CRICKET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18664, 21 March 1924, Page 12

CRICKET.

• ■■■ ■'■: •■■■•. NEW SOUTH WALES TEAM.

MATCH OPENS TO-DAY.

THE AUCKLAND ELEVEN.

The final match of f the New South Wales cricket team's tour of New Zealand will be commenced this afternoon against the Auckland representative eleven. The members of tho New South Wales team will arrive this morning by the Main/Trunk express. They will be met by the officials of the Auckland Cricket Association, who will escort them to the Star Hotel, where they will be accommodated. The match starts at 2 p.m., and play will continue until 6 p.m., when stumps will bo drawn for the day. Some information regarding the eleven chosen to represent Auckland and the three reserve men, are given below. Sidney Gordon Smith was born in the West Indies in 1881. In ISO 6he was a member of the West Indies team which visited England, and proved himself the best all-round man on the »ide, made two centuries and took 66 wickets. Remaining in England, he played for North Hampshire in 1908 against the Philadelphians, and his good all-round cricket mainly tontributed to his aide's victory, his share being nine wickets for 67 runs, and an innings of 76 riot out. From 1909 till 1914 he played regularly for Northants, for which county he was the first batsman to score 1000 runs in a season, which he did in 1910, including an innings of 204 against Gloucestershire, ■which was another record for his county. Thanks very largely to Smith's all-round cricket, Northants finished second to, and very little below, Yorks in the county championship in 1912. In 1913 and 1914 he was captain of Northants, and had two very successful seasons, both in bowling . and batting, in the former season scoring 1300 runs and taking 100 wickets in county matches, and in the latter 1193 runs (average 41.13) and 99 wickets, at a cost of 16.63 each. He played for the Gentlemen v. Players in 1909 (five wickets for 40), in 1913 ■"'•", when he scored 65, and in 1914, when he had a big share in the . victory; of the Gentlemen by ... scoring '■ 52 and 50. Smith was a very -versatile batsman, able to play brilliant or cautious cricket, as the occasion or state of the wicket demanded. Left-handed, (both in batting and bowling, he is a Very individual cricketer, quick to seize any chance of scoring with the bat, and in bowling he combines with bis spin remarkable accuracy of length. In 1914 he was considered one of the five best cricketers of the-year in England. '" .R. '■ W. Rountree was born in Yorkshire 40 years ago, and had be stayed there it is more than probable that he would ■ have; iept : wicket for lis county. . His '■■"■ keeping " is worth going" a long way to see, for besides his good stumping and catching, he is remarkable for the few byes he allows. He is a very hardhitting' batsman, and when he remembers \tb»t he also has defence and quite, a variety of strokes, he is likely ; to col- : lect a.good number of runs against any '..}■ bowling. .''. A. Anthony, from Canterbury, has seen ■'• ■ 38 summers, and during most of them has been busy scoring runs. He has , represented -Canterbury and made some good scores for that province, but'for" the last 14 years he has resided in Auckland, and been & very valuable member of the Auckland eleven on many occasions. ': He is one of the soundest and most consistent "batsmen in New Zealand to-day, is a good, safe, hard-working fieldsman, and a slow bowler . who bowls with , judgment " and effect. * " W. J. Cpates is 34 vears old and always looking'ffor work. He is the fastest of | our bowlers, and can keen going; for a long time without oerceptiblv tiring. He i is a very keen and useful .fieldsman, but j is not as good in the batting department as in the other two. Albeit he cm hit. N. C. Snedden (Captain)' has been : a ■" representative since 1910, when lie was I 18 years old, and from the first showed ; i class both in batting and bowling. He | has put up many good performances, botli as a batsman and bowl?r,- and- was one of the most successful .members of the New Zealand team which toured Australia in 1913-1914. Though not in his very best form this season, he is : very likfllv to get rum and wickets. His Batting is very forceful and , attractive, and his fielding is safe, , < A. S. Player, "who is 30. bowls nehtband and bats left. His good-length, medinm-paced bowlinr has been very ser- . viceable to the Auckland eleven in the past, ar>d will be again. As a batsman he is to score at any time, as be Biilrcs i— of his reach and hitting power. Ivan W. Cooper, aged 28, is a most ■useful all-round player with the Tight • temperament for bie cricket, in which, so far, he has not had much opportunity. He is a sound ■■■ riarht-handed batsman. with plenty of forceful shots on both sides of the wicket, and he bowls a variety of slow balls which require playing. His fielding is sound and safe. ■ .... C. F. W. Allcott, aged 27, is another good all-rounder, who both; bats and bowls left-handed. , On his day his medium-paced bowling is very destructive, and he has been successful agams* batsmen of class from afar. He hails from Marlborough;' South Island. ■,'.' ;}, C. C."Bacre is 24, and had a wonderful season when 15 years old, making over 2000 runs, and capping his performance? •' with .two very attractive innings of 83 v and 47 against the Hawke's Bay repre* ; sentatives at Napier (1915). His batting and fielding, are alike brilliant, and, there are those who consider that if be had the advantages of Australian cricketers he would rank very high even among them. He is a very successful left-hand bowler in club cricket, bat has not bowled a great deal in big matches. : E. G. McLeod, aged 23, is a very fine fie'dsman and one of the best young left* * banded batsmen in New Zealand, with plenty of defence and hitting power. C. L. Metge, aged 23, has been a good left-handed batsman for several years, but, owing to circumstances and shortage of practice, was' for some time below ' form. Recently, however,' he has struck form, and emphasised the fact with two really good consecutive innings of 152 and 108. He is a cool, watchful, determined player, and has every chance of becoming a most valuable batsman to the Auckland j ■;?; eleven.

A. H. Scott, aged 22, seems likely to "be the first Auckland-horn •wicket-keeper to represent Auckland since Billy Robinson. He is improving all the time, and probably -will continue to do so if he sets his mind to it, for he has all the physical requirements. Scott could easily develop into a good batsman, with plenty of hitting power, and there are possibilities in his fast medium bowling. ■-. ." R. E, Frater, aged 22, is in .great form as a batsman, as evidenced in his last two innings of 203 and 141. He has the right temperament, is cool, patient and determ:ned, with plenty of force behind the hat. A. J. Postles, aged 21, the youngest of the 14, is another of the right type, and lias been improving apnreciably all the season in his batting. His fielding is distinctly good, and his catching safe.

THE PALLISE& SHIELD, f[)Y TELEGRAPH.— ASSOCIATION.] '."■•, ' CHRISTCHURCH, Thursday. Tb«-annual cricket match for the falliuer . Shield between the Wellington-Chemists (holders) and Chcstohnrch Chemists was :■■,.. playea to-day, Chnstchurch winning by ■ ';>»» wickets. Wellington made' 101. in the i-J-t inn;ngs (CondliSe 38, -Herbert 12). J'awrence took throe "wickets for' 1 57 runs. ,; =\:Masters- t>r«Mt. for 90. In their second, fitrika W<*llin collapsed ton a total of V . .'-■> wrt'"h Coud'iffe contributed 21; •:;..;. (■hTiEtcliurrh much* 116 in the first in- >!';«* (Uwrwift Id, Malcolmson 16, Clun....Trite 4?). rtMd ti«-cured fix wickets for 34 j ~ ;■'•- I TW« In -the second nines Christohurcb. i • ; «i -.1- wicket for 29, f'nlton, net out 21, • - J»i»ff the principal scorer." /: \ -.•.-.-' .. '