CRICKET NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21115, 24 February 1932, Page 14

CRICKET NOTES.

PLUNKET SHIELD CONTEST. WELLINGTON WINS OUTRIGHT. FINE DISPLAY BY LAMBERT. The I'lunkct Shield match between Wellington and Otago at Dunedin was unfortunately interfered with by rain and as Wellington took the honours with an outright win no one will begrudge its success. Wellington had to win the match outright in order to take the shield from Canterbury, the present holders. In this season's Plunket Shield series Canterbury beat Otago and Auckland outright, thereby scoring 16 points. It lost to Wellington on the first innings and gained two points, making its grand total 18. ' Wellington teat Auckland outright, 8 points, and Canterbury on the first innings, four points, making its total 12 prior to the Otago match. Therefore, Wellington's defeat of Otago gave the team a grand total of 20 points. The fine innings played by Lambert lor 107 will probably bring the Wellington and ex-New Zealand player under consideration for the second test match bgaiftst the South Africans. Lambeit tetains his form well and has good performances as a representative and New Zealand cricketer. As he is also a useful slow, leg-break bowler, this may go in his favour when the next New Zealand team is selected. The disqualification of Merxitt from New Zealand cricket makes it obvious that a bowler oi a similar type is necessary in the tost team. Blunt's Bowling. It is very difficult to understand at this distance why Blunt was given only one over for Otago in the match against Wellington on Monday. lit that over he took two wickets for one run, Lambert, who scored a century, and McGirr. Conditions apparently suited Blunt s tvpc of bowling, and Utago may possibly have dismissed" Wellington for a total under its first innings score had Blunt been used early in the innings -

i t " was stated l.»y the chairman at a recent New Zealand Cricket Council meeting that a suggestion had been made that there should be a change in the methods of selecting New Zealand cricket teams, in that three selectors should be substituted for the four at present/ Th° matter was decided upon at an annual meeting two years ago, lie said, and the council was bound by that rule that the selection committee should couEist of one representative from each of the four major associations. Any cliffetence of opinion on the question must be considered in relation to the rule in existence, and any alteration would entail a change in the rules. The score of 56 made by the South Africans in the fifth test match against Australia is their fourth lowest in test cricket. In 1395 96. at Port Elizabeth, South Africa made 30 against England, and at Edgbaston, in again, when Arthur Gilligan took sis wickets for seven runs. At- Capetown in 1893 99, South Africa made only 35. The previous lowest total of the Springboks against Australia was 80. in Melbourne, in 1911.

Australia's 153, although Bradman could not bat, is the lowest in tests against South Africa, the previous lowest being in 1902 at Johannesburg Ironmonger's Figures.

H. Ironmonger finished with extraordinary figures in the fifth test match aeainst South Africa. Off 7.2 overs, five being maidens, lie took five wickets for six runs. At one stage lie had four for one. He kept an excellent length on the leg stump, and turned the ball at will, but only slowly, says an Australian critic. The danger in his bowling was that he made the batsman play every ball.

Only ence has Ironmonger's performance been bettered in test cricket. A. E. H. GiHigan took six for seven in South .Africa's total of 30 in England, in 1924. Other 1 sensational performances have been Noble's seven for 17. at Melbourne, against England, in 3932: Rhodes seven for 17. against Australia, at Birmingham, in 1902: Haigh's six for 11, for England against South Africa, at, Capetown, in 1&8. , A coincidence of Ironmonger s bowling figures is that the great English bowler, S. F. Barnes, in taking five for 44 against Australia, at Melbourne, in 1911-12, once bad four for one and five for six. This performance carried the total wickets in first-class cricket this season by Ironmonger past SO. J lie only other bowlers to pass 50 are Grimmett and JlcMillan, with Bell close up.