CRICKET.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13857, 21 March 1907, Page 5

CRICKET.

By Loxg Slip. Saturday saw the cricket. fixtures for tllO season 1906-7 practically brought to ? conclusion. and it is unique in ihe annuls of Dunndin cricket that. with the Preoption of a couple of lionts I,lst Saturday, not ono week-end afiernooii was lost to ihe game through bail weather. It. is pleasant lo loeord, too, that there teems to have been a greater interest displayed in the game locally by the genera! public than heretofore, which pleasant .slate of affaire must in lar«e measure bo aliribufod to the visit to New Zealand and Dnnedin of the M;t\C. team and to 1 ln» aforesaid propitious weather. Ir. is porliaiM rather ton early lo pass anv opinion as to what good rcsulis will accrue to our cricketers through ilio visit of ihe Kuglishmcn; but one lesson which is already being learned locally is ilio ell'ieaey of fast bowling, and ihere are at present ono or two promising exponents o! the art of ''rocking them in."

During the season just closed several young players have advanced rapidly along the road whitih leads to good batsmen and bowlers, and of the clubs which have brought along such players the ijunedin Club can easily claim tirst place. In J'Vfchold, Courtis, Aetaoyd, De La Mere, and

Bannerman tho Dunedin liavc young players who have each and all proved 'themselves, and as thoy have now the encouragement <rf success, and have most of their cricket life before them, they should go on improving. Bannerman especially has'a bright cricket future.

It cannot bo said that either the Carisbrook A or J5 teams have developed anyyoung cricketing talent during the 1906-07 season, the B team, as of yore, relying chiefly 011 Austin and Siedeberg, tho younger players having so far done nothing great. And the same applies io the A side, who have mainly trusted to their older players._ Slill the A's have one young player in Foster who should yet develop into n real tip-top batsman.

Most of the Grange players have been members of the First Eleven for a good few seasons now, but a. couple of young players in Davis and the ex-Tasnianian, C. Bcale, the latter of whom .represented Otago against tho Englishmen, have performed very creditably. Davis is distinctly a bowler of promise, and with experience will become more acquainted with learning tho weaknesses of batsmen, and profit thereby; while Bcalo has but to restrain his habit of becoming 100 eager lo score after ho has amassed a tew runs to hold his own with tho best.

Coming to the Albion, tho north end team have plenty of young fellows playing for them, but, it cannot be said thai thoy have during the past' season justified Die good opinions formed of their cricket— this with a "eservation in - favour of Cummings, who has done very well with tho ball. Still Dui,hie, Shellon, Shepherd, and Drake have plenty of cricket in them, and aro very keen on the game, and it should be the djily of tho older members of tho Albion to see that thoy get a, proper chance to develop it. Of the younger players in the Opoho it may bo remarked that the Timlin brothers and Kenny have shown very fair form during the season, yet it is only fair to remark that one cannot, help feeling a little disappointed that these Juniors, with M'Donald, have not done better. Still thoy aro young and enthusiastic, and should yet develop into good' First Grade cricketers. I am sure all crickeiers would be very pleased to seo the Opoho Club with some first-class bats in the team.

IV Dunedin-Carisbrook TC fixture on Saturday was invested with more than Kual interest, as on the result of this match depended the Senior championship for the 1906-07 season, a loss for the Dunedin putting the Carisbrook A 'team ahead, on points, whilst a win for Skipper Maekersy's men placed tile championship with Hiie Dnnedin. On the previous Saturday Duncdin had amassed 148 runs, and on Saturday the B's were set to beat this total. Tho wicket was easy at the commencement. of the game, but got considerably cut up as llio match progressed, and became a bit tricky. Sicdeberg and Austin wore the opening batsmen for their side, and played steady, confident cricket for their runs, both batsmen getting in some pretty cuts Neither looked like getting cut, but when the score was at 54 Austin went Jo cut a ball oft' the wicket from Melvin— l 'who liad relieved Latham,—but just touched it, and was snapped up at tho wickets by Leys-"How's that?" seeming to comc from every member of the Duncdin team. Siedebcig was next to go, falling to a fast yorker, the ball seeming to swerve a lot, from Bannermau. Rutherford and Drumm quickly followed, Bannerman getting a Trimmer past tho former, and Drumm lashing out at a full toss from Melvin and missing it. And then Burt, when lie had scored .5 in his characteristic style, was finely thrown out by Oramond. With five wickets down for 68 victory seemed pretty secure for Duncdin, but Campbell and G. Thomson getting together and playing careful cricket the score was taken to the century before Courtis got a good log break past tho former. Fenwiek— the seventh man in—and Thomson then took tho score to 116, when, at 4.30, rain setting in, play was concluded for the day, both men being: not out. The match is to bo resumed next Saturday, and should provide an exciting finish, the B's having 33 runs to get to win, and Stables and I-layncs to bat.

