Cricket.

Free Lance, Volume XVI, Issue 868, 23 February 1917, Page 19

Cricket.

A Dali Day. f¥lHlD play in the matches at the Basin Reserve last Saturday was dull in comparison with the previous week. And it is hard to account for the difference, because the conditions' were almost similar both afternoons. As it was, in a majority of cases the batsmen failed to rise to the standard that was anticipated, and in consequence the bowlei s had the- better of the deal. - This was especially so in The North v. East Match. North the previous week had aggregated 395 runs for their innings, and the East started off - with the . whole afternoon in front of them either to make a similar total or else to keep their wickets up till the end of the day. Disaster, however, came their" way very early. W. R. Gibbes and W. A., Baker were, as -usual, the opening batsmen, but with only two runs on the board Gibbes was caught off a sharp snick on the leg-side by - A. Patersori, the North wicketkeeper. F. A. Midlane joined up with Baker, but the • latter was uncomfortable all thetime to C. W. Robinson, who was bowling very fast down the wind in-the early, stages of'the innings'. With , tlie score at 26. Baker patted a "ball back to the bowler, and East's hopes went down almost to zero. J. W. Condliffe next partnered the East' captain, and: still there was a chance of the Easterners making a decent showing. "Both started batting confidently and well, the score went along nicely to ,59, when a series of disasters happened. A unanimous appeal for a catch at the' wickets by Patersoh off Robinson's bowling was

answered in the affirmative by the umpire, and Condliffe retired.. -- S •& A Humorous Interlude. •J. Hutchings, ever a humourist, then went in to the batting crease. The North wicketkeeper was standing deep to Robinson's egresses, and Jack took ' centre a yard out of his batting crease. • It was probably a good move on his part V if lie had persisted in it, but Paterson, the wicketkceper, to counteract it, moved up close, and Hutchings took a fresh centre—this time inside the batting crease. Thxm Robinson essayed to bowl,' but the batsman was not quite satisfied with things, and he moved out of his crease to pat down the surface of the wicket a few yards out. All. quite legitimate, o£ course. . Then with the remark, ' 'Are yoit ready. - Robbie ?" he took strike. E. "SVindley was fielding at silly point, and . as he calmly caught the ball off a for- * ward push from Hutching's bat the laugli that went'.up. was excusable, but did not worry the East batsman, who has been inclined to the unorthodox ever since he was the "Pup" of the Midland team in the good old days of club cricket. To My Story. I know Jack will excuse .me telling the whole -tale of this interlude, for it . was one of the happenings on Saturday afternoon. To complete the discomfi- . ture of the East team, Midlane was dismissed by a clinking off-break from Hiddleston's end with. the score still at 59. As the tally then read 59^—5 —32, all hopes of the East team saving the two-points' defeat were gone .by __the board; and prospects of a three-point win by North were looming up large. A. Dind, F. "Walters, and K. Osborne • all helped the score along a little bit, but with 98 runs on the board eight wickets, had fallen. At this ; . stage J. Nash and F. S. Hylton became associated for what was tlie last wicket— the younger Hutchings being absent- — and An Unexpected Stand happened, a very gratifying one to the East team, and one which may have, prevented the North fellows gaining the three-point win. I put it-this way advisedly, for the reason that I am . satisfied that Fred Midlane and his ' team did not show their true form in the first innings, and, even if this pair had been dismissed earlier than they

