CRICKET

Taranaki Daily News, 17 February 1927, Page 4

CRICKET

LNTER-CLUB MATCHES VISITORS FROM MELBOURNE.

(By

"Not Out,”)

Inter-elub fixtures were again postponed last Saturday on account of the Taranaki Jockey Club’s meeting, so there is little of interest to chronicle this week. There is to be another interruption this week-end, but no one will mind that, as cricketers will have the pleasure of witnessing the Melbourne team in action against Taranaki. The result of so many interruptions to club fixtures this year, however, will be causing some concern to the executive of the North Taranaki Cricket Association. Only one match of the second round has been played, and each team has yet to play at least four matches, which means eight playing Saturdays. This will occupy the time fully up to April 16, which is Easter Saturday, and the writer understands that the Recreation Ground is booked for a football match on that date. As matters stand at present there are three teams practically level for the championship and it appears necessary to play the competition right out before the winners can be found. After that the winners of the North and South play off for the provincial championship, but football will have commenced by that time. It seems then that some curtailment of fixtures will be necessary, and it is to be hoped that the Northern executive will take the matter up at once and give some indication of their intentions. The position of the various teams in the senior competition, given below, makes interesting reading. The splitting of the Old Boys club into two teams has had the effect of making the competition much more even, and it will be noticed that no team has had less than two defeats registered against it. To predict the winners at this stage of the season is a task the writer finds quite beyond him, but one thing is certain and that is, there are going to be some keen and stubbornly contested games before the season closes. And that is all for the good of the game. High School, who have been carrying on under great difficulties during the holidays, will now have a full team in the field. Reports from the School state that five of last year’s team viz., Petty, H. Fookes, Beck, Larkin and Hayward have returned, and from this nucleus a good side will be able to be formed. The boys are hard at practice in view of their fixture against Wanganui College, which takes place at Wanganui some time next month. Of the boys who have left, Fletcher is playing for Egmont Village where he is bowling with some success, K. Fookes has joined Old Boys B. J. Ewart will be in one of the Old Boys teams, Galbraith has gone to Auckland, while Medley is at present devoting his time to athletics but will probably join up with Old Boys. This annual exit of school players gives Old Boys club some very valuable material, of which one hopes they will make good use.

THE MELBOURNE MATCH. Great interest has been aroused locally in the visit to New Plymouth of the Melbourne cricket team, which commences its match against the elect of Taranaki on Friday at 11 a.m. With two men such as Warwick Armstrong and Vernon Ransford in the team, there is no fear that the vistiors will not fail to draw a crowd to Pukekura Park, and although the most sanguine of Taranaki’s supporters cannot expect our side to win, yet it is our confident expectation that our men will put up a good fight against their redoubtable opponents.

It will be interesting to see how our two bowlers, Clarke and Cole, who have done so well in the Hawke Cup matches, fare when opposed to batsmen of the highest class. Most Taranaki cricketers regard both these bowlers as something a bit above the ordinary minor association standard, and the real testing of their metal will be one of the most interesting features of the match. The chief drawing power, however, will be the great ex-Australian captain, W. Armstrong, for he is a great personality on the cricket field, whether he be batting, bowling, or controlling his field. It is the hope of all cricket enthusiasts to see him at work in all departments of the game. Ransford, not so many years ago regarded as about the most brilliant bat in Australia, will also be watched with interest, as will the fast bowling of Ebeling. The selectors of the Taranaki team have' made some changes in the personnel of the side. Brown, Giblin, and Betts who played against Poverty Bay, have been replaced by Monaghan, Lay, and Petty, and the team is probably the stronger for the change. Monaghan, who in his younger days played for New Zealand as a bowler, is nowadays quite a fair batsman, and Lay showed in the Wairarapa match that he is one of the best bats we have. The selection of Petty will no doubt be adversely criticised, but he is a good steady bowler when in form, and a good field; and he will have the best wishes of all cricketers for success. In this game, when no Hawke Cup is at -stake, it is to be hoped that our batsmen will not play that absurdly stodgy game they have indulged in in the later Hawke Cup fixtures, but instead play their natural game and not be afraid to go for the bowling. Hawke’s Bay were able to compile the good score of 247 against the visitors, and there is no reason why our batsmen cannot do the same, provided they play the right game. THE NEW ZEALAND TEAM. The perusal of the cricket columns of the papers of the four leading cities of the Dominion provides rather entertaining criticism of the fourteen men who have been selected to represent New Zealand on the cricket fields at Home. One comes to the conclusion, however, that local partisanship has been responsible for most of the criticism. Auckland scribes bewail the omission of Rowntree as first wicketkeeper, and of Player who has done well with both bat and ball, and are severe on the inclusion of McGirr, Dempster and Merritt. Wellington regards the selection as fairly sound, but bemoans the non-inclusion of Kortlang. Canterbury, having more men included than anticipated is jubilant, while Otago cannot understand why Alloo is omitted. So there you are! What strikes the impartial critic is the fact that the team has been chosen in a manner to give youth its chance. Men have been chosen