It may prove useful to certain members of the Duncdin and Carisbrook B teams to have brought, under their notice law 43 of the Laws of Cricket, which says, inter alia:—"ln case of interruption from rain, as soon as the rain has ceased, the umpires shall, without further instruction, inspect tho wicket, UNACCOMPANIED BY ANY OF TIIE I'layeiip, and decide upon its fitness. . Verb. sap.

Wanting hut four runs to tie Albion's Hrst inning-' total "of 121, and wiih six wickets tn full, Carisbrook continued their innings .it a quarter to s—which was the time at ffnieh llio 8.-Duncdin fixture was commenced ioo—Poster and Uttlev being the two not-out batsmen. It was thought that the A.'s would go in for hitting and try to knock lip a. fair score and then put, Albion in again, with the'object of trying for a three-point win. However, the A men did not hustle themselves, and were all out at- a little after 4 o'clock, and owing to the rain'play then ceased for the day. ' Foster tookjiis previous Saturday's scoro from 11 to 25 beforo he fell to a good ball from Cummings, while Uttley was out with 3 to his credit. Butler made things very lively while ho was at tho wiekct, most of his runs being got by his well-known drag stroke to leg, his . total being 23 before lie was well taken, low down, by A. Adams oil' Drake. Fisher—who received a round of applause on making his way to the wicket, as a recognition of his performances m the second test—made 13, mostly by driving. and llarrawav (not. out) 14,'tho latter also getting most of liis runs in front of thc_ wicket by clean hitting. The A's innings closed at 211 rurus, the Carisbrook men thus winning by 90 runs on tho first strike. Cummings tcok four wickets lor 73 runs and Corbet! four for 60. Shepherd, Drake, and Dutliie also had a turn at the ball.

With six wickets down for 52 the Grange not-out men (Ward and Bond) continued their innings on Saturday, but the Opoho trundlers Clwdwick and Kckhoft were right on the wicket, and the remaining four batsmen wore soon disposed of, Hond with 17 tying with Mr Ust-ras for highest score, Grange's total being 81. Chadwick took six wickets for 31 and KckhoFf (our for 28. Opoho (112) thus had a lead of 31 on the first innings, and on going in again amassed 61 for four wickets, when, a little after 4, rain stopped further play, and Opoho' recorded their first win for the season on the one innings. The following points stand td the credit ot the senior teams for this season's cricket;— ' •K o h 01 J> n ct£o ti "j , iS 5.5 5.2 *s s ,3 r° Carishvoolt A • .... 9 4 2 17 Dunedin 8 5 2 1 1G Albion .. .. .. a — 4 5 12 Grange 9 3 1 5 9 Carisbroul: B .... 8 ii — 5 0 Opoho 9i_B o If Duncdiii will on Saturday Ihcir points will read— a G 2 1 IS .lild I hoy will win tile championship for 1906-07. Tho following arc tho averages of iho Koslyn l'ourth Grade team, winners of the championship in their grade: — Batting. tfl ti w to .5 2 5 ii g = -So' "0 0 H " w h'Si aj g ' E-i fi < 11. Clibb ... 18 0 103 492 27.3 0. Beeby ..10 1 49 IS3 20.3 C. Beeby ..9 1 51 IGI 20.1 K Yinicombe.. 32 3 -H 170 ]'J. 5 G. Burt .. .. 15 0 72 250 17.1 K. Higby .. 1:1 2 5S* 195 1G.23 Ci. Kctnolds ..IS ,0 59 252 14.0 J. Aruiit- .... IS 0 3G 182 10.2 J'. Uoado 5 (I IS 35 7.0 ]). Mathesou .. 1G 2 23 St G.O J. Jfackie .. 15 » 1G 70 5.83 J. O'Connel .. 12 2 20 -10 4.6 V. Beeby ..12 3 13* 30 4.0 * Signifies not out. Bowling. Buns. "Wickets. Average, J. Armit 175 35 5.9 11. Gilib 373 71 5.25 11. Kiebv ..'.... :!i) 7 5.59 (). Beeby' 234 39 G.O C. Beebv 20 4 0.5 J. Jlack'ie 15 2 7.5 U. Burt 52 3 17.3 A noteworthy feature of the eleven picked to represent New /.calami in the second lost match is that the four new men included in tho team proved themselves the star performers in iho match. The newcomers were Fisher, Williams, Jlenms, and Upbam. Messrs Fox. l'age. Branston, Harrison, Hay. Douglas, Onrwen, Tnfnell. and Simp-sop.-Hayward, members of the Marylobono Cricket- Club team which, finished its tour of the colony last week, left for Home by Ihe Svdnev boar, last Saturday afternoon. The Knglishmen receive*! a hearty send-ofi* from a party of Wellington cricketers.

