THE PLUNKET SHIELD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19511, 15 December 1926, Page 18

THE PLUNKET SHIELD.

AUCKLAND'S TEAM SELECTED. <s» STRONG BATriNG COMBINATION. WEAKNESSES IN BOWLING. Few loopholes for criticism are left in tho selection of the team to represent Auckland in the Plunket Shield games at Christchurch and Dunedin at Christmas and New Year. Strong in batting, but weak in bowling, it follows in the footsteps of all Auckland teams of recent years. Auckland is very weak in bowling this year, but eleven of the twelve players solected to make the trip are all capable of scoring centuries, although two of them will have to improve on their club form to do so. The form of the representative players in club matches is shown by tho following averages.— BATTING. In. N.O. H.S. Runs. Av. C. F. W. Allcott 3 2 189* 264 26-1 I. W. Cooper .. 8 J. P. Gerrard .. 3 2 61* 89 89 A. E. Irvine .. 3 Bowley .. .. 4 2 63* 150 75 A. M. Matheson 4 1 85 163 54.33 J. E. Mills .. 3 C. C. Dacre .. 4 1 81 142 47.33 A. S. Player .. 3 1 47* 83 41.5 H. D. Gillespie 3 R. E. Frater .. 3 E. .W. Rowntree 3 "Signifies not out. BOWLING. Wkts. Runs. Av. C. F. W. Allcott -.. 8 100 12.5 A. S. Player v.< 4 63 15.75 Bowley 15 2-16 16.4 C. C. Dacre 6 105 17.5 A. M. Matheson t.v S 142 17.75 I. W. Cooper r.v 4 91 22.75 Tho striking figures in the averages are those of Allcott, winner of the Redpath Cup last season, who has topped the list in both batting and bowling. Allcott has been performing consistently in club cricket this season and, perhaps the finest all-rounder in the Dominion, he should be one of the mainstays of the team. Cooper's batting figures are also excellent.- His performances in the South will be watched with interest in view of the possibility of his selection in the New Zealand side to tour England. His bowling is also quite likely to prove successful on Southern wickets. Variation in Averages. The list of averages shows that nine batsmen are well in form, each having averages of over 40, while Allcott, Cooper and Irving have all scored over 200 in their three innings. However, after the name of Player is passed, there is a noticeable drop in the averages. Presumably both Gillespie and Prater have been given places for their batting, but neither has been batting up to form in club cricket this season, as their averages plainly show. Gillespie, in his most recent innings for 44 runs, showed that he is regaining the form which won him Dominion representative honours, and he I is worth a place for his fielding alone. But Prater, although he seems destined | to fill the position of twelfth man, should ! hardly have received a place on his present batting form in preference to Smeeton of University, McLeod of Ponsonby or Monteith of his own club, North Shore. His scores in his three innings this season are 10 against Ponsonby, 25 against Parnell and 18 against his club's second eleven. Prater's fielding is not exceptionally good, and although in past seasons he has always been a fairly reliable batsman, his selection on present form is rather a risky one. Meteoric Advancement. However, the team has youth in its favour, combined with plenty of experience. Matheson is the only player who has yet to win his spurs in representative cricket and he is quite capable of becoming one of the most successful young players to represent Auckland. A year ago he was -leading the Auckland Grammar School's first eleven and making centuries freely in addition to taking most of the wickets for his team. His rise to representative standard has been a meteoric one, and his play in club cricket this season fully justifies his selection. Ho is a batsman who scores rapidly with wellexecuted shots, those on the off being brilliant at times, he sends down a fair medium-paced ball that swings a little and he should be a useful change bowler, and in addition he is a fine fieldsman in any position, his clean picking up and accurate returning being good to watch. Appearance of Bowley. Southern spectators, as well as the Aucklanders who will stand round the newspaper board watching for scores to be put up, will watch with interest the displays of Bowley, the English coach, who will make his first appearance in Plunket Shield cricket. It is safe to say that his stylish batting will not disappoint them, and his bowling in the South should prove more successful than it has done here, seeing that he will probably be used as first change to Allcott and Player. Auckland will have one oE the finest opening pairs in New Zealand in Mills and Bowley, and as a first wicket batsman there could be little improvement on Irving. Given good wickets, the Auckland team should bo responsible for some heavy scoring. The batsmen will havo to' be at their best throughout, for it seems quite probable that they will have to pass big scores by their opponents. There are six bowlers in the team, providing very little variety and with medium paced bowling as the mainstay. The selectors have very wisely omitted a fast bowler from the side. There were two who migiit have been considered for selection, Simpson and Newdick, but neither is up to representative standard and neither could be expected to prove successful against batsmen who have to face the express deliveries of Dickinson and, to a lesser degree, Talbot and Henderson. More Assistance Desirable. There have been numerous cases where' Auckland has won shield matches by its slow bowling, and Cooper and Bowley are fully capable of taking charge of this department in the forthcoming series. However, they could do with a little more assistance. Every one of the six bowlers is an all-rounder who could gain a place for his batting alone and it might not have been risky to include promising young bowlers in the places occupied by Gillespie and Frater, or at least Frater. The selectors were hampered by the fact that neither Smith nor Garrard was available. The latter would certainly have been an acquisition, for he is in good batting form this reason as well, while the Ponsonby left-hander has been more successful with the ball this season than last. V. C. Butler, of Eden, is a young player of the typo that needs encouraging, and in view of his success both with bat and ball in the tours organised by Mr. E. C. Beale, he might easily have been given a trial. It is a pity that S. A R. Badeley is not playing this season, for he was another fine young all-rounder.; .