who will have many years of cricket ahead of them after their return, and, as the tour is really for educational purposes, one feels that the selectors are right. Certainly the eclcction of young Merritt, an 18 year old youth fresh from school, is a daring experiment but for the sake of the lad and the selector’s reputation, everyone will hope that their judgement is sound. He is a slow leg break bowler of good length, and can bowl the "wrong one” without any apparent change of action.

The more one considers the. side the more optimistic do its chances of success appear. For batsmen there are Lowry, .lames, Blunt, Badcock, Page, Mills, Dacre, Oliver, Allcott and Dempster—ten batsmen who have proved their worth by some sterling performances this season. Henderson is the only fast bowler and he is not really fast, McGirr is fast medium, Cunningham and Badcock are stock medium paced who can bowl a length ail day, Merritt and Blunt will supply the slow stuff, while Allcott is slow to medium with a big break. Of these Hendrson, Alleott and iferritt are left-handers. The wicket-keepers are James and Lowry, neither first class, but young and capable of much improvement. Considerable anxiety is being expressed as to the captaincy of the side. For a tour of this kind it is necessary that the captain must not only be a good leader on the field, but also of a tactful and commanding personality off the field. What everyone -wishes for most, Is that the team will play the right kind of game in a splendid sporting spirit and will take its defeats and victories in a manner which will enhance the reputation that the Dominion holds in the Old Country. It is in this direction that a captain can make or mar the tour, and no doubt the selectors on the New Zealand Cricket Council are giving the matter their very earnest attention. The following are the batting and bowling averages of the team in the Plunket Shield matches for this season: — BATTING.

THE WELLINGTON TEAM. . By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Wellington team to play Mel bourne on February 25, 26 and 28 is as follows: Brice (captain), Hiddleston Foley, Kortlang, James, Hollings, McGirr, Badcock, Lamason, Lambert and Beard, with Airey as twelfth man. Hen derson is not available. ADVANCEMENT IN OTAGO. Dunedin, Feb. 16. At a meeting of the Otago Cricke Association it was decided to call a public meeting to consider the question of securing a coach and the general advancement of cricket.

Name Innings Not Highest Buns Average out score T. C. Lowry 4 0 110 257 64.25 K. C. James 6 2 107* 204 63.50 R. C. Blunt 6 1 131* 2-84 56.80 F. T. Badcock 6 0 155 366 51.00 M. L. Page 6 0 78 260 43.33 J. E. Mills 6 0 63 237 39.50 C. C. Dacre 6 0 109 233 38.83 C. Oliver € 0 66 14)2 32.00' C. F. W. Allcott 6 0 87 114 19.00 M. Henderson 4 2 18* 35 17.50 \V. Cunningham 6 1 22* 60 12.00 W. E. Merritt 2 0 18 23 11.50 H. M. McGirr 6. 0 41 68 11.33 C. 8. Dempster 4 0 13 37 9.2-5 BOWLING. Name Wickets Runs Average W. E. Merritt 9 76 8.44 M. Henderson 12 209 17.41 F. T. Badcock 17 300 17.64 R. C. Blunt 18 337 18.72 H. M. McGirr 13 307 23.61 C. F. W. Allcott 12 2'19 24.91 W. Cunningham 14 457 32.64