were, East could have held the fort safely in their second • try. However, that is all in the region of the may-be. What did happen was that Jack Nash, ever a hard wicket to "get when he is in the humour, was ably assisted by Stace Hylton, and, despite changes of bowling, they kept their ends up and the runs mounting until 169 appeared on the sheet—7l for the., wicket- —at which stage Hylton- was well 'caught in the deep field by W. Wagstaife. ■..-. * * * * The Follow-On. J. Nash and W. Gibbes opened East's second innings, and things went ■'•■much better with the side, so much'so. that when "stumps were drawn at halfpast six tlie total was 161 for three wickets, Midlane. and Gibbes adding 84 runs to the total without being separated. So that North had to be content with the two-paint win? ."■'.#; •'- •'*'"".•■■ Statistics of the Game. North', 395; East, 169- (Nash 46*, Midlane 32, Hylton 24 v Dind 19, Condliffe 18), and 161 for 'three wickets (Gibbes 67* Midlane 48*, Nash " 20, Condliffe 17). A remarkable thing happened in Condliffe's second innings. An almost unanimous appeal for a catch at the wickets was given in the batsman's favour, but Robinson made no mistake with the" next ball, as he "hit the off-wicket very hard. By the way, what an asset C. W. Robinson's bowling was to the North team on Saturday, and, incidentally, confirms a previous opinion'that T have expressed, to wit,, that pur batsmen in general do not relish fast bowling. As -■ long as -he lengthy, fellow kept up his pace the majority of the East men drew. away" from his deliveries. .But the value of Robinson's bowling to the North team lam drawing attention to more particularly just now, and ■-the'_referex>.se is a propos for the reason that it is the ; first match that -.the ex-Central man has played in this season. During the afternoon " twelve East wickets fell for 309 runs off the bat, and Robinson's share was seven wickets for 75 runs, the other successful bowlers being—J.. S. Hiddleston, -two for: 51; E. Windley, one for 30; and A. R. Barker, two for 15. These latter figures refer only to the first innings, and. besides .them 138 runs were scored without a wicket falling to the ' credit of the bowlers who took a turn at the-crease. This paragraph indicates that" Robinson's bowling was a big factor . towards the stiocess.of the North team. - ■B _•• ■& ■ «■ © - Old- Boys v. Petone. .This" match wont along- nice and quietlv on -the No. 2 wicket. On the first day Gl<l Boys had totalled 252, the Petone response being 88 for four wickets. Good old reliable Alf. - Cate—that's what -we used to call-Claude Hickson in the old Midland days, but T think Petone's wicketkeeper. is entitled to the name these days— : kept his end going while the others came and went. and. he was the last man dismissed on the side with the score at 216. within measurable distance of the/- total set the lads from the villajse. To tell the tale: With only two"runs' -added to the over-week total, H. Nicholls was clean bowled by B. Mams. W.- SBrice joined Cate. and with Petone's stand-bys together, hopes were entertained that the game would develop interestingly. But the long fellow,-though shaping well on the drive especially, appeared to me to be ' too eager to make runs. A hit to long-on was obligingly dropped by the fieldsman, but this did not steady him, for shortly afterwards he was caught in almost the same place by the lad who had dropped -■ the catch a few minutes before. However, 48 runs had been added to the score for the . wicket, 138—6 —24 reading satisfactorily even from. Petone's standpoint. E. Smyrke arid Cate next entered on the best partnership of the innings', and when was: adjudged l.b.w. to Beeehey's .bowling, the total had reach 197. But that was the end of Petone, and, the innings - closed for 216,' the principal \ scorers being—W. A. Cate 51, E. Smyrke 32, ' W. S. Brice 24, A. Bennett 21, H. Nicholls. 21, J. Rodgers 10/ "Mr." Extras assisting with- a more than useful contribution. of .46. . The Old Boys went in for a second. strike, and with eight wickets down applied the closure. That is how the score-book has it, and I am prepared to accept the statement ._ It was about a-quarter to six at this- stage, - and stumps were drawn, Petone not being eager. to fill in the balance-of the time with no other possible result- than had been arrived at. The Old Boys' total was 151 (H. JDambert 59. F. Morton 26, A. Ronaldson 25, B. Ma'rris 11*). The bowlers' tallies on Saturday's play in this match were:—Old Boys: B. Marris. six wickets for 86 runs; H. Lambert, two for 48; E. M. Beeehey, two for 25. Petone: W. S-- Brice, one for 34; A. Bennett, six for 54; J. Rodgers, one for 31.

ißoys ? Instijnte Old Boys y. Hutt. On. the Lower _Hutt ground these" teams .--.had a quiet little game amongst' themselves; the HuttciuaJifyirig in tHe itontest for tliQ wooden, spoon; with -University,. the institute Boys getting i. up a step with a three-point win. The tallies were: —Hutt, 107 and 124 (W. -'■ - Bock 29,. W. Hughes 23, J. Baurnber ; 18*.. W. A. Aldersley, 16)-Institute Old i Boys, 137 and" 90 for five., wickets (A. ■ Reid 23, E. Guise 20, J. Twomey 16, r W. Garrod 13*). Bowling figures:-~Xn-tstitute: Wy Garrod, four- for 34; -A. Reid, one for 44; J: Twoniey. four for 26. ' Hutt: ]\V. A. Aldersley, one. for 20; J. Patton, two for 20; J. Baiimber, two for 12. How the Teams Stand. With the defeat of East-', by North last Saturday the championship table lias "undergone a considerable change. This is how the teams stand now : — , " b Three Point Two Point .Jg"g Matches. • giri SS Won. Lost. Won. Lost. g§ East ... 6 5 0 6 1 13 " North ... 6 4 0 1 112 Old Boys ... 6 3 1 2 010 Petone ... 6 3 2, 0 11 Trentham 6' ' 2 4 0 o—6 Institute 0.8. 6 14 10—7 University 6 1 3 0* 2 —10 IHutt ... 6 .1 5 0 o—l2

The Trentham. . team having withdrawn from thechampionship, threepoints' win are recorded, to. the teams who have'not yet met them in the first round of the senior, championship. * ® -. ,«■ -- ' . o With the matches commencing , this week-end the first round will be- completed.- "When they are won and \ lost the . four leading teams will be drawn against one another, the two winners 7 to pl&y ; each other, > the losers" doing, likewise. The'other teams in the competition will be drawn in the ordinary 'way.* These will hot be in the nature of semi-final, and final matches, championship points scored in them being added to those obtained in the preceding matches, the team with the highest number of points to its credit after" these two sets of games are played to be the champion one for tin 1916-17 season. • . .. . , ■