CRICKET

Southland Times, Issue 21662, 26 March 1932, Page 14

CRICKET

(By

“Slips.”)

Conditions were again ideal for the resumption of the matches on Saturday and the various grounds were well patronized by spectators. The conclusion of the I.C.C.—Marist match was the chief attraction and a keen contest was witnessed, the result being uncertain until the drawing of stumps, I.C.C. ultimately proving victors by two runs on the first innings.

As was anticipated Union had no difficulty in securing an outright win over Bluff, the latter’s second innings producing only 62 runs.

At High School grounds the ApplebySchool game resumed. In the first innings School declared with 260 for eight wickets, and speculation was rife whether Appleby were capable of overtaking this total. With three wickets lost comparatively cheaply, School’s chance looked bright, but a vigorour partnership between Jones (115) and Purdue (125) settled all doubts and when stumps were drawn Appleby had compiled 350 for eight wickets and thus secured a first innings win by 90 runs. With a total of 53 points to their credit, I.d.C’s. position in the championship is practically unassailable. Next in order are

High School 46 and Marist 45, and in the remaining matches it will require outright wins for Appleby and School for the latter to displace I.C.C. or Appleby and Marist for Marist to tie.

On account of the Easter holidays there will be no competition matches played today. The final fixture for the season being set down for April 2 and 9. The next, meeting of I.C.C. and Appleby is being keenly looked forward to as the result may determine the championship. In the first round I.C.C. secured an outright win against the suburban team, but should the latter produce the form they are capable of they may quite possibly return the compliment this round. An incident which is causing quite a discussion and diversity of opinion amongst past and present cricketers occurred in a recent local game. A batsman played a ball hard towards the boundary and it was stopped by a fieldsman before the boundary was reached. In the meantime the batsman had run two. In the act of returning the ball to the wickets the fieldsman let it slip from his hand and the ball went over and clear of the boundary. The point of issue is how many runs should be scored? Was it an overthrow? It was definitely a boundary, but should four or six runs be allowed? Should the two runs already completed be added to those allowed ? It would be interesting to have an M.C.C. ruling on the points raised.

The fact that six members of the Auckland team which played South Africa at Eden Park are left-handed batsmen may possibly constitute a record in representative cricket (says the Auckland Star). The coincidence was mentioned by Mr "Don” Miller, who broadcast an account of the match. He also noted the somewhat unusual fact that each of the South African wickets in the visitors’ compelled innings fell at the Kingsland end. The left-hand-ers were Mills, Allcott, McCoy, Byerley, Cleverley and Vivian. Of these Allcott, Byerley and Vivian are left-handed bowlers as well as batsmen, while the remaining three are right-handed bowlers. A correspondent mentions the case of a team at Thames some years ago, in which ten of the team were left-handed batsmen.

Surroundings different from any in which he has yet played ■ cricket await W,. t E. Merritt, who has left Christchurch on his way to England to take up his professional engagement with the Rishton Club, in the Lancashire Cricket League (says the Sun). In the League’s Saturday afternoon matches Merritt will bowl and bat with thousands of Lancashire mill workers and miners .sitting around the ground with pots of beer at These Lancashire folk are keen, and very candid critics of cricket and cricketers. Woe betide the players who displease them! They are, though, very friendly to anyone who takes their fancy, and if Merritt does well and pleases them,

as he should, they will treat him well, both in their “barracking” and in their contributions of “talent money.” By the way, we will be surprised it Merritt is back from England before several weeks of the 193233 season of club cricket in Christchurch is passed, but he may be expected' before the Plunket Shield matches of the season begin.