RUNNING NECK-AND-NECK

NZ Truth, Issue 1305, 18 December 1930, Page 16

RUNNING NECK-AND-NECK

Ponsonby and Eden Rank Equal On Top of List

V.M.C.A. INNINGS WAS POOR

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.) Despite the fact that the Ponsonby fast bowler, Cleverley, accounted for six Eden wickets his eagerness for speed made him careless about his footwork and he was no-balled time and time again. His length was bad at times, too, and Eden has a team of batsmen that no bowler can afford to take chances with. Nevertheless, his analysis of 6 for 114 was satisfactory against a good collection of batting and was the best of his side.

IN view of thg fact that Ponsonby and Rden are first equal m the champs, to date; the match was an important one, and when Ponsonby go into bat next week they will go eyes out for a win. Eden's skipper, Gillespie, made up for a disappointing display m the Parnell match by being up to form against Ponsonby. He top-scored for his v side, and though he played careful cricket, his strokes, particularly his off -drives, were bright, and he showed none of the uncertainty of his previous appearance. It's good to see him right back m form again m view of the fact that he is to go South shortly. Liawrie's knock brought his side one over the half century. He plays leg balls beautifully, but his off-strokes still lack confidence. The fact that he played a couple of beauties past point shows that he can play an off ball if he wishes. Mills and Postles, as. usual, opened the baiting for Eden. Mills got going quickly and played pretty cricket right from the start. His footwork seemed a trifle slow at times, but his innings as a whole calls for little criticism. Postles, on the other hand, can be very trying to the man on the bank, and ought to get the bowler rather exasperated. Mills had scored somewhere between twenty and thirty before Postles broke his duck. Postles is apt to err on the side of over-carefulness, and he missed numerous chances m the earlier stages of his innings. His confidence firmed later on and he put on some much brighter stuff. G. L. Weir was a little disappointing. Though he played his strokes with his usual care, he seemed slow m the uptake and late Jn coming to his decision. He played one or two snappy shots, but was dismissed for 17. He never seemed to get really into the swing of the game. Finlayson was delivering quite a good, medium ball. He is fairly consistent with' length and if, on Saturday, he had kept them on the wicket a little better, he would probably have shown a better analysis. He stays well and will be a useful asset to Auckland's bowling strength. Snedden didn't handle the ball for as long as either Gleverley or Finlayson. He took a couple of wickets for

Anthony is easily the safest of Parnell slow bowlers. Seasons come and go and he still takes wickets. He took three for thirty-seven on Saturday. If Neild wants to stay behind the Parnell senior stumps he has to pull up a bit yet. He was letting several slip past last week and badly missed catching Miller. To a certain extent, he made up for that later when he caught Chapman off Goodsir, but Miller's was the more valuable wicket. Grafton batted all afternoon, and still had a wicket to fall when stumps were drawn. Again there were only a couple of batsmen who shone. E. Horspool was playing brightly and was very much at i v miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiniiiiniMiiiiiimiiti

ease. Saunders has heen inspiring a good deal of fear lately, but Horspoo] smacked Into him solidly. Sale was unexciting. He was knocking up seventies at the season's beginning, and whether these previous performances have overpowered him or not, he certainly had gone off a bit last week. The second partner m the "two-man show" was McCorrnack, who opened, out with a fast sixty-five. He had a slice or two of luck with his strokes, but he gave Coates "what for" and gave the field a good deal of trouble. Coates, by the way, didn't rise to expectation, and gave the a.ppearance of being tired. XVensley. "Webb and Saunders shouldered the task of dismissing Grafton, and though Coates bowled one or two maidens, he failed to take wickets as prolifically as usual. United Suburbs bowler, .Nicholas, was the main thorn m Varsity's side. Good length balls are always difficult to get away, and with rare exceptions he was finding the right length all the time. As an opening batsman, the Suburbs skipper; Garrard, seemed full of the complaint so common m Auckland creases these days — nervousness. He was treating the deliveries of Kerr and Nicholas "like eggshell^ china. - : : Bush showed more confidence than the rest of the team, and his knock of fifty was the brightest spot of the match.