CRICKET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15548, 4 March 1914, Page 6

CRICKET.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The semi-final stage of the senior championship has now been reached, and if Edien A defeat Waitemata on Saturday, and Ponsonby beats Grafton, Eden A must win the championship. Weather conditions were all that could be desired on Saturday, but the wickets were not as good as usual, the bowlers at Eden Park and Victoria Park being able to get considerable*" work " on.

The meeting between Eden A, the present leaders for the championship, and Waitemata, the promoted juniors who have played so creditably during their initial season in senior cricket, was awaited with much interest. However, the present position of the match does not leave much room for doubt as to the result, as Eden appear to hold the issue safe.

L. Taylor got most, of the Waitemata wickets, though at one stage he sent down some very loose stuff, some were full tosses, while others were of very short length. C. Moller (32) contributed the most sound innings, though Satchell 4 (22) also played attractively. Moller gave one chance to square leg off a full toss from Taylor, but Hemus did not accept it. The big man is a safe bat, but on Saturday he did not appear to bo making the most of his chances. He has an extraordinary Teach and plays every ball with marked ease. In playing forward to a deceptive ball from Taylor, however, he was smartly 6tumped by Buckley. D. Mayall was a particularly successful bat last season, but he does :aot seem to have yet found his form in senior cricket. His 19 (not out) on Saturday, however, was full of promise. Near the end of the play he was missed by Taylor in the slips. Hemus and Taylor opened for Eden to the attack of C. Moller and Arblaster. Both batsman settled down comfortably to the bowling, but at seven the Eden captain was unfortunate in playing a rising ball from Moller on to his wickets. Brooke-Smith joined Taylor and from then on the bowling presented no terrors. Brooke-Smith did not seem particularly anxious to get runs, but nevertheless his score of 34 (not out) included three sixes. The first one was off a full toss from AJblaster and landed in the eastern pavilion; the second was hit off Moller and was caught, not by ft fielder but by the palings in front of the pavilion, between the top of which tie ball stuck fast; and the third, off the same bowler, landed just inside the eastern fence, and bounded out into the road. Waitemata's bowling should have been changed earlier. The redeeming feature of Grafton's innings against Ponsonby was the batting of W. Horspool and the veteran, D. Hay, who put up a good partnership, which yielded 68. Horspool can generally be relied on to get runs, and his score of 60 was made by first-class play. In Kavanagh's opening over, before a single run had been scored, Sloman hit one straight back to the boiler. MacCormick was a long time getting his 12 runs, and while he was getting singles, the younger Horspool was hitting boundary after boundary. Hay batted brightly for half an hour, 28 out of his score of 38 being made by boundary hits. F. Horspool, L. Hill, Murdock, and Harvey were all disposed of very cheaply, but Haresnape contributed a useful 36.

3owling for Ponsonby, Kavanagh and N. C. Sneddon were responsible for most of the damage, but tho drying pitch no doubt aided them a good deal. The Sneddon brother?, opening for Ponsonby. soon had the bowling mastered, and put on 131 in less than an hour. Strokes all round the wicket were executed with precision, and boundaries were registered by almost every second hit. N. C. Sneddon (641 played in true representative form, and his brother, C. A. Sneddon (63), gave almost as good a display. Woods and Worker played out time, the former hitting fonr consecutive fours. Ponsonby appear to have the game well in hand.

North Shore had to call on the lower grade teams to fill vacancies, but nevertheless were able to successfully hold Parnell. Fine form with the bat was shown by C. Dacre, Wallace, Prime, and Howie, and as a result of their fine efforts, the marine suburb's team should notch at least two more points. Eden B had all the best of it in the match against University, and unless the unexpected happens, 'Varsity will lose two points pn Saturday. Eden's success on Saturday was thoroughly deserved, and no one will cavill if Captain Beale's men Score another win-

Buckley's work behind the wickets for Eden A has been first-class this year. He has played only four matches, but on four occasions he kept right through an innings without allowing a single extra. In the team's last match against Grafton there was not one extra against him in the two innings, although 404 runs were scored. He has caught six men and stumped three this season besides assisting to run out half a dozen batsmen. The excellence of his work might be more apparent if the fact is considered that out of 1736 balls delivered whilst he was behind the sticks only 10 were allowed to pass him. These 10 balls represented 27 extras, and the total runs scored by Eden's opponents whilst these extras were accumulating were 1240. Buckley has been playing in Auckland for years, and it seems strange that he has not achieved representative honours, as his form this year is certainly much above the standard of the Auckland representative wicketkeeping of the last few years.

