CRICKET.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19013, 8 November 1923, Page 4

CRICKET.

By Sup. The first matches of the season were concluded on Saturday. The weather was not pleasant, but, apart from one or two passing showers, rain kept off. A strong wind in the first part of the afternoon was very unwelcome, and hampered both bowlers and batsmen. Grange, who had knocked up 245 on the previous Saturday, did not, on the resumption of play, take long to dismiss the remaining nine Dunedin batsmen, tlie total for the innings being 136. Dunedin followed on, and managed to compile enough runs to avoid an innings defeat, and to prevent Grange securing a three-point win. Albion, with 271 to their credit from the first day's play, put Carisbrook out for 127 in their first innings, but could not Secure an innings victory. CaVishrook making a much better showing in their second strike. When stumps were drawn Carisbrook had lost five wickets for 17 1 ’runs. The first match, therefore, leaves the two north end clubs with two points each, and the two south end clubs with no points each- . . On the play, Albion were the better team in the Carisbrook-Albiou match, though Carisbrook were stronger on paper. the wicket was again in good order on Saturday, but a dead outfield kept rims down. Carisbrook were badly in need of practice, end were luckv to make as many as they did. The Albion fielding was quite good, but a number of easy catches were missed. On the other hand, some particularly difficult chances were accented. Bhuiures brought off a brilliant piece of work when he shot forward and took H. Duncan m the Blips, and O'Brien, at short-leg, disposed of Brinslev and Ramsdeu with great onehanded’ catches.- The ground fielding was cood. Blainires (four for 19] and Shepherd (two for 31) were the best of the Albion bowlers in the first innings, Blamires was most successful with a ball that, breaking a little from the off, came off the pitch veryfast. MTvor, who took three wickets for 27 runs in the first innings, did not show much nromise in the second innings. The Albion attack was admirably captained by Shepherd. Worker’s first-innings display was weak. Ho started scratchily, and gave an easy chance before ho had scored. Ho did not get set at all, and put his leg in front to a, ball from MTvor when ho was three,. In his second strike he showed a glimpse of bis old-time form, but -was run out at 19. H. C. Alloo was surprisingly rash, and was fortunate in not losing his wicket much sooner than he did in each innings. Many of his strokes were uppish, and ,his play generally was not the play of H. C. Alloo as Dunedin knows it. His best stroke was his characteristic sharp pull to the leg boundary. A. W. Alloo played solidly in both innings, and so did Fraser. Fraser and Dickinson w-ere, all things considered, the best two batsmen on the side, and each gave a sound display of all-round cricket. Eraser scored mainly with off drives and cover shots, but Dickinson made use of brisk stroke? all round the wicket. The Grange wicket -was not in ns good order as it was for the first day’s play. It was not until Dunedin had commenced their second strike that it became a batsman’s wicket. Grange therefore had an advantage in having been able to compile a substantial total on the previous Saturday. Dunedin’s first innings presented no particular features except a pretty display by M'Farlane. who greatly pleased the spectators bv his natural manner. His total of <5 was the result of brilliant cricket, and bis only fault was a tendency towards rashness. It was this, more than anything else, that cost him his wicket so early in the second innings. M’Fnrlane showed a marked liking for balls on the leg, and anything loose on that side was sent to the boundary with lusty strokes. In the second innings Cherry gave a lino exhibition of aggressive batting, and scored freely with drives to mid-off and cover-point. He sent very few balls to leg. Strang, who knocked up 27. did well with a leg glance. Baker struck form in the second innings, in which his score was 27 not out. His scoring strokes did not vary much, and he favoured driving to cover. Grange set up a weak attack in the second innings. Their bowling strength • is not great this year. Gotland, who is probably their most useful man in this department, bowled well in the first innings, but both he and Conradi tired in the second innings as the result of the strong wind. The attack was then left to M'Gregor and Collett, neither of whom troubled Dunedin much. Owing to faulty arrangements, the play in the Third Grade match Grange v. Carisbrodii, on the Mofnington ground on Satur(iiy, was delayed for nearly an hour. When 4he players arrived they found a bare concrete wicket and a locked paviiion. It was a long time before entrance could be gained to the pavilion, and then the mat had to be carried out and placed on the wicket. Such a state of affairs is not satisfactory. Boys’ League matches were commenced on Saturday .morning, games being played on the Caledonian and North grounds. Grange have a strong team entered, and included in it is a son of Conradi, of the First Eleven. This player® made tho creditable score of 46 in Saturday’s match against High School B. Jenkins, who was prominent in school cricket last year, captured six of High School’s wickets for 11 runs. Christian Brothers have entered two teams that will have to be reckoned with. The junior team beat M’Glashan College by an innings and 75 runs, the College having been dismissed for 9 in one innings and for 17 in the other. Sutherland took as many as 12 wickets for 10 runs. The league Fas now been affiliated With tie Otago Cricket Association. Junior matches on Saturday again produced some good performances. In a Second, Grade (B Section) game against Grange A, Borthwiok (Carisbrook) made 59 and took seven wickets for 26, and in a Third Grade game between Grange and Carisbrook A Houston (Grange) made a sound 69, which won the match for ins side. In tho Albion-St. Kilda Second Grado match J. Allan (Albion) put up a fine performance by taking 11 wickets during the course of the match. His figures read five for 19 and six for 22, the latter including the hat-trick. All his wickets were clean bowled. Those performances are distinctly encouraging to Otago cricket, as they submit evidence of the presence of a number of players who should do well in the senior cricket of the future. Reports of big scores on opening days continue to come to hand. The season in North Taranaki opened on the same day ns it did here, and on that occasion Kingston (Western Park) scored exactly the same total as Shepherd did—l 29 runs. In an unofficial match between Beaumont and Edievale, A. Edie (Edievale) scored 99. Edievale won tho match by ■ 151 runs to 118 The season in Napier and Hastings did not commence till Saturday last. The delay in starting had allowed extra time for the preparation of wickets, which generally, were in first-class order for the opening day. Play is now in full swing in Wanganui, where some fine batting performances have been registered. Pleasants, playin" for Wanganui against United, scored the first century of the season theie on Saturday last, when he made 119. “If there were anv occasion at the moment to choose a cricket" eleven representative of the world, there is no doubt that the claims of George Challenor, of the West Indies, would have to be very seriously considered, ’ said a writer in London Sporting Life two or three months ago. “Certainly few finer batsmen have been seen this season, and fhe Surrey team would be the first to testify both as to Ids aggressive and as to bis defensive powers. So far Challenor has. during the present tour, registered seven centuries, with 155 not out as his best. His most recent three-figure innings -was that m the match against Glamorgan, which ended m a victory for the Welshmen, in which Challenor’s contribution was 110.” P G. H. Fonder headed Surrey County bowling for the season. He sent down 1000 overs, and secured 136 wickets at 18.44. no ■other bowler securing 100 wickets. With the bat he was sixth, scoring 1105 runs at 32.52. J. B. Hobbs scored the greatest number of runs for the county—viz., 1516 at 40.97 per innings. E. Hendren scored 2263 runs for Middlesex, the average being 87.03. J. W. Hearne was next with 1145 at" 57.15. No bowler secured 100 wickets for the county Durston’s 89 at 25.07 being the best. J. W. H. T. Douglas topped battin" and bowling averages for Essex, averaging 31.32 with the bat. and taking 126 wickets at 21.95. P. Perrin, the veteran amateur, was second in batting with 30.08, and A. C. Russell third with 29.71. It was stated by a Victorian Cricket Association official that if New South Wales were granted the privilege of sending a team to New Zealand this summer, it was quite likely that Victoria would endeavour to. organise a trip to India (says ijia Referee}-

In addition to the Sheffield Shield matches the Victoria Cricket Association has arranged two fixtures —one against N.S.W. Second XI on January 28, at Melbourne, and the other against Tasmania on February 15. The selectors intended to comb Victoria dry for a left-hand bowler of sufficient merit for the next English visit, and if country week supplied that bowler, then the expense involved would be well spent (states the Referee). At present the only Victorian candidate on the horizon is T. Carlton, of North Melbourne. Last season he captured 49 wickets, and bowled very accurately in chib games. THE NORTHERN TOUR. The Cricket Association is to be commended for making an early start with the arrangements for the northern tour. It has no easy task in front of it, as there is a prospect of numerous difficulties arising. The first concerns players, especially if some of the men selected should happen to be “unworthy.” It is pleasing to note that at least one member of the Otago Cricket Association tool; exception to the application of such a strong term to cricketers who were not prepared to pay out of their own pocket for the honour of representing Otago in other centres. The association, I am sure, has the sympathy of all followers of sport in its unsatisfactory financial position, and no doubt some of the players chosen to practise will be quite prepared to pay £5 towards their expenses. Others, for different reasons, may not; and the association, before rejecting a player on those grounds, should recognise that there is more than one aspect of the question. It is regrettable that the association is placed in such an awkward position, and it is to be hoped that the time will soon arrive when it will be able to bear the whole of the expense itself. The strongest team available should certainly be sent away, and Mr Rowlands’s expression of opinion that the matter of contributions from players was one which “could easily be arranged” seems to convey a ray of hope. From the players selected to practise it will be possible to nick a strong side. As only one match has been played this season, the selectors must have depended mainly on reputation. Keast’s performances in the oast seem to have been overlooked, with the exception of his failure last year, and he has been dropped, notwithstanding the fact that his score in the only match this year was a creditable one. As the season is so young he should have been picked to’ practise, so that he would be available for the team if he fulfils the promise of his opening-day play. M’Gregor has rightly been given a chance to make good, and MTvor. who has done well with both bat and ball this year, might have been given a similar opportunity. I understand that H. Duncan is not available. Wicket-keeping is still weak in Otago. When the time comes to choose a man to play behind the sticks in representative matches, the selectors will find themselves faced with no easy task. C. Chadwick is the best wicketkeeper in Dunedin at the present time, but I understand that he has given up representative cricket. It would be a pity to play Galland (the only wicketkeeper among those selected to practise) behind the sticks again, as he is too valuable a man in the field, especially as he is a good change bowler. Gunn shows promise, but needs experience yet, and Anderson, of Carisbrook. has very little in the way of qualification as a batsman. C. Chadwick has, and it is to be hoped that it is not too late for him to consider the advisability of again aiming at representative honours. He brought off two very fine catches on Saturday, when he caught Cherry off Conradi and Strang off Collett. If Galland is to keep wickets in representative games, he should also do so in club cricket. The matches to be played by Otago this year are:—v. Canterbury, at Christchurch; v. Auckland, at Auckland; v. Wellington, at Dunedin.