An Australian record was broken on Saturday, March 2. for a tenr-h-wicket. partnership iu a first-grade junior match—South Melbourne.l uniors v. East Brunswick. Kyle and I'obertsou (who played for Victoria against. New South Wales nearly a quarter of a century ago) became associated ut 342. •.uvl were not separated till the total

readied 562, Robertson contributing 82 and Kyle 153 nol out. The wicket added 220 runs. The be,s£ stand for the last wiekefc in English first class cricket is 230, by Mr K. W. Nicholls and Rocho for Middlesex against Kent, at Lord's, in Juno, 1899.

A remarkable match was played ksfc month in tho .Toparit district, (reports the Xliill Frco Press. Western Victoria). The Tiillyycu (earn were disposed of by tho •Tcparit bowlers for 2, and these wore byee, so that not a single batsman succeeded in breaking his " duck." In a second essay tho Tullyvea cricketers (':) made 6, go the combined result o( the two innings was 8 rims. .leparit inado 145 runs, Arthur Fisher has bowled before in Wellington, but I doubt if lie has over done such good work as in. the match just concluded (says "Touehline" in Wellington Freo Lauee, referring; (o the second test match). T'lio wind seemed to suit his swerve, and, to help him, the Englishmen were feeling for him all the time, expecting the ball to do more than it did. With his fieldsmen well oui; in the country, the batsmen were not inclined to have iv whang at Fisher's deliveries, for it, tool; a good hit to place the ball beyond the ropes. Together with the. swerve which commanded such a lot of respect, tho Duncdin bowler sent down some sweet leg-breaks at limes, the ball often beating lite wickci. anil wicket-keeper as well as the batsman. Besides his {rood work with tho ball, the ex-golf champion made some nice strokes in gcttiny a double-figure score each time he batted. Fisher can look back with pleasure to the first win by a Now Zealand team, for he had a big hand in it.

Tho following are the batting and bowling averages of tho JI.C.C. team during their tour through New Zealand, just concluded i— Batting.. 3> g . 2 . « 1 o 1 s?| ? £ 25 5J » A Harrison 20 1 GI6 105 3400 Burns 32 8 618 Of 82.52 Johnson 24 2 704 09 32.00 Branston .... 22 1 G63 120 31.80 Douglas 20 4 433 07 27.00 Pago 21 0 529 78 25.19 Tufncll 16 S 252 85 22.00 Simpson-flayward 20 1 41.7 71 21.94 Fox 21 4' 364 54 21.41 Torrens 13 1 206 87 17.1G Dc Tralford .. ..23 1 3SS S3 14.30 Curwcn 19 1 263 70 14.G1 May 20 5 192 32* 12,80 * Mot oui. Captain E. G. Wynyaid scored 11 not out, 48 not out, 27 not out, and then had to return Home through an injury received while playing in the first match in' Wellington. P. i\ C. "Williams scored 5, 1, 1, 25, 0, 3. Bowling. 5 S "2 & 5 Fox 25.3 5 75 10 7.5 Douglas .. .. 369.1 86 BS9 84 10.5-3 Simpson-Hayward 306.3 48 796 04 12.43 Harrison .. 77 13 224 18 12.4t May 286.4 59 825 56 14.73 Torrens .. .. 165.2 42 3GB 23 16.00 ■ Branston .. .. 329.2 97 823 50 1G.40 Curwcn .. .. 3-12 44 320 14 22.89 Burns 20 1 78 2 39.00 Pago .. ~3 0 14 0 -