NEW ZEALAND CRICKET TEAM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26047, 10 January 1946, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND CRICKET TEAM

Next month a New Zealand cricket team will take the field to play in one or more tests against a visiting Australian team. Taking recent Plunket Shield form as the principal guide, most of ihe places should be easily filled, but no doubt there will be some controversy over the remaining places. A suggested eleven has been named by a Christchurch StarSun writer as follows:—.T. Cowie (Auckland), T. B. Burtt (Canterbury), R. H. Scott' (Canterbury), L. A. Butterfield (Canterburv), W. M. Wallace (Auckland). W. A. Hadlee (Otago). I. B. Cromb (Canterbury), V. J. Scott (Auckland), C. G. Rowe (Wellington), A. W. Roberts (Otago), and G. H. Mills (Otago). Says the StarSun: “Mills, of Otago, has strongest claims for the post' of wicket-keeper. He allowed only eight byes in two innings against Wellington and only 12 in Auckland's long innings of 473 at Carisbrook. He made a fine 61 with the bat against Auckland. Hadlee and Cromb, both batsmen with big match temperament, are the suggested openers. Some will contend that Cromb is not yet back to his top form. Every batsman of class, from Hobbs downwards, has lean periods. This keeps the bowlers encouraged. Even in half form, Cromb has a wider range of forceful, effective shot's than any New Zealand rival except Wallace. Verdun Scott, the tall, cool Aucklander, tops by far all the Shield batting averages to date. His average is 141.0, the result of 282 made in three innings, once not' out. Rowe, taking also into account his brilliant fielding, is the best choice of the Wellington men. His batting average for the two games, against Otago and Canterbury. stands at 34.2, excelling that of Rice or Ell. A. W. Roberts has a representative batting average of 32.6, though in bowling he has taken but three wickets. J. Cowie, No. 1 choice for the side, has taken 11 wickets at a cost of 15.3 runs apiece, topping the full list for New Zealand so far.”

Henry Cotton, M.B.E. The valuable services rendered to the British Red Cross by Henry Cotton, famous professional golfer, have been recognised by the award of' an M.B.E. During the ’war years he organised a continuous series of professional golf matches in aid of the Red Cross and kindred societies. These matches proved to be wonderful money-spinners, and, when peace came the magnificent sum of over £50,000 had been raised. On one occasion in 1940 the “ gate ” in a 36-hole contest between Dick Burton, the present Open Champion, and Henry Cotton realised over £2OOO, and five other matches held in the same year each raised over £IOOO. The average attendance at these Red Cross matches was about 6000, which seems to indicate that the people of Britain regard golf as a worth-while spectator-sport. From 1940 until recently Henry Cotton served with the Royal Air Force with the rank of Pilot Officer. Allcott’s Bowling During the recent Plunket Shield match between Auckland and Otago at Carisbrook J. Cowie, of the Auckland side, captured his 100th wicket in Plunket Shield, cricket, but there was another player also taking part in the match whose total approaches that figure. This was the ex-Aucklander, Cyril Allcott, who has not taken part regularly in matches in recent years, but has 93 wickets to his credit. These have been obtained at a cost of 2279 runs. Allcott’s bowling for Otago in last week’s match was really the best on the side, for in conditions not at all favourable to bowlers he showed that acumen which gained him success denied to the others. His three victims were all amongst the batsmen high on the list, including two of the century makers, and at one time he had three for 61, his.'final figures being three for 91. Another record in Plunket Shield cricket held by Allcott is his fifth-wicket partnership with C. C. Dacre for Auckland against Otago in the 1926-27 season, their association adding 197 to Auckland’s score. Dacre made 109 and Allcott 87. Success of Former Champions The Alexandra Amateur Athletic Club had a successful revival of its annual sports on New Year's Day, and the field events provided . some interesting performances, with two former champions in A. A. Cameron and P. G. Ward well to the fore. Cameron (North Otago), winner of many New Zealand titles, showed that his lay-off from competition has not affected his form, and his winning effort in the 161 b shot-putting event was 36ft ljin. P. G. Ward, who was winning titles for the Anglican Club nearly 20 years ago. and is now one of the mainstays of the Kaitangata Club, threw the javelin 132 ft 7in, which, with the aid of a 10ft handicap, enabled him to beat the scratch man, K. W. Paterson. Ward also filled second place in the discus-throwing event. At his best Ward was capable of throwing the javelin 150 feet or better, and that he is capable of doing over 130 feet still is due to the good technique he developed. Auckland Century Makers

Of the three century makers for Auckland in the Plunket Shield cricket match against Otago at Carisbrook last week, R. W. G. Emery stood out as far the most attractive run-getter. He possesses a much greater variety of strokes than either V. J. Scott or H. T. Pearson and he is also a useful bowler. His all-round display made an excellent impression on the spectators at Carisbrook. Although Scott’s 167 was the highest score in the match, his baiting" was not such as to arouse enthusiasm. He apparently possesses few scoring strokes, and the only two which he brought at all into prominence were a rather restrained push behind mid-on. and an occasional chop or slice through ihe slips. Scott displayed unlimited patience, and in the circumstances his contribution was undoubtedly a valuable one. Pearson, too, was unusually restrained, as it is understood that when the occasion is not so serious he can score much more brightly and use a greater variety of strokes than he unfolded during his long stay at the wickets. It may be added that in Scott’s big score there were 83 singles and only five 4's.

