CRICKET

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22810, 20 February 1936, Page 4

CRICKET

Bv Slip. Central Otago cricket should derive no little benefit from the visit of its team to Dunedin last Saturday to play an Otago team at Carisbrook. The visitors had the experience of playing on a perfect turf wicket —a considerable change from their chipped and •concrete wickets —in what was for the greater part of the day perfect cricket weather. And it may be said to the credit of the Central Otago men that they did not, as a great many other country sides have 'done, succumb to the unusual conditions. A batsman who comes straight off a concrete wicket on to a turf wicket may be excused if he fails to perform according to expectations, but with very few exceptions the Central Otago men stuck steadily to their guns and refused to allow themselves to be deceived by the strange conditions. Their performance on the day was a creditable one, and they may perhaps be accounted unlucky that the game did not result in a victory for them. It was close enough to be interesting all through. The best of the on • the day was Wishart, who not only secured the best bowling average but also made the highest score for Central Otago. The country team did not possess any great bowling strength, a lack of variety being the outstanding deficiency. Wishart bowled steadily throughout the day to take four wickets for 45 runs, while M’Avoy, who took two for 29, was probably the next best howler. In batting Wishart also impressed after a shaky start. He has, an awkward action, and was fortunate to escape being caught once or twice at the start of his innings, but when he settled down he displayed some clean, powerful shots that brought his score on. rapidly. Gqurley, who made 51 played a patient innings—very patient —although he got one or two nice shots past point and through the slips towards the end of his strike. The only other batsman to make a score was White, who scored an enterprising 34 before having the misfortune to be run out. . The experience of having played against an Otago side should prove to be a valuable one for the country cricketers, and the impression given is that a greater number of such matches with the smaller associations would result in a general improvement in the standard of cricket in the province.

PICKARD AND M’KELVEY FOR DUNEDIN > A G. Pickard’ and R. T. MTvelvcy. of the Old' Boys’ Club, are coming to Dunedin to continue their studies at the Dunedin Training College. Both of these plavers have represented Southland, and at the present time (says the Southland Times) are looked upon as among the best in the province to-day. Pickard has proved himself to be a good mediumpaced bowler. He can swing the ball either way, and also has command of a good off break. On certain wickets he is difficult to play. His batting promised well some years ago, but he has not developed it beyond being able to play correct cricket, with a liking for a powerful off drive. He may be regarded as a good all-rounder. ; It M’Kelvey was one of the most promising boys the Southland High School turned cut some years-.ago, and later, .when he was transferred, to Dunedin, he proved this by developing under the tutelage of F. T. Badcock, the Otago Associations coach. M’Kelvey then returned to Invercargill, and immediately won his way into the Southland team, but for some unaccountable reason failed to reproduce the form he had shown at the practice nets and in club games. As an all-rounder he had few equals. He could bat very well, and was a bowler of outstanding ability. There is no doubt about Abe cricket that is in him, and Sputhlanders who admired his play will look tor a return to form in hie Dunedin games. WHIRLWIND HITTING A whirlwind of hard hitting by F. T. Badcock, who attacked the bowling without first playing himself in, was the feature of Saturday’s play in the Plunket Shield against . Otago at Lancaster Park on Saturday. Badcock opened with A. E Knight, and made 50 while his partner made three, and his half-century was scored at the rate of two runs a minute. All the bowling was treated alike by the professional, whose total included eight 4 s and one 6, this last being one of the biggest hits seen on the ground for a long time. He lifted Merritt out of the ground and into the back yard of a house between the east and new stands. Badcock tried the same tactics in the second innings against Wellington at Carisbrook, but was caught before he reached double figures. MERRITT’S BOWLING In the Canterbury-Otago f match, W. E. Merritt took, in all, 13 wickets, an achievement that capped a remarkable Plunket Shield season (says the Christchurch Star-Sun). Here are hia figures for the season: — . , . Against Wellington, five for /2 and five for 49. Against Auckland, four for 144 and four for 82. , Against Otago, six for 56 and seven for 125. Merritt’s total, therefore, is 31 wickets for 528 runs. Average cost per wicket, 17.03. This performance outstrips those of other leading provincial bowlers. For instance, in Auckland’s three Shield engagements, Vivian took 18 for 284, average 15.77; and Townsend, the English professional, 16 for 334, average .2().87. For Wellington, Parsloe took 18 wickets for 232-runs, average 12.88; H. Griffiths 18 for 273, average 15.16. Merritt sent down the big total of 44 overs on Saturday and, after some loose ones at the start when Badcock wag slogging he settled down to bowl an almost perfect length with keen judgment and skill behind every delivery. No other slow bowler in New Zealand could have shouldered the burden so ably, and the performance was a complete answer to critics who professed to believe that Merritt wa s losing his former deadliness. QUESTION OF OBSTRUCTION A correspondent asks for a ruling on an incident which happened recently. The batsman apparently (writes A. G. Moyes in the Sydney Sun and Guardian) played the ball into the air about eight feet and it would have landed on the popping crease. The wicket-keeper, to quote my correspondent, would probably have caught the ball, but the batsman hit it again and stopped him from so doing. The batsman took the view that the ball might Jiave bounced back and hit the stumps, but the umpire gave him out for obstructing the field. . . I, agree with the umpire. - The decision was given for obstruction, and law 26 reads:—“Or if under pretence of running or otherwise either of the batsmen wilfully prevent a ball from being caught —obstructing the field. (The striker is out in all cases under this rule.) It is, of course, for the umpire to decide on the facts before him if the obstruction was wilful. The batsman’s claim that the ball might have bounced back to the wicket and that he had a right to prevent it cannot be seriously considered if the facts given are correct. A ball hit eight feet into the air above the popping crease would be well within reach of the wicket-keeper and he would without any difficulty reach it. There would be little chance of it reaching the ground and little prospect of it coming back to the wicket without the ’keeper touching it. No doubt the umpire weighed these points and decided that the obsti notion was wilful. NOTES L. 0. Fleetwood-Smith, the Victorian cooriv bowler was dropped from Australia’s team for the fourth test against South Africa. In. the earlier tests he took only nine wickets in all for 389

runs. He has failed to attain anything like the anticipated success. His offspinner has been scored from freely. Harold Cameron, who scored 61 for Otago against Southland at Invercargill on Saturday, scored 17 off one over from Spence—a four, a six, and a four, off successive balls. H. Martin also batted in aggressive style, included in Ins score of 47 r 'being two sixes. A. Cameron, the Otago slow bowler, was severely dealt with by Southern, who hit him iu one over for two sixes. Talbot, the Otago captain, won the favour of the spectators by taking his men out to field despite the fact that rain was falling, and by ignoring the handicap of a wet field and a greasy ball be was able to force a win for Ins side. Talbot finished up with the fine bowling average of seven for 32. Tallon, the 19-vear-old Queensland wicket-keeper, who made 193 in the second innings <ig£iinst Victoria in the ohetneJcl Shield match at Brisbane, is spoken of as a likely successor to Oldfield as the Australian wicket-keeper. . . J. Worrall, writing in the Australasian, states that the members of Tarrant s team have stood up well to the climate, food, and water in India, but that a cricketing tour of that country cannot be recommended for veterans