THE CRICKET CRITIC

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 859, 31 December 1929, Page 10

THE CRICKET CRITIC

Auckland Touring Team After its match with Southland, Mr. i E. C. Beale’s Auckland touring team j left Invercargill this morning for ' Oamarii. Tomorrow morning it com- j mences the third match of its tour i against ’ North Otago at the Waitaki j Boys’ High School grounds at 11 a.m. The match will b© continued on the following day, and on Friday the side leaves for Timaru, and the same morning commences its fourth match against South Canterbury at Park. This match is also a two-day fixture, and will be concluded on Saturday next. + M.C.C. v. Otago Team The Marylebone Cricket Club’s side commenced the fifth match of its New Zealand tour against the Otago representatives at Dunedin this morning. • The gam© will be continued on New Year’s Day and the following day. On Friday morning the team leaves for Invercargill and on Saturday commences its sixth match, versus Southland at Invercargill. The match is a two-day fixture, scheduled to finish on Monday next, January 6. The team then returns to Christchurch and will enjoy a two-day rest before the commencement of the first test. New Zealand v. England, at Christchurch on January 10. The Otago Match As it was recognised that Otago was much below its full strength, with Blunt, Dickinson and Shepherd unable to travel, the general expectation before the match began was that Auckland would have little difficulty in winning; The overwhelming win which ensued, however, surpassed all expectation, and gives Auckland a good leg in on the season’s competition for the Plunket Shield. Auckland’s Shield Chances As it by no means follows that Otago will provide such weak opposition when it meets Wellington, the province which without a doubt is Auckland’s most serious Shield rival, the advantage of this preliminary battle of the season may have far-reaching effects. In fact it may determine the ’resting-place of the Plunket Shield for the year 1929-30. * * * Otago v. Wellington There is every chance of Otago putting up a hot fight against Wellington as the match will be played at Dunedin and therefore Dickinson, Blunt and Shepherd should be available. The dates set down for this fixture are: January 31, February 1, 3 and 4. Thus even making allowances for the remote chance of an Auckland team being able to defeat a Wellington Shield side on the latter’s home heath, the Basin Reserve, the “luck of the draw” seems to have swung as much in Auckland’s favour as that of any other province. * * * Woolley’s “Leg-Befores” Apparently F. E. Woolley, England's gi eat left-hand batsman, has not yet adjusted his sight to the variations in light between England, Australia and New Zealand. In 11 innings in Austi ajia and New Zealand, he has been out lbw five times,

caught thrice, stumped twice, and clean-bowled only once, the occasion when he was bowled being that in which A. Fairfax got him when he had scored 219 against New South "Wales. ,He was out lbw in both of his innings against Western Australia, and in three of the

four innings which he has played, in New Zealand—once at Wellington, once at Nelson, and once at Christchurch. That he is not judging the bowling correctly yet is indicated by the fact that he thought that the ball from W. E. Merritt which got him lbw on Christmas Day was a leg-break to him—would have been an off-break to a right-handed batsman. It was actually a ball which went straight through without breaking—Merritt’s well-known “straightbreak.” * * * Playing of Coaches There has been much misrepresentation of the coach question in the correspondence columns of the newspapers of late. It is being argued that because Canterbury is not playing its professional-player coach, Jack Newman, in any of its Shield or representative games, therefore Auckland should not play A. F. Wensley either. It is also pointed out that neither Otago nor Wellington has a profes-sional-player coach engaged this season, and they also, therefore, cannot play one in their representative teams. Public to be Considered Then again the public, which does much to make, such ventures as the engagement of professional coaches possible, is entitled to consideration. The best chances of seeing coaches in action come during the representative season, and it is also true that as much can be gained from seeing experts of the game in action as being actually coached by them, oftentimes. Apart from the value of their services in the shape of centuries, wickets and catches, the colts of a side can derive much benefit and experience by playing with them in three and four-day matches. This is particularly true where such a fine allrounder as "Wensley is concerned. Canterbury in Particular The question of Auckland's sportsmanship has been brought into the question, by the suggestion that Auckland should not play Wensley in the Canterbury match. It may' be well if critics of that mind are informed that one member of the management committee of the Auckland Cricket Association has already taken the action, entirely unsolicited, of writing to a prominent member of the Canterbury Cricket Association and asking for his opinion on the question. That official, in reply, pointed out that Newman was not being played in the Canterbury team because the coach himself had expressed the wish that he should not be called upon for such services. Further, the Canterbury man agreed that there was nothing against Auckland playing its coach, and in doing so he advanced the reasons which have been stated above. Youthful Canterbury Side Considering the youthfulness of the team, and its inexperience against fast bowling, the Canterbury representative cricket team did not perform badly i in its match with the M.C.C. players. says the Christchurch “Sun.” It did ! quite well. too. in g-etting the English - j men out for 249 runs, even though there j were four lbw decisions—-of the eor- ; redness of all of which it would be ! difficult to convince the public—in that | innings, t ,

AUCKLAND TOURISTS

' BEATEN BY NINE RUNS MATCH WITH SOUTHLAND Press Association INVERCARGILL, Monday. The cricket match between Southland and Mr. E. C. Beale’s Auckland touring team was concluded today in fine weather. Southland won by nine runs in an exciting finish. On Saturday Southland made 103 in the first innings, and 3S without loss in the second. The visitors made 100. Continuing its second innings today, the -home team was all out for 129, leaving* the Aucklanders 133 to get to With two wickets still in hand, the visitors required onlv 10. but the remaining batsmen failed to score. Details are: V SOUTHLAND. First Innings 103 Second Innings. XISBET, b Lawrie 21 JOHNSTON, c Smith, b Sehnauer .. IS LEE, st Strickland, b Vivian .. .. IT McGOWAN. b Lawrie 2 ANDERSON, c Aicken, b Lyon .. 7 TABLET, b Owen 16 CARSON, ,o Langton, b Sehnauer.. 9 COUPLAND, not out 3 5 WOODS, b Vivian 2 AGNEW. c Smith, b Sehnauer .. .. ifi SPARKES, c Langton, b Sehnauer . . 7 Extras 5 Total 129 Bowling: Vipond, 0-13: Vivian, 2-s.fi: Lawrie, 2-15; Sehnauer, 4-13; Lyon, 1-2; Owen, 1-25. AUCKLAND. First Innings ..TOO Second Innings. LAWRIE, c Lee, b Johnston .. .. jl VIVIAN, c Lee, b Johnston 1 LYON, c Tapley, b Nisbet 34 VIPOND. Ibw, b McGowan 25 SCHNAUER, c Sparkes, b As new . . 10 SMITH, run out 2 LEWIS, not out S LANGTON, b Agnew l AICKIN. b Coupland 19 STRICKLAND, lbw, b Couplancl .... 0 OWEN, b Coupland 0 Extras 12 Total 123 Bowling: Couplai*u. 3-25; Johnston, 2-2 $: Agnew, 2-13; Nisbet, 1-21; McGowan, 1-6; Woods. 0-S.