behind it to carry it across the boundary. lam hoping that the tidy score he put up on this occasion will bring Beechey right back into form. He could have got busier during the later stages of his innings, it seemed to me, for he had then a good sight of the ball.

Sam Wills had quite a nice innings, some hard and lofty drives being punctuated with good shots all round the wicket, the square cut being most in favour.

Norman Hales started in a hurry—his first ball he missed, and then he hit a four a,nd a six (double figures with two drives), but he did not stay long enough to please the crowd. There is a happy medium, and the Doctor is a good enough batsman to find it.

J. P. Blacklock to me shaped like a player not in form, although one of his swinging drives proved that there is plenty of power behind his arm. Probably it is in his effort to break down the bad luck that has come his way the last couple of years that makes the Old Boys captain appear not so comfortable at the wickets as he used to be in his best day. A return to the style he adopted when he first joined the Phoenix team might pay him at this stage — the hard straight drive every time and all the time.

Dan Hay and Ernest Beechey both had two strikes during the afternoon, and made their fair share of runs. This is hardly correct asi regards Beechey in the first innings, for out of 107 runs on the board when he was dismissed he had only scored 28. But at his second try he made the ball whizz along, especially with the straight drive. One shot, that seemed to swing right round with the bat before careening away to the five leg-boundary, deserves a special word of mention.

Of the other Old Boys that went to the. batting crease thei*e is very little to say. • Thomas shaped confidently, but played forward and inside off an offbreak. Comrie was palpably nervous, and did not do himself the least bit of justice. Maybe, the waiting about for his turn to take strike worries him. Harold Imsk, the Canterbury and Auckland representative, used to suffer this way, and had always to be sent in first. Probably Comrie would do better if sent in earlier, for, on his showing against North, he gave promise of being a decent batsman. Marris —for a boy of 17—has plenty of confidence, and Hindmarsh looked like many runs, but a misunderstanding between him and Martis as to whether a run was possible off a certain stroke ended the innings. * * * * Sid Dempsey, the captain _of the University team, opened the innings with Phil Broad last Saturday, and satisfied that he is a good -neiiing batsman. But, although there was plenty of defence in his batting, the fact that half his total of 38 consisted of singles proved that he was not in a very aggressive mood.

Arthur Birch, when he was at Wellington College and later with Old Boys, was a steady and reliable batsman. Since the introduction of the district scheme— and the consequent disbandment of the original Old' Boys, team —Birch has not risen to his former standard, his scores since then being on the small side. But in the second innings of his team against North on Saturdav he got fairly into his stride, surprising those around the picket fence with the power behind his strokes. Maybe this is the signal that Birch is coming back into his old-time form.

Duncan and Macintosh were the only other University batsmen to make any runs besides those I have mentioned. The latter made a very good showing for his opening strike, with iscores of 42 and 34. * * Out at Petone the Central fellows kept their grip of the game against the boys of the village, and won out with a goodly number of runs to spare. Bowles had bad luck in being dismissed when but 7 runs off the coveted century, and he deserved congratulations on being the highest scorer of the day. "Ranji"' Wilson came out of the game with a good bowling average, Bert Waugh, another coloured' gentleman who did good work in the old Gas Company team, helping considerably at the bowling crease. Of late years this little chap has been in Masterton, where he helped the game along considerably. On the Petone side, Brice, Rodgers. and Bold were the principal' scorers, the first two., with Finlayson and Aldersley, doing the best work with the ball. « * # * Results of the Matches.f^^ The following shows how the matches played the last two Saturdays resulted: North, 436 for nine wickets, innings declared closed: University, 225 (Joplin 80*, Macintosh 42, Dempsey 38, Birch 14, and Duncan 12) and 111 for three wickets (Birch 43*, Macintosh 34, Dickson 15). A two-point win for North. Bast, 464; Old Boys, 279 (Tucker 64, F. Beechey 52, Wills 38, E. M. Beechey 28, D. Hay 22, Blacklock 19, Hales 17) and 56 for one wickets (E. M. Beechey 41, D. Hay 15*). A two-point win for East. Central, 133 and 236 (Bowles 93, Naughton 25, Wilson 24, Dind 20, Paterson 17, McCardell 15); Petone, 100 and 147 (Bold 30, Brice 28, Rodgerß 21, Cate 18, Finlayson 16, Bennett 10). A three-point won for Central. •» , * * - * Bowling Figures; The bowlers who were successful in securing wickets were : —East: Hickey, two wickets for 26 runs; Gibbes, one for 70; Wetherall, one for 40; Nash, three for 63; Phillips, two for 47 ; Henderson, one for 2. No^th: Southall, three for 55; Hiddleston, two for 60; Harris, three for 47 and two for 34; Leydon, two for 26 and one for 8. Central: Wilson, five for 48; Waugh, three for 32; Robinson, two for 55. Petone: Brice, four for 52; Rodgers, two for 71; Finlayson, two for 29; Alder&ley, two for 21. * ■* * * Casual Notes The North team introduced two bowlers new to senior cricket last Saturday— to wit, Harris and Leydon. They both did fairly well for a first appearance. The former is well known to those of us who spend our leisure time at the Basin Reserve, for he has been a prominent figure in junior and Wednesday cricket for many years. Leydon is a Tinakoriroad boy not so well known on our main cricketing arena, but that is a failing he can make up for as time goes along. "The umpires should decide if there is sufficient time left to carry the game to a further issue after each side has com-

pleted an innings." Some fellows were inclined to argue this point with, me on Saturday, but there is such a rule in the Laws of Cricket. Of course, it refers to one-day matches, but it could be made applicable to matches under the Wellington Cricket Association, which, although called two-day matches by courtesy, are only two half-day games in reality. * * * * How the Teams Stand. So as to enable the readers of this column to follow better the position of the various teams, I have compiled a table in a. different manner this week. In studying it, it must be remembered that three-point matches count three to the team that wins and three against the side that loses, and similarly with two-point matches. The position to date is as follows, the defeat of Petone by Central last Saturday giving things a much more interesting appearance: — CD

Three-Point Two-Point £ $ Matches, Matches. £ o> C g, - * * c$ SS Won, Lost, Won. Lost, o Petone ... 4 2 1 1 0 5 North ...4 1 1 2 0 4, Central ... 4 2 0 0 2 2 East ... 4 11 1 1 0 Old Boys... 4 0 2 1 1 —6 University 4 0 2 1 2 —5