Cricket.

Free Lance, Volume XIX, Issue 1028, 10 March 1920, Page 29

Cricket.

HP HE game of cricket, was played in -E- Wellington, last Saturday afternoon under the ha.ppiest of circumstances—a beautiful afternoon, fine wickets, and interested spectators. \We are a casual lot in Wellington, all right. The laws of cricket provide that the wickets cannot be changed during the progress of a match. Yet. a game is shifted from one ground to another, and nobody worries. Thus the Thorndon-Old Boys game, which was commenced on Kelburri Park a fortnight ago, was : completed' .* at,: ;fche Basin Reserve on Saturday; ' ThorntUm had first strike, and when, stumps 'were drawn at Kelburn Park the. position of the game was: Thorndon 236; Old Boys, 55 for one wicket. The resumption found the Thorndonites. eager -for the win, but they sadly mibsed T; Plant at the bowling crease. The. left-hander, for a good and sufficient was not playing in this game. For a while it lQoked as if the ex-Collegians; were going to have a job to get the: runs, but gradually they wore dotwh the bowling; and the partnership of Ronaldson . and Barclay for the sixth wicket settled the chances of the players from the northern end. of the, city. As a matter of fact, .this pair put 138 runs on. the board while they were together. The concluding stages of the Old Boys innings were remarkable'for a trio of fine catches on the edge of the boundary straight over the bowler's. head by C. Moore, the captain %of the Thorndoh team.- The three * catches, disposing of Ronaldson, Barclay, and Lambert, were well judged and caught without a juggle.. Old Boys secured the two-point win, theii* tally reaching the good total of 335 (Barclay 108, lionaldrson 63, Duncan 59, Tucker. 31, Binnie 18). ■ ■ • * * • * i * ;■> \-'- ■ Petone had a comfortable three-point win : over -North on. their , own ground, •the respective : tallies, being : . - Petone, 2M (Donoghue 51, Gedye 36, M. Nicholls 25, Bruce 24, Coles 21*; Fanning: 21, H. E. Nicholls 19); North, 101 and 103 (Ryap 53, W. H. Wilson 12).

East and Hutt' had ah interesting game on the Low&r Hutt Recreation Ground, the town team managing the two-point win. . -The scores of the game \yere : East, ' ;102. t and 94 for.; five kets ? (Dind 26, Hutehings 25*, "Watson 17); Hutt, 79 and 205 (Tollett 42, Aldersley. 29, Martin 39Judd 19, Lahgford 18, Hughes 13, Lusty 12*).

* * -- * -x- ... . Successful bowlers were : -—Petone : Bruce, five wickets for 50 ruiis; ; Finlayson, four, for 18. Northßobinson, three for 59; A. "Wilson, one for >57; Ryan, four for 78; Middleton, one for 30. •; East: McGirr, three for 64; Hutchings, three for 30; Dind, two for 20 ; Patrick, one for 4. Hutt : Tulletty two for 11; Lusty, one for 3; Judd, one for 33. Thorndon: Phillips, three for 76; Martin, five for 43; Warne' two for "44. " ' ■ , * * *- X- ' ' ' With two more matches yet to be played the following is the position of the teams in the contest for the senior championship:— . ;"Three-point Two-point. . Matches Matches Matches Dwn. Chmp Team Played- Won Lost Won Lost Games Pis. East 8 2 0 4 1 I 12 Petone 8 4 0 1 - 2 110 Old Boys 8 1 1 4 1 1 6 North 8 3 1 0 3 10 Hutt 8 : 1 4 12 0 —11 Thorndon 0- 5 1,2 0 —17 '-k- * * • • * The outstanding feature of the cricket at the Basin Reserve on Saturday was the "century-score of 108 by Walter Barclay, of the Old Boys team. This youth was last year captain of the Wellington College eleven, and credited himself with many fine scores in matches played by the College boys. This was his first appearance as a senior player, and in 'scoring a century in his opening try has done what nobody else had done previously in . the playing of cricket in Wellington. . Walter Barclay Is not a native of the Empire City, although he came here with his parents fifteen years ago. His father, by the way, is on the head office staff of the Sew Zealand railways. The youngster has a nice stance at the wickets, and although at times on Saturday he was a bit alow in

making his runs, at others he opened out in good style, especially to the drive and cover shot. Barclay should improve with, experience in senior cricket, which probably is hardly the thing to say when •he starts off with - a century of runs. What I mean is that his method of getting the runs will be more in keeping with his possibilities. *• . ■ *• aI intended to refer last week to "the passing of William. Quee," the old-time Midlander, but didlnot do so. As a member of the Vivian team in the third-class championship " Billy" Quee made a lot of good / scores', and when he joined the Midland Club he livas given a place in that club's senior team., He soon made his presence.- felt as a batsman of more than ordinary ability, and his dismissal was always welcomed by his opponents: He waa first chosen as a Wellington representative player in the 1901-1902 season, his figures in cup matches that year reading: No. of innings,' 8; times not out, 0 j highest score, 174; total .runs, 351; average 43.87 • the only ones above him. in the list of batting averages' that' year being C- A. Richardson (66.50) and. F. A. Midlane (57.00). "Billy"; Quee was also a Rugby footballer, and twenty years ago was one of. the strong three-quarters in' the Poneke junior team, , He was' chosen to. play full-back for the senior team on a couple of occasions, potting a goal in one; game that helped to bring victory to the, "red and blacks." In the last game he played in Quee had the bad luck to,break his leg, and this' stopped his athletic career for the time being. Of recent years "Billy" Quee found city life not to his liking, and he tried the simple life* on a farm to his -ad-, vantage :in more ways than one.> He was for a long time stationed at Qrongorongo, and about eighteen months ago he went, oil to a dairy farm in the TaranaM province. His passing away at Hawera was keenly regretted by his many friends, and I felt' it as much as anyone, for "JBilly" Quee was one of the good friends I. have made in athletic. circles in Wellington. May the earth' lie lightly on him.

A question has teen, asked, therefore this' remark v It is the intention of the Cricket Association next season to play-only one. match—a senior gameon the Basin Reserve each Saturday. It is hoped by n't his means to improve the playing of the game locally, and at. the same time to provide better , entertainment for the public. It is worth a trial, and if I am ' any; ~ judge it "will be appreciated by both players and spectators.

H. E. Burton, the Norfh Club and Wellington 1 representative batsman, has gone on a holiday that is likely vix* extend till after the end of the cricket season.. A motor trip to Napier, Rotorua, Auckland; and other places is on his itinerary, as well as a jaunt across the Tasman Sea before he settles down to the humdrum of business life once again. • Some of our local batsmen dig email graves when making their in taking centre. W. G. Gr ice used to mark his . centre with a.l ail, but J. Worrall, theold : • Ausfcrali F.evtL man, went one better—lie carried a bit of chalk for the purpose. Some of our ; players could adopt this idea with advantage—it would ) help to lighten the work of the groundsman.