CRICKET NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20725, 19 November 1930, Page 16

CRICKET NOTES.

REPRESENTATIVE MATCHES. AUCKLAND TEAM TO TOUR. I STRONG OPPOSITION LIKELY. Auckland cricketers so far this season have liad little opportunity to got into form owing to the unfavourable weather coriditiolW. The province is always behind other centres in making a start with its competitions, and with the, Plunket Shield, matches in view at Christmas time ifc is to ba hoped that good conditions .■will prevail for tho remaining week-ends ,tjp to that period. The Plunket Shield is at present held Jiy Wellington, which won it on tho points |»ystom after a great final tusslo against Auckland, in which the latter province Jiad all the better of the game. Wellington is certain to have a strong eleven jfcbis year and the match against Auckland jfifc Eden Park toward the end of January Is sure |igain to attract tho keen interest Jtchich always centres in the meeting of jthe two provinces. Tho Auckland eleven will play Canterbury at Christchurch at Christmas time and will then proceed to Dunedin, where I tho match against Otago will be played at New Year. Judging on last year's form Auckland will encounter strong opposition against tho young Canterbury ;tea;n. Tito Canterbury batsmen aro already i<l good form and several of the players who wore in Auckland last season have tine scores against their names. Can terbury needed a stronger bowling side las'fc se/ason to make it a much more formidable eleven. It seems that with both •Bead and Cunningham bowling well this * . jvant will bo supplied this season. Otago Players. Auckland/is likely to meet h much stronger Otago eleven than that which played hera last season. Badcock, the ex-Wellington, coach, who is now coaching in Dunedin, will alone give the side considerable strengthening all round. If Shepherd and Dickinson aro both available for the match it is then likely tho P ■ strength of Auckland will bo severely tested. With these experienced players, together with Blunt, A. W. Alloo and 'J. A. Duiining, Otago has tho neocleus of u strong eleven. Badcock's coaching is sure to make a. great difference to the younger players and perhaps some of the colts ;wili make good in Plunket Shield cricket this season. The colt Maloney, (who played for his provinco last year and of whom a great deal was thought in the southern centre, is doing well in iplub cricket in Dunedin. The choice of N. C. Sneddon, H. Dun-

caiv and W. B. Smith as selectors for the [Auckland representative team should give uuiversal satisfaction. All arc experienced players, who have very creditablo cricket careers in their favour. Snedden and Duncan are still playing senior cricket and Smith , played in the senior grade up to last season and is likely to turn out (occasionally this season to help his old 1! jellify] ,Eden'. To< date tho selectors have had little form to gii'ide them, but it would appear that Auckland will be represented by a team somewhat similar in its personnel to that of last season. An outstanding [batsman this season to date is the Parnell colt H. G. Vivian, and he should have littlo difficulty in finding his way into higher cricket. Tho selectors will soon be choosing the players for representative practice and tbeir announcement is being eagerly awaited. ' The sooner the players aro chosen the better it will bo for those in the final selection. There is no doubt that tho bettor the bowling at practice the sooner the batsmen strike form, and Hvith always the possibility of no play during tho' week-ends every opportunity should bo taken for good net practice. Whenever a new shipment of crickot bats arrives in Melbourne, Jack Ryder is oiio of tho lirst to inspect them. Those ,who have seen him turning them over .with a loving eye, handling and fondling tho best ones, aro reminded that he is tho perfect amateur, for not one single bat is inscribed With the name of Jack Ryder. How many international amateurs can say the same ? Englishmen in Africa.

Tho English batsmen appear to bo taking their South African cricket very seriously. , Declaring at 417 for seven .wickets against W'estern Province, Hammond scored ICO in three hours 35 min l ntes, the second 50 including 40 singles! jVVyatt took four hours twenty minutes to make 138. Hendren also got 58 nob out; Baking hot. weather and smart fielding kept the Englishmen from forcing t.hc pace. For the first time in Sydney the stumps widened by lin. and lengthened by lin. iwcre used in the Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and South Australia. On the first day 15 wickets fell on a perfect pitch. This was mainly due jfco tho combination of out-of-form batting and keen bowling. In some measure, too, it may have been assisted by tho altered jwickat. Tho change, quite observablo from beyond the picket fence, is likely to bo popular with spectators and will .benefit tho game, says a Sydney writer. Against Victoria Alan Kippax, the present New F.outh Wales captain, has made runs at an average of 82 an innings. By tho timo tho West Indies team appears in Sydney /he should be in the best of condition, as well as form. If he happens to get jrito his stride with tho bat in their mtitclies his cricket may be moro glittering than ever. Rarely does a batsxnau of any'standing go through an English tour without coming back with his Strobing and placing burnished. Suburban Matches.

•/, The prospects of a good game between Oreen Lan</ and -Albion iri the .Auckland City and Suburban Cricket Association's senior competition were somewhat marred on Saturday owing lo the wet weather. On previous form Ihe chances of either side appeared even, but it is hardly likely now that a serious test will eventuate, seeing one day's play is over and only two wickets, have fallen in Greer: Lane's first innings. The wicket proved tricky . and tho bowlers, G. and R. Stallworthy, rondo tho ball bump awkwardly. Lonergan, the ex-United Suburbs batsman, carried his score to 32 without being beaten, scoring well with a particularly effective shot past square-leg. Lonergan made 54 last week and promises lo maintain a good average this season. The veteran, A. Kerr, again displayed good form and scored 21 not out. A bright /batting display bv A. Lewis was a feature of the gamo between Pon-

feoiiby and Harbour Board. Considering the condition of tho wicket Lewis batted very confidently. This season Lewis has ecored 113 /-tins in two innings, 82 and 31, being not out on each occasion. K. " Illness turned,out again to assist Ponsonby and showed some of his best form in scoring 24. Bowling with a splendid length, J. Matthews secured six Invicta wickets in nine overs,. Mai thews is the colt mentioned <>y G. R. Cox, the Sussex coach, as one of the most promising bowlers in the competition. Cox gave Matthews some valuable advice and tho Ellerslio colt appears ffc luive benefited considerably by it.