PATCHY SCORING IN SENIOR CRICKET

Southland Times, Issue 23389, 22 December 1937, Page 15

PATCHY SCORING IN SENIOR CRICKET

Good Batting By Pickard For Old Boys

(By

NOT OUT)

Captains of junior grade teams are requested to place the reports of their matches in the letter box of The Southland Times Office on Saturday nights to ensure their publication on Monday morning. Result cards have been printed and can be obtained from this office or from the secretary of the Southland Cricket Association (Mr A. J. Hamilton). There can be no guarantee that results sent in on Sundays will be published.

Although there were some fair scores in the senior competition on Saturday, batting performances as a whole did not reach a very high standard, and there were no fewer than six “ducks,” while 19 other players failed to reach double figures. Old Boys, with 183, put up the highest score of the day and a splendid combined effort by Robinson and Johnston, who made 44 each, increased the tally by 83 runs. Appleby’s middle men save the day for their team, which made 151 and Uttley (42 not out) and Poole (22) gave Union a good start, although four other wickets fell cheaply. This game is now at an interesting stage, and if the .Appleby bowlers can maintain their form they should have a reasonable chance of winning. Uttley, however, is another “if,” and he has already made some big scores this season.

BOOD BOWLING BY T. McKENZIE SEVEN WICKETS FOR 43 One of the brightest spots in the Old Boys-Invercargill match was the bowling for Invercargill by T. McKenzie who took seven wickets for 43 runs. McKenzie keeps a good length and gets a little turn—just enough to beat the bat in many cases. Wesney was going well until he tried hitting Service out of the ground with a wild shot and was clean bowled. The innings was not shaping at all well until Robison and Johnston found themselves together and made a magnificent stand. Robison is one of the most promising young batsmen in Invercargill, but it was not until Saturday that’ he struck form. Johnston also struck form for the first time this year. Pickard’s was ’ a very pleasing knock and a bright exhibition of quick scoring and* clean hitting. Most of his runs consisted of fours, with one beautiful six off T. McKenzie on the on side. J. Pollok was the only Invercargill batsman to show up at all well, the others being unable to cope with the steady bowling of Pickard and Fraser. Fraser, who is down from training college, played for Southland in the Hawke Cup trip, and he opened his season well by taking five good wickets.

The fielding of both sides was good, Joel of Invercargill being outstanding in picking up and returning to the wicket.

APPLEBY-UNION MATCH

GAME AT INTERESTING STAGE Spence, who opened with Sievwright for Appleby, missed the previous Saturday’s play and appeared to be slightly out of practice. He played a patient innings until he stepped out to one from Uttley and was stumped by the watchful wicket-keeper. McKenzie, who made the highest score of 34, played the brightest innings of the afternoon, and included in his total was a magnificent six which landed in the yard of a house over the road. Calvert played a good solid game and Cliff Shirley had some nice strokes in his 21. Clarrie Shirley was batting nicely until he returned one to the bowler.

The Union bowling honours were evenly distributed, ' the five bowlers being tried and taking one wicket each. The fielding of both sides was fair, with room for improvement. Calvert stopped some very hot shots, but rather marred his performance by wild returns to the wicket.

Union took no risks at all, and required more than two hours to make its present total of 108. Uttley played a patient game and was rather fortunate towards closing time in being dropped on an easy catch in the slips—a fact which may have a considerable bearing on the result of the game. Poole, so far, is/ the only other double-figure scorer, with 22 in which some good strokes were included. He seemed to be a trifle more aggressive than usual.

Purdue and McKenzie bowled unchanged throughout the Union innings and bowled well to the finsh although Purdue did not appear to be bowling as well as on the previous Saturday.. McKenzie was certainly the more accurate of the two. MIXED MATCH WOMEN PLAY MARIST THIRD GRADE In a friendly game between Collegiate women’s and Marist third grade men’s teams there was some good bat-

ting by the women who played in the recent trial match at Christchurch. Mrs E. Blackie, who was the only one to make double figures in the first innings made a brilliant 30 and showed a return to her old form. Mrs Blackie also made 25 (retired) in the second innings, scoring with shots all round the wicket. Miss Thomas who was bowled very early in the first innings, made a bright 44 in the second visit to the crease. Miss Thomas gave a fine exhibition of free hitting combined with a very solid defence, making good use of a drive over the bowler’s head from which she scored three beautiful sixes. She also bowled well, securing six wickets for 28 runs. Miss B. Ingram also failed to make many runs in the first innings but made 28 (retired) in the second innings. Miss Ingram’s innings was a typical opening batsman’s one. She played patiently and waited on the loose balls to score off. Miss Ingram also bowled well taking three wickets for 12 runs. Miss Elsie Ingram took a beautiful catch in the long-field and she batted well in the first innings favouring a shot to the on-side. For Marist F. Brown secured eight wickets for three runs in the first innings with very good bowling. Miss A. Pittaway made a welcome reappearance on Saturday and in the second innings was not out. With a little practice she will be making runs again. Miss I. Dickson, who made top score 'at Christchurch, failed to get into double figures but showed her versatility by taking the gloves and allowed only two byes in the men’s score.

NORTHERN TOUR CANCELLED FULL TEAM NOT AVAILABLE It will be a disappointment to the Southland players who were able to make the tour and also to the centres where the matches were to be played to learn that the Christmas and New Year holiday tour by a Southland team has been cancelled. Several of the players who were selected found themselves at the last moment unable to go and efforts to replace them have failed, most players finding it difficult to secure the necessary leave. Central-Western Cricket Sub-As-sociation has notified the association that it is impossible to send a team to Invercargill on January 8 to play a junior representative side. The association has therefore asked the Eastern Southland Sub-Association if it can send a second senior team. COMPETITION POINTS POSITION OF TEAMS IN ALL GRADES The following are the competition points in the various grades up to the last completed games:—

SHIELD FOR JUNIOR CRICKET Mr G. Tasman Dawson, the veteran cricket l umpire of the Southland Umpires’ Association, has presented a handsome shield made out of beautiful polished Southland timber for competition among the junior A teams. The association has decided to allocate the shield to the team with the best aggregate score (highest average runs a wicket at end of season). The shield is to be competed for annually.

SENIORS (Including December 11) 4 pt 2 pt Champ Played win. win. points. Union 3 1 2 8 Appleby 2 2 - 8 Old Boys 2 — 1 2 Marist 3 — — 0 I.C.C. 2 - - 0 JUNIOR A (including December 4) Railway 3 1 2 8 Bluff 3 2 8 Old Boys 2 2 8 Appleby 2 2 8 Marist 2 1 4 High School 3 1 4 Georgetown 3 1 4 I.C.C. 3 — — Union 3 - - JUNIOR B (Including December ID Railway 6 4 1 18 Appleby 5 2 2 12 Bluff 6 3 •• 12 Borstal 6 2 — 8 Kiwi 5 - - — • THIRD GRADE (Including December 11) Marist 7 5 - 20 Appleby Old fioys High School 6 7 B 7 4 3 4 1 2 18 16 16 Georgetown 7 2 1 10 Union 6 2 1 10 High School A 6 2 - 8 High School C 6 - 1 2 ♦Kiwi 1 - - - ♦Withdrawn from competition.