CRICKET.

NZ Truth, Issue 137, 1 February 1908, Page 3

CRICKET.

-'■ '" ' (By' ! Scout)? • - Chanipioiisiiip Matches.'' Semi-Fiuals. . - j "Slow but sure" didn't apply " to the „ Wellington-Midland match. Slow it was, deadly sloiv. Three hours totting up 150 runs on a batsman's wicket shows the mighty strength of Wellington with, the bat; If there .liatl been anything sane about the innings it would have been ,a saving clause, but there wasn't." . ' It was a. real good scratch for three solid hours, with' the exception of Hickson, who was shaping good when he apparently, misjudged one of Mitchell's straight ones, 'trying' to get it away to leg, but got = a bit too. much leg to work instead of 'willpw, and •paid the penalty, when he had biSed up 20 quick and stylishly: •> Naughton and Jack' Mahoney "opened the proceedings. Naughton. wasn't at home from the jump.; One of the. worst innings I have seen him play ; -lie was mistiming Mitchell badly, who bowled him for two. . , ' . iMahpney was'; Upham.'s meat with .Mitchell's assistance, who caught him nicely off of Ernest for seven, .when 'he looked; like getting a few.. . Richardson had a, couple, of hours at the (.wickets,, playing a .great ; innings. He totalled 17 in;.that/itime, so readers can uTvderstiin'd . '; that he wasn't wasting much time over the job,. He was reaching; up the pitch, try ing ..to hit Upham oh- the bread-basket after following up his delivery, when Williams removed ■ the- : bail, and tlie crowd seemed' pleased to see liiiri coming back to the pavilion. ■*••■ ; Vare came : m; and started to work' on Up ham, cutting j him • into the slips, and it looked as though the cut were the only' stroke he had. -He had. ago .at Mitohell, putting him over the fence m an agricultural sort •of manner, then it was found he -had. several other strokes apparently pe^ culiar to 'himself ; anyhow, it was a quick and lively 23, ; with a few dhanches chucked m,, until he tried cutting again on Mi tchell , when Upham grabbed him. . A;,.;- --, His .showing: as ..a.; jat wasn't con-r vincing, 'but, .his 'J' t fielding,, later on. was just the thing, smart, sure, and clean, a decidedly 'good 'field I should say..' . '.., '' . '"' .. ;' ','•"■' ' Willis went along (pretty well for his 31, but there wasn't -much life m itv ■ ••"■'=' ■ -■'■■ ." : -,■■■' ■ ■ ■ Quinn wasn't at •home', and ; his three- was. worth the innings. Fisher shaped like a third or fourth' classer and . gave no trouble, got four, and wasnlt worth-one. Luckie tried manfully to stop the rot, but, . lost Nash, who couldn't play Mitohell for nuts, so Tom Hales came along, and immediately, started to .deal out 1 ) stouch, but Luckie made, a mistake m trying to 'hit Mitchell off the Dominion. He did for a while, the ball went soaring away up trying to burst a rain cloud apparently, jbiut.' came dowii by and 'bye, Upham patiently waitingfor it,, his patience was rewarded, and Luckie was 12 , ' and Hales nine hot ouiti, the laist man, Mr Extras, getting second highest score with 26, without giving a chance. -Williams seemed all at sea at. the Bast end, where the ground has a der cided din which possiWy accpunted for his miscalculations. it's one of the worst catching performances the Mids. have put up.. Williams, . Quee, Wynward, and a ohance between Upham and Hickson, all. had. their opportunities and let them go. \ The ground fielding wasn't Bad, but I've seen the team da 'better. Upham got five for 51,' Mitchell five for 47.. Mitchell bowled really well, and pegged away for over two hours • Without a rest. Upham was doingvery well, but seemed a bit slower than usual. ■ Claude Hickson had a

try, and I think two chances were; dropped off him. Bruce also did a bit of relieving without an? luck. Hickson and Wigiiton started Midland strike, and Hickson was nicely taken by Willis m the slips off Hales. Williams put one into Nash's hands, a lovely hard drive, and no one seemed more surprised than, Nash, when he found himself .holding on to the leather. Tab Wynyard came along and made things right merry. He was putting them up anywhere and everywhere out of the way of fieldsmen, playing out time with 38 out of v the 52 on the slate for two wickets'. Midland, should win pretty easy on j the shaping of the tw.o teams, but you never know till it's all over. Old Boys were fortunate m getting first knock on a fast wicket and outfield, and made good use of it by putting together 271 runs. Harold "Monaghan's score of 7-9 was a first-class effort. He' went m when things were not too^ rosy for the side, and after surviving a couple of confident appeals for l.b.w. by Brice and Cobcrqft, settled down and played pood cricket. "JVlouny," m this scribe's opinion, is a much better batsman than he is a bowler, combining good forcing strokes with solid -defence. , C. P. Blacklock, m making 55, was very scratchy at the start, and had a couple of liyeSj- putting two\ batches into young House's hands. C.P.B. seems to 'be famous for the; "French cut," a stroke when the ball flies over the slips when the intention of the batsman has been to drive or cut square. Ken Tucker, m making 49, batted excellently, being "very effective . on ;the cut and glance. He was commencing to. give one, the impression that he was after a three figure score but cutting at a rising one- from Smyrk it passed Irorri Cates into the safe hands of Tommy Taylor at short slip. * J. P. Blacklock did not give us anything like his usual form, as he appeared all at sea to Cob.croft, and after a few risky ones succumbed to Brice for 2.1. I think "Jimmy" was lucky m being given not out stumped off Cobcroft. Barber, Price, Smyrk, and Cobcroft all bowled very well, the former coming out 'by far,- the best .figures, although the other bowlers sliaped be.tter> than what their averages would lead us to think." The ground fielding was exceptionally good, and the returning of Isherwo'od' and Jack House was very sharp arid accurate. - Petone, at the close of time, had lost three wickets for 68', Isherwood being 36 not out, got' m ' 'beautiful style. There are very few more attractive batsmen than ; Isherwood when he .gets going. ' ! ' Cobcroft was caught at coverpoint after making 11. v He appeared to play the- ball on to the ground, and then rebound to Tucker, but although the majority of the spectators were of opinion that the batsman was not out, the Petoneite was <iuite . satisfied that the umpire's decision was a' correct one. | . The running out ,of Birch on Saturday was the outcome of a splendid piece of fielding on the part of J\ House, Cates, and Brice. [ At one time, Old Boys seemed to be m trouble, 'but Monaglian once'i |> more demonstrated that he is a batsman to be depended ph. T ' A