THREE RUNS WANTED

Taranaki Daily News, 2 December 1929, Page 4

THREE RUNS WANTED

VICTORY ALMOST WITHIN GRASP

HURDLE JUST TOO BIG FOR NORTH

CRICKET MATCH AT HAWERA DRAWN

North Taranaki required only three more runs to win when time was called in the annual fixture for the Graham Cup. against South Taranaki at Hawera on Saturday. The match was therefore drawn. Intermittent rain throughout the day made conditions very unpleasant. South won the toss and batted first for 100 runs. North requiring to make this score in an hour and threequarters for a win, had 148 up for seven wickets when stumps were drawn.

Rain also marred the Town v. Country and High School v Country B games in North Taranaki. Country won both their matches, Country A gaining a narrow victory by three a t Chip had been extended for a quarter of an hour m a one innings match Town scored 137 and Country 140. Brown (32) topped Se score and H. Fookes (five for 36) the bowling averages. At Tikorangi Country B comfortably defeated High School by 137 to 70. Newt. Giddy (46) was highest scorer.

SOME SURPRISES IN TOWN SARTEN TOP-SCORER WITH 45. NASMITH’S SUCCESS WITH BALL. Play was more than an hour late in starting owing to the weather, and delay on the journey down with one of the car-loads of North players. The inability to reach a decision was hardly satisfactory, but could not be helped on account of the weather. In the South innings some promising batting form was shown by Betts, Cheevers, Eden, Lay, Young and Sturrock, all of whom got well into double figures. Sturrock, the Hawera Technical High School boy, -gave a very pleasing display, and was the only one to attack Nasmith’s bowling with confidence. Betts also shaped very nicely for a young player. Certainly the bowlers were at a disadvantage with the wet ball, but, strangely enough, the two players probably included in the North team for their bowling alone, Eggleton and Ewart, did not secure a wicket. Clarke bowled very steadily, sending down 21 overs for four wickets and 37 runs, but the feature of the bowling was the success of Nasmith. After a season to date of unsuccessful club bowling, he staged a memorable return to form, and had the batsmen constantly at sea with his breaks. He took four wickets for 33 runs in 14 overs. Anothef feature of the innings was the wicket-keeping of Petty, who gave a splendid disjilay. In the North innings Sarten played a careful and very valuable innings for 45, scoring all his runs either with a chop shot past point or a quick hook to leg. All the other players who made runs did so at express speed in an endeavour to overcome the liandicap of time. Though lacking the speed of Petty, Atkins kept wickets well. SOUTH WIN ‘ THE TOSS. Penny won the toss from Nasmith and decided to bat. ’ Barker and Betts opened against the bowling of Clarke . and Randell. In Clarke’s second over Barker snicked Clarke into slips, and Sarten took a neat catch. 6 —1 —4. Cheevers, was next man, and he glided Clarke nicely to leg from his first ball. After two overs Randell was replaced by Ewart. The latter’s second bowl was a full-tossef, and Betts whacked him unmercifully to the square leg boundary. After that, however, Betts was uneasy to the slow bowler, and snicked him dangerously. Ewart was'sending down a number of loose balls, blit was nonplussing "both batsmen and wicket-keep-er at times. With the total at 36 Eggleton replaced Ewart and Cheevers enjoyed one of his leg balls, sending it nearly over the leg boundary, Betts doing likewise towards the on boundary. Nasmith took the ball from Eggleton, his high lob bowling and tremendous breaks immediately mystifying the batsmen and amusing the spectators. Betts was tempted, succumbed to a big hit, and was nicely caught by Kingstone in the long field. 58 —2—24. Betts had played a valuable and meritorious innings. Eden, of Nelson representative fame, came next, but lost Cheevers almost immediately. The left-hander jumped out to lift Nasmith out of the ground, missed, and Petty had the bails off in a twinkling—a pretty bit of stumping. 58 —3 — 26. Nasmith was bowling in great form, and had Lay tied up for an over. Eden was within an ace of being stumped when he went out to Nasmith and missed him. His tat was just back in time. The luncheon adjournment was taken with the score at 72. NASMITH TROUBLES BATSMEN; In his second over after lunch Nasmith secured an l.b.w. decision against Lay, to which some of the spectators took exception. Young was the newcomer, and from his second ball Petty rooted out the wicket for a stumping appeal, but he did not have the ball. Nasmith continued to have both Eden and Youn ri completely hoodwinked, and the scoring was very slow. Young cracked Nasmith for a nice boundary At 2.30 p.m. heavy rain set in. Eggleton replaced Clarke, who had hitherto bowled unchanged, and Ewart came on at the other end. For a period the batsmen played tJx-day test cricket, the scoring being wretchedly slow. They then opