CRICKET.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20276, 8 December 1927, Page 4

CRICKET.

By Slip. FIXTURES. December 24, 26, 27, and 28.—Otago v. Canterbury, at Christchurch. December 51, January 2,3, and 4.—Otago v, Auckland, at Auckland. January b, 7, ana 9.—Otago v. Wellington at Wellington. January 20, 21, 23, and 24.—Otago v. Wellington, at Dunedin (Plunket Shield match). ALBION’S SECOND WIN. Spectators at Carisbrook on Saturday saw Blunt in his merriest scoring mood. He was not long in getting into his stride, and then he treated the onlookers to a delightful display. He brought some of his best leg shots into play, but most of his runs came from forceful drives. An occasional cut lent variety to his scoring shots. Some of his shots were inclined to be uppish,' but this was really a fault of the wicket, which, by the way, the groundsman has had no opportunity to put into good trim. Blunt was very unlucky in not .reaching his century. _ He had scored 10 of his runs- on the previous Saturday* and the remaining 85 he knocked up in 70 minutes. Gourley was content to keep his end up while Blunt did the scoring. He was at the wickets for over an hour and a quarter for 29, most of which came from •Square cuts, a shot- in which the Carisbrook colt is becoming very proficient. Gourley could score more runs if he tried to put more force behind his shots. A young batsman of his qapabilines. should be able to infuse more sparkle into his play. . . ‘ , Gourley was one of the victims of very risky tactics which Carisbrook have tried in their last two innings. Run-sneaking is interesting to watch and makes an appreciable difference in a score in a short time, but a slight error in judgment will usually result in the loss of a wicket. On one. occasion on Saturday Dickinson sent the ball halfway down the wicket and scored a run. The scheme worked quite soundly on occasions, but twice it resulted in the loss of a wicket, with serious consequences to Carisbrook. Blair again succeeded in tempting Dickinson, but not until he had reached the twenties. The remaining batsmen went cheaply. Holden, who was suffering from influenza, did not field. ■ Shepherd was in particularly good form •with the ball,' and made good use of a spot which Blamires had previously discovered. The ball shot up m tarncelling fashion, and always had Blum troubled. He was twice hit on the legs, and then a really good ball scattered his wicket. Shepherd maintained a good pace and a good length, and fully deserved his figures of five for 41. Blamires kept a consistent length, but neither M Ivor nor Blair was difficult. Albion had little trouble in securing three-point win, thanks to a fine innings of 83, not out, by Duncan. He presented the full face of the bat to any of Dickinson’s express deliveries that were on the wicket, and dealt severely with any loose stuff. He scored brightly on both sides of the wicket, and was always sure. Vorrath, like Gourley in Carisbrook’s innings, was content to keep his wicket intact. Dickinson was erratic, but when he reduced his pace he kept the batsmen quiet. Blunt always had to be closely watched, and three of the four wickets which fell went to him. Bad returning to the wicket was a very noticeable fault in fielding. THREE P(U NTS TO GRANGE. The cricket at the North Ground was uninteresting, the batting being very slow. The only good score was made by Strang, who compiled 68 after being missed in the slips off the first ball of the day. He made his runs in his usual solid style. Th« only other batsmen to reach double figures were R. Cherry, who batted for 90 minutes for 22, Ritchie, and M‘Gregor. Although Dunedin scored _ only 146 Grange tried no fewer than six bowlers, Elmes proving the most successful by taking four wickets for 22 runs. Elmes has started well with the ball, his figures being one for 33, two for 5, two for b, and four for 22. a total of nine wickets ’ for 66 runs. Alloo had a particularly hard day’s ■ bowling, but was not s dangerous as he was on the first day Both Galland and Knight were well watched. Though Grange required only 18 runs to win they could not be obtained without the loss of three wickets. Knight M'Mullan, and Elmes failed to break their “ ducks,” and three wickets were down for four runs. It was left to Alloo and Brown to knock off the re,quired runs, giving Grange a three-point win. “ WHO DISCOVERED MERRITT? ” The Christchurch Star, in reprinting Mr F. Williams’s impressions, of the New Zealand team, which appeared in this column last week, does so under the heading of “Who Discovered Merritt? ” Apparently, the northern writer doubts a statement made by “ Slip ” that it was Mr Williams who really discovered Merritt. Merritt, it will be remembered, was not selected to represent Canterbury until the game with Otago, the last Plunket Shield fixture of the season, and, according to reports which were current in Dunedin at the time, the choice of the Centerbury selectors was considered to be an unwise one. But Merritt made good and bagged eight wickets at a cost of 68 runs. In the first innings Merritt bowled 19 overs, compared with Read’s 23 and Cunningham’s 16. That his first innings’ performance of taking five wickets for 48 runs was regarded as more or less a flash -n the pan by the Canterbury skipper is shown by the fact that he was given only six overs in the second innings compared with Read’s 19 and Cunningham’s 18 Bbepherd, Blair, and Duncan fell victims to Merritt in each innings. Duncan and Blair were young batsmen being given a trial in representative cricket, and Shepherd at the time was sadly out of form Moreover, Dickinson threw his wicket away in the first innings. It will be seen, therefore, - that the Canterbury colt did not meet with particularly serious opposition. It was directly after this match that the New Zealand team was selected, and Merritt was given a place after playing onlv one game ’in representative cricket. Mr" Williams was the only New Zealand selector present at the match, and it was obviously on his recommendation that .Merritt was chosen. If credit is_ to be given where credit is due. then Mr Williams must be given the credit of recognising in Merritt a bowler of great possibilities and of discovering the one really indispensable member of the New Zealand team. If any credit is to be given to the Canterbury selectors, it can be given only because they gave a young man a cbance'and because they braved public opinion bv making a selection with which followers of cricket as a whole did not entirely agree. NOTES. ■ Centuries have been numerous in junior fra cl e matches this season. Saturday rought another crop, the outstanding performance being a remarkable score of 183 by Parsons, a member of the Chris tian Brothers’ Third Grade team. To R. Silver, who plays for the Albion thirds, went the honour of compiling the first centurv on Logan Park, bis score being 129. The third centurv in Third Grade was made bv Cunningham, of High School, who scored'loß- Cusack, of the Christian Brothers’ A Boys’ Association team, knocked up 101 retired. The Grade Committee lias no wickets to spare this season. At the beginning of the season it was one wicket short, but afterwards tbe full quota was obtained When the Caledonian Ground was being used for th» athletic sports meeting on

Saturday, however, three Jess than the required number of wickets was available, and six teams were without a game. It is pleasing to. note that arrangements have been made for another match between the doctors and the clergy, the fixture being set down for decision at Carisbrook next Wednesday. The first match of the kind was played at Carisbrook last year, and after a most enjoyable game, in which a good deal of interest was taken, the medical men proved superior. There is some good material in the ranks of both the doctors and the clergy, and variety will doubtless be provided by a few who are not strict adherents to orthodoxy so far as cricket is concerned. It is to be hoped that this contest will be established as an annual fixture, and that some of the'other professions may be induced to enter the lists. , / The West Coast Cricket Association makes good use of daylight saving. Recently it staged a match between the Old ’Uns and the Young ’Uns, the game being played from 5.30 to 8.30 on two successive evenings. L. Casey, the ex-Otago representative and a popular member of the Dunedin Club, playing for the Old ’Uns, took four wickets for 18 runs, and C. L. King, who also played for tho Dunedin Club last year, who wag a member of the Young ’Ons’ team, at one stage ' had bowled 11 overs for seven, maidens and seven runs, although lie took only two wickets. It has been found that the decision of the Cricket Conference regarding the introduction o the six ball over was intended to apply only to Plunket Shield matches and matches with visiting teams, so that the Otago Association need not have made aqy change. At any x’ate, no harm has been done. The news that Dunedin is to have a test match with the Australians is sweet music to the ears of local followers of the game. The tour is to begin in February, and some doubt has been expressed whether it will be possible to field the strongest New Zealand team because of the difficulty that players who went to England might have in obtaining leave. There is little doubt, however, that wo shall see a proportion, at any rate, of the players who went Home. Members of the Cricket Association were loud in their complaints at the meeting on Monday night regarding the dilatoriness of club secretaries in replying to communications from the association. Their complaints are well founded, and, indeed, the fault is so pronounced that tho association would not he going too far if it imposed some penalty. That it might be found advisable to drop Cunningham and Read from the Canterbury team this season is a statement made by the Christchurch Sun. In explanation the writer says;—“The suggestion to drop Read or Cunningham may sound like heresy to some ears, and at the moment, it is admitted that it is a question requiring consideration based on further developments in grade cricket. Clearly, however, Cunningham is not bowling up to his old form. His length is erratic, and he seems to have lost that medium-paced off-spin ball which whipped in so sharply to the confounding of batsmen. At Lancaster Park recently, when bowling against New Zealand, he showed jorne changes in -style. His run was shorter, and he bowled a faster ball than before. But the old easy swing of the body was no longer pronounced; instead there was a jerky action at the moment of delivery. Pace had been gained at the expense of other qualities. Yet Cunningham may com’e back to his old form and may be worth retaining. Read is bowling" well, indeed, seemingly as well as he has done, for some years—but he is a veteran, and it now becomes a question whether youth should not be served first.” E. M'Leod showed a pleasing return to form by contributing a stylish 58 at Wellington last week (states the Dominion). This able batsman, when a colt at Auckland, placed for New Zealand against MacLaren’s M.C.C. team in the first test match at Wellington in 1923, scoring £ and 9. He is inclined to be troubled by ■nerves, but nervousness is like the measles, and most young fellows have to get over them. As M'Leod is a useful slow legbreak bowler, he is a valuable man to any side. Norman Williams, the Adelaide slow bowler, who last year ran Grimmett to a short head for the greatest number of wickets taken in the Sheffield Shield series —he got 29 wickets at 32.27 each, as against Grimraett’s 30 at 34.66—has made a fine start in the grade games, as he did last year. For a couple of seasons past Williams has outshone the ex-Victorian in the club averages, and it may be that he will now take the place in big cricket that his admirers have been predicting for him. That - sterling young batsman, A. M. Hollings, came to light with another century for Wellington University team on Saturday, hitting up 108 by most refreshing cricket, in which lie ran the gamut of every stroke in the calendar (states “ Burwood ” in the Dominion) It was a tragedy that this fine all-round player unaccountably lost his form when the trial matches were held to pick the team for England last season. No doubt nervousness had a good deal to do with it. His day will come, however, ana that right speedily. Already this season he has two centuries to his credit, and he should be good for scores in the Plunket Shield and even national games before the season is over. In future the umpires for the big matches in New Zealand are to be chosen by a sub-committee appointed by the New Zealand Cricket Council. Playing on Saturday, the New Brighton Second Grade B team put up a remarkable performance against East Christchurch (says the Sun). New Brighton batted first and declared with six wickets down for 262. Then East, who were three men short, had their first attempt and made 65. This small total so disgusted two of the batsmen that they left ? the ground Following on, East were onlv at the crease for two overs. The bowlers. Bellamy and Smith, took all the wickets without a single run being scored. Just as I; Howat, the wicketkeeper for the Dominion team in the junior B grade, was taking a ball behind the sticks at Anderson Park recently, a ball hit from the adjoining pitch struck him on the check on the full toss from the bat. Everyone expected the stumper to drop like a pithed ox, but he only shook his head in a reproving kind of way, and went serenely on with his job. C. C. Dacre explains that he was misreported when he was credited with saying that umpires in England would not giv e a batsman out leg before wicket o r, man bowling round the wicket. He himself was given out in this manner in the match at Oxford. Moreover, Dacre was quite satisfied he was out. He has nothing but the highest praise for English umpires, who will not give batsman out leg before unless he is out bevond any reasonable doubt. ,