Two teams in the Wednesday competition are level for premiership honours. Post and Telegraph have played seven matches, winning four, losing one, and drawing three, while Tramways have won four of the six games played, one being drawn, and one lost. The teams meet at Victoria Park to-day, and the game will probably decide the championship. The two remaining teams in the competition, Bakers and Karangahape, have scored nine and three points respectively.

Young Ces. Dacre, the Devonport schoolboy, has a very fine record this season. To date he has scored no fewer than 1215 runs in school and grade cricket, Iris average being well over 60. On Saturday, he played for the Shore seniors, and made top score, his innings of 72 being one of the finest efforts of the season. Dacre's best scores during the season were 123 not out, 147, 102 r±pt out, 97, 83, 72, 65, and 69. He has also been successful with the ball, his best performance being five wickets for one run in a school game on Saturday. With Rykers, • another promising lad, he dismissed Remuera for three runs. Rykers took four wickets for two runs.

The five thousand odd spectators at Lancaster Park on Saturday afternoon saw Trumper, the great Australian batsman, absolutely at his best, and his brilliant innings for 293 will be talked of in Christchurch, writes our own correspondent, for many years to come. Trumper scored almost wherever and whenever he liked, his favourite shots being drives both on the off and on, and square and late cuts. Wheu he had passed the century the spectators were treated to an exhibition of delightfully free and forceful batting such as one rarely has the good fortune to witness. Rounds upon rounds of applause greeted his strokes. Bennett was the only bowler to give him anything like trouble. The " wizard " reached his double cent Airy in 131 minutes, after just failing to lift Bennett out of the ground, the ball landing on the picket fence. Trumper and Sims had been associated for a considerable time, -and the former was doing practically what he liked with the bowling. Sections of the crowd—crowds will always find monotony in something—began to call out humorously \o Reese to " give Boxshall a bowl." " put Boxie on." and "ring off, Trumper," "chuck it up, Trumper." (Trumper's brilliant innings closed just seven short of the third century. He hit out at Bennett and skied the ball to Sandman .at point. The crowd rose as one man to greet the great batsman as he returned to the pavilion. Ernest Jones, the famous fast bowler of Australia, plays for the Lumpers' C.C. in the West. Against South Fremantle a few weeks ago he took nine wicketa for 17 runs (the other man being absent). The West Australian correspondent of the Referee writes, that "Jones clean-bowled

all nine wickets. He is'not the express bowler he was in his best days, but occasionally strikes something like his best form." SUBURBAN ASSOCIATION NOTES. Railway made 188 for the loss of two wickets against Remuera in the A grade competition on Saturday. Batting for Railway Seager made 77 (retired) by rigorous hitting, his off drives, being a treat to watch. Lynch compiled 56 not out, punishing anything off the wicket, while Martin ran up 21 in quick time. Remuera, batting two short, made 100 runs, Robinson making nearly half the runs. Ho hit hard and often, nearly, all his runs being boundary hits. Thompson played a steady innings for 16, but would do better if he would put more power behind his strokes. Baverstock was the only other batsman to trouble the bowling, making 12 not out. Daly secured the best bowling average for Railway, getting'four wickets for 28 runs. In the B grade Gas Company made 118 runs. Lang 37, Baker 19. Stanley 16, and Levin 15, batted well. Remuera fared badly in their first innings, only reaching 39 runs, of which MacCormack made 23. In their second innings they did much better, MacCormack again batting splendidly for his 47 runs, his timing and placing being very good. ' Pollard was also in good form with the bat, hitting up 55 run* in quick time. Gas Company secured a two-point win on the first innings. Plasterers created quite a surprise by lowering Railway's colours. Railway's first innings closed for 22 runs and their second innings for .48. Plasterers first innings realised 29 runs and in the second innings they lost three wickets for 55. E. Farmer hit out in great style for 21 not out, and Spray played a very useful innings for 12 not out. Plasterers batted four short. For Plasterers C. S. Craig, behind the sticks, stumped three and caught two, aWery creditable performance for a lad- of 15 years. Brotherhood won from Onehunga after a game that was rather onesided. For Brotherhood Turnbull 25, Seed 32, Bradley 29, Cole 14 riot out, Jeffs 13 not out, batted best. Bowling for Onehunga, Brennan. seven for 18, bowled well, and for Brotherhood Seed and Jackson divided the bowling honours, the former securing five wickets for 7 runs, and the latter five for 8. Brotherhood won by 129 runs on the first innings—a two-point win. Fielding, particularly catching, is a great weakness in many of the B grade teams, and a little practice in this branch, even if it is for a few minutes each practice night, would do a great deal of good. Several matches have been lost owing entirely to slackness in the field. THE AUSTRALIANS' TOUR. MATCH AGAINST SOUTH CANTERBURY. HOME TEAM MAKES 180. [BY TELEGRAPH.PRESS ASSOCIATION.] TaiAXu, Tuesday. The Australian cricket team (Armstrong, Sims, and Waddy standing out) opened at 1 p.m. the match against a South Canterbury fifteeen at Temuka. The weather was ideal, and the visitors said that the wicket was the fastest they had played on in New Zealand. South Canterbury won the toss, and elected to bat. The best stand was made by T. W. and J. Lynch, father and son, who carried the score from 58 to 90. J. Lynch played beautiful cricket for 41, giving no chances. T. W. Cave played vigorously for 21, including four fours, and W. Thomas scored the one sixer of the day, lifting one from Noble outside the ground. Generally,. South Canterbury's batting was considered creditable, seven men getting double figures. T?!e' innings lasted two and a-half hours, and the century was made in lOOmins. The Australian innings cpened unpropitiously, Dolling and Laver falling to Rix, the ex-Chnstchurch cricketer. Collins and McGregor then took the score from 16 to 117 for three wickets. McGregor (not out 45) was. lucky, giving a number of chances of catches and stumping. The Australians appealed against the light, and stumps were drawn early, at 5.45 p.m. Scores: SOUTH CANTERBURY.-First Innings. Cave, b McKenzie*... ... ... 21 Hudson, b McKenzie ... ... 8 Donohue, b McKenzie ... ... 0 J. Lynch, b Noble ... ... ... 41 Heron, b Laver ... ... ... 11 Rix, c Noble, b Laver ... ... 5 Temple, c McKenzie, b Collins ... 13 T. W. Lynch, b Noble 19 S. O'Calaghan, b Crawford ... ... 19 Houlihan, c Laver, b Noble... ... 2 Dewar, b Crawford... ... ... 0 Thomas, b Noble ... ... ... 23 Ferguson, b Crawford ... ... 4 Brosnahan, c and b Noble... ... 4 O'Callaghan, not out ... ... 0 "Extras ... ... ... 10 Total ... ... ... ... 180 Bowling Analysis: McKenzie took three wickets for 35 runs; Laver, two for 32 Collins, one for 28 Mailey, none for 18; Noble, five for 41; Crawford, three for 16. AUSTRALIA.—First Innings. Collins, b Houlihan... ... ... 29 Dolling, lbw, b Rix ... ... U Laver, b Rix ... ... ... 4 McGregor, not out ... ... ... 45 Cody, not out ... ... ... ,q ' Extras ... ... ... 10 Total for three wickets... ... 117 Bowling Analysis: O'Callaghan took no wickets for 36 runs; Rix, two for 37; Houlihan, one for 20; Brosnahan, none for 12; Donohue, none for 2.