Versatile Rugby Player Major Jack Finlay, M.C., vice-captain of the unbeaten Kiwi touring Rugby team, is a versatile player. Starting off as a forward for Manawatu in 1935, Finlay later became a back, and for several years lie was Manawatu’s outstanding player. He possessed speed, determination, and a safe pair of hands. Shortly before the war Finlay appeared for Manawatu in the role of a loose forward. He was an immediate success. He did not shirk the tight work. In fact, he revelled in it. Finlay came right into his own in the early war years while stationed at Trentham camp prior to embarking for the Middle East. In the 1940 and 1941 seasons he was regarded as one of ihe outstanding forwards in the country. Overseas he quickly made his mark in divisional sides, and on the present tour of Great Britain has been receiving lavish praise from English critics. His displays in Wales have been of a particularly high standard. Dominion Lawn Tennis Titles Tlie New Zealand lawn tennis championships began at Auckland last week, and although none of the title-holders are competing, all the championships being captured on the last occasion by members of the Australian team, practically all the leading New Zealand players are engaged. J. Robson, Otago’s first man, and Miss M. Kerr, also of Dunedin, both reached the third round. Miss Kerr was then eliminated by the former New Zealand champion, Miss M. Beverley, of Waikato, but Robson entered tlie last 16 by defeating M. Radonich (Auckland). Robson, who was one of the seeded players, has already done well in the Singles, and in partnership with O. Bold, of Hutt Valley, has been given a good chance of reaching the finals of tlie Men’s Doubles in spite of a desperte struggle to survive the first round, which Robson and Bold won only 6—4 in the fifth set.

Series of Misfortunes James Watt, the young New Zealander, met with a series of misfortunes when playing in the Daily Mail professional golf tournament at St. Andrews. Watt had been well up among the leaders on the first day with a 76. His opening drive in the second round was sliced and looked to be going out of bounds, but' bounced back into the bend of Swilgan Burn that comes back towards the tee. This left him with another curve of the burn between him and the green, and he got into it again. And then two successive attempts to chip over were fluffed into the water again. Four shots into the burn and four for lifting out swelled his total for the hole to 11, which must be just about a record for this first hole in any first-class event. Success at Timaru There were a number of outstanding performances at the South Canterbury Caledonian Society's sports at Timaru on New Year’s Day. J. H. Borland, a former Canterbury athlete, who is now resident in Wellington, won both the High Jump and the Broad Jump. In the former he was credited with clearing 6ft 2Jin. If this is correct, it is more that what has been claimed for it—a record tor the Timaru Caledonian Ground. Tt is, indeed, a best New Zealander’s performance. The existing mark is 6ft ljin by M. H. Chadwick (Auckland) in 1938. Borland was second in the High Jump at the last New' Zealand championship meeting. The 880 Yards Amateur Flat Handicap was -won by R. B. McKernan, of the Civil Services Club, and the ex-Dunedin professional wheelman, R. Wilson-Pyne, won the one and two mile cycle handicaps when opposed to the best Canterbury amateur riders. Wilson-Pyne has had much success at the local evening meetings, and he gave a fine display of strong, fast pedalling in Timaru. Doubles Ranking Ladder The Doubles ranking ladder of the Otago Lawn Tennis Association has now been published and this should result in keen competition among the ranked pairs. As was to be expected, J. Robson and R. Sincock, the winners of last year's Doubles Championship at Easter head the ladder, followed by J. C. Robertson and A. Cameron, the runners-up in the same championship. D. Radford and G. Laidlaw, however, are a pair who should cause the leaders some trouble. There are still vacancies on both the men’s and ladies’ ladders. The latter is headed by Mrs C. J. Rawlinson and Miss M. Kerr and Mrs A. Borthwick and Miss M. Warburton. New Golf Balls Golfers cannot expect supplies of new golf balls until March. Earlier it was announced that there was every prospect of new balls being available at the beginning of the New Year, but latest information is that golfers will now have to wait until March. A synthetic rubber golf ball, comparing favourably with the pre-war rubber-cored ball, will be available in Britain within a few weeks. Mr A. Peake-Jones, secretary of the Golf Ball Manufacturers’ Conference, states that some manufacturers despatched their first consignments to stores and professionals recently. Bowling Costume As the result of persistent offending against the regulations governing bowling costume, the Dunedin Centre has decided that tile time has arrived when definite action must be taken against offenders. On account of the difficulty of procuring white or cream trousers the regulations were modified a couple of seasons ago to enable players in four-rink or Saturday interclub games to substitute grey trousers for creams and whites, but a good many players appear to make their own rules with respect to dress. The matter was brought before the Centre at its last meeting by the Portobello Club’s representative, who said his club wished to have a definite ruling on the question of dress. This . gave rise to a lengthy discussion, as the outcome of which each club is to be asked to appoint three representatives (preferably from the committee) to see that the costume rule is observed. Players in fourrink and also Saturday games may wear light grey trousers in place of creams or whites, and if they do not possess a blazer they may wear a sports coat as a substitute. So far as headwear is concerned the Centre, while expressing the hope that players would have sufficient pride in their personal appearance and in their clubs to avoid wearing darkcoloured hats, decided to leave the question to the good taste of the players themselves. The position now is that players who in the future appear in dark-col-oured trousers are to De politely but firmly told by one of the appointed representatives of the club that they cannot take any part in that day's game. Promising Schoolboy Cricketer The chief agent in the first innings victory oi the Otago junior cricket eleven against the Southland junior team was D. G. St. John, the Otago Boys’ High School player. In Southland’s first innings he took six wickets for 23 runs and when Otago batted he contributed the highest score of 35. Until this season. St. John was regarded primarily as a batsman, but he has developed as a mediumpace in-swing bowler, and has already achieved considerable success with the ball. He is the most polished batsman in the Otago Boys' High School first eleven, and although he failed in the December match against Christ’s College to produce anything like his true batting form, his more recent success should serve, to give him that confidence which is required in important matches.

