SPORTS AND PASTIMES

Free Lance, Volume XVII, Issue 916, 1 February 1918, Page 16

SPORTS AND PASTIMES

By Touchlim©.

Cricket.

PRIOR to the Auckland-Wellington representative match the Auckland papers had this statement: — "Canterbury defeated Otago, Wellington won from Canterbury; therefore this game between Auckland and Wellington is in reality to decide which is the champion province of New Zealand." And as Wellington has won— and won handsomely, too- —probably I may be pardoned in claiming the honour for Wellington of this season possessing the champion cricket team of the year. A review of the season may come later: what concerns me at this stage is the game played on Eden Park, Auckland, last Saturday and Monday. In the first place, the wicket was the worst one I have ever seen prepared for a representative match. It\was as hard as an asphalt pavement, and was full of ©racks, the match not proceeding very far before spots of varying sizes and dangerous character developed. I was told that the groundsman was not to blame —the Auckland Cricket Association was hard up, and had starved their official for the topdressing, necessary to make a decent surface. But a liberal supply of water might have helped a little. My complaints in this connection are made because the match, as> a real exhibition of cricket, was spoilt because of the wicket. The bad wicket favoured Wellington considerably more than Auckland, for the simple reason that they had no bowlers of the pace of Crawford and Brice. Therefore, probably a Wellington writer should not complain of conditions that helped towards the victory of his side. But with me the game is first and foremost, and good play ever has me rejoicing, and anything that tends in the other direction rubs me up the wrong way.

The figures of the match are are as follow :—Wellington, 308 (J. N. Crawford 110, W. A. Baker 85, H. B. Lusk 23, J. S. Hiddleston 14, C. G. Wilson 13, J. W. Oondliffe 11) and 5 for two wickets; Auckland, 218 (S. G. Smith 83*, T. Lowry 28, L. G. Hemus 23, N. C. Sneddon 14, F. A. Midlane 10) and 94 (C. C. Dacre 26, F. A. Midlane 17, T. Lowry 10). The successful bowlers were:—For Wellington: W. S. Brice, four wickets for 39 runs and five for 26; J. N. Crawford, 'five for 90 and five for 53; J. S. Hiddleston, one for 45. For Auckland: S. G. Smith, four for 75; H. Simpson, four for 73 and one for 0; F. S. Middleton, one for 45 and one for 5; C. C. Dacre, one for 15. # # # « The feature of the opening stages of the match was the fine bowling of J. N. Crawford for Wellington. He struck a beautiful length, and with an oblique wind his off-break went right across the wickets, tying the earner Auckland batsmen right up. At the tea adjournment the match appeared to be all over bar shouting, and the main theme of talk amongst the spectators was the fine display of bowling by the ex-Surrey man. Bub a welcome change came over the scene after tea from the Aucklander's standpoint. S. G. Smith, about whom I had heard a lot and wanted to see in action very much. saved Auckland's face. Three years ago this cricketer came from England for the benefit of his health and settled in the Northern city. He is in his prime.as a cricketer and for Northampton had headed the bowling averages before he left England. He is a left-hander both with bat and ball. * # * .» To resume the story : F. A. Midlane, -N. C. Sneddon, E. Horspool, and L. G. Hemus —some of Auckland's finest batsmen —had been dismissed for small contributions, and only the tail was left to make the game in any way interesting. Smith played with the full face of the bat against good bowling, and with an occasional fine straight drive got the boundary. He did not at ®any time take charge of the bowling, but gave an excellent display of batting. There were others, it is true, r but the outstanding feature of the Aucklanders' first innings was Smith's straight drive. A lad that helped him a lot was T. Lowry, an ex-Christ's ' College boy, who is a son of Hawke's Bay's "Desei't Gold" Lowry. The young fellow, who is learning to fly at the Kohimarama Flying School, jumped right into the bowling and hit it pretty hard.

Young Cecil Dacre. Auckland's schoolboy champion, struck one of Crawford's best right at the start. Maybe I shall get some pleasure from his batting in the second innings. N. C. Sneddon looked like making a lot of runs, getting away a couple of sweet cuts past point. But, generally, the Auckland innings had little in it outside of Smith and Lowry. Hemus made a fair tally, but "Chum" was never really certain, and is a long way from the batsman he was. W. S. Baice, the Wellington captain, howled Crawford to a standstill. The Englishman kept on one end, going for fully three hours and a-half. He went to tea with five wickets for 30 runs, and another 60 runs were scored off his bowling without another wicket falling to his credit. This statement tells its own story. Brice himself bowled excellently, swinging with a lot of pace and keeping very low. Hiddleston and Tucker did not trouble the batsmen much, and having said this I have told all there is to tell about the Auckland innings and its side issues. e> o o o Wellington started the second day with 27 runs on the board and all their wickets in hand. Things went badly for a start, C. G. Wilson and J. S. Hiddleston both being out with but one run added to the score. A. Dind and H. B. L.usk carried the score to 39, and then the former left. W. A. Baker joined up with the soldier man, and things went along nicely till the total reaiehed 70, liusk in the meantime, driving the Englishman's bowling right across the ropes. But just as he had played himself in a swinging ball from Middleton, an ex-Sydney player, hit Lusk hard on the pads and rebounded into his wickets. J. N. Crawford then came in in his usual business-like style, and settled -down to turn the fortunes of the game. Right up to lunch-time Baker and he played quietly, and were still there when the adjournment was taken. Both had! had/ a bit of luck in the meantime, the East man. particularly so, but the fact remains they were still there with the total at 156. After the interim Crawford gave an excellent display of hitting, the best easily he has given since taking up his duties as a soldier. One shot lives in the memory—a. drive that swung off the bat with a fine, wristy stroke over the head of cover point in amongst the people sitting on the stand. The hook round in front of square-leg skimmed to the boundary t the straight drive and out had a lot of wood behind them, and altogether right round the wicket the Englishman placed the ball with fine cricket strokes. The Aucklanders asked for Crawford to be included in the Wellington team, and he thoroughly satisfied them with a century-score of the best Wiri Baker's batting suffered in comparison with Crawford's, but he was busier than is his wont, jumping into the bowling and altogether dis-

carding his forward stroke that- pops the ball up in the air. Just on three o'clock the partnership of 191 runs was dissolved, and things swang the way of the Aucklanders, for 47 run s later the innings was over and done with. * * - * * An inspection of the wicket at this stage convinced that . the Auckland batsmen were in for a bad time. There were pieces cut off the surface here and there and spots in plenty. The story is soon told, Crawford and Brice bowled at their top pace, both keeping a fine length. The most of the runs that were made in the opening stages came off Crawford's bowling, mainly by snicks to leg, although Hemus looked like getting busy with a drive and a pull to the boundary. But Brice was deadly. His first six overs only produced one run, the three wickets that fell from the thirty-six balls being those of L. G-. Hemus, JST. C. Sneddon, and S. G. Smith, probably the strongest batting trio on. the side. F. A. Midlane and C. C. Dacre kept the bowlers at bay for some time, but the end was not long in coming. Each bowler got five wickets, Hiddleston catching two at fine leg, one being an excellent catch by a man in a difficult position anticipating the stroke. «• * «• 9 This is but a casual chat on the game. There are many other thoughts arising out of it that I would like to refer to, but they can remain in abeyance till next week, when I hope to return to my subject. It is a match that deserves more than a casual chat.