Fine Performance When A. W. Roberts took the wicket of E. M. Meuli in the match against Auckland at Carisbrook last week, he joined the list of bowlers who have taken 50 wickets in Phinket Shield cricket. He is one of 13 players who have scored 1000 runs or more and taken 50 or more wickets in Shield matches. Roberts has scored nearly 1800 runs in Shield games, with a highest score of 181. Three Treble Winners Of all the thousands who have contested the New Zealand bowling championships since the tournament was inaugurated in 1914, only three have won all three titles. Greatest of all was the late Maxwell Walker, who, playing for the Auckland Club, won the Singles in 1915, 1919, and 1923, the Pairs in 1927, and the Fours in 1932 K. M. Brackenridge (Newtown) won the Singles in 1921, skipped the winning pair in 1922, and was third in L. M. Naylor’s Lyall Bay team that won the Fours in 1933. E. Harraway (Dunedin) won the Singles in 1920, skipped the pairs twice to victory in 1914 and 1918, and led the winning four of 1926. Ex-Otago Champion In addition to the two local players competing in the New Zealand lawn tennis championships at Auckland, Otago has an interest in the performances of Miss L. Karauti, who in 1944 won the Otago Ladies’ Singles Championship at Logan Park by defeating Miss M. Park in the final. Miss Karauti, whose game would be much more effective on the grass of Auckland than on asphalt won her first round 6—2, C—o. She is playing as a Poverty Bay representative. Promising All-round Athlete In J. McLaughlan the Celtic United Club has a member who is showing promise in several branches of athletics. Prior to Christmas he was a winner at the Otago Centre’s evening meetings, and he had a' day out at. Alexandra, where he won the 440 Yards and the Hammer Throw 1 , and was first equal in the High Jump. Seventeen years of age, McLaughlan is a well-grown boy, and his principal athletic interest is in the field events. He is being coached by Mr R. Wilson, of the Caversham Club, who :s also looking after other field athletes. Maiden and Novice A question arose at, some of the amateur sports meetings efuring the holidays regarding the qualifications for “ maiden ” and “ novice ” events. The rule is as follows:—"A maiden athlete is one who, at the time of competing, has never won a first: prize in any competition under New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association rules. A novice is one who, at the time of entering, lias never won a prize of any description in a similar class of competition. Walking, flat racing, hurdling, cross-country running, jumping and field events are separate classes. These clauses do not apply to school or boy’s races.” Junior Yachtsmen’s Race The annual race for junior yachtsmen will be held by the Ravensbourne Boating Club or. Saturday. The club extends an invitation to all sailing men 21 years of age and under to compete for the trophy which goes with this contest, and which is won outright each year. All the members of the crews must be under the stipulated age limit. The race will start af 3 p.m. and will be over a windward and leeward course, starting from the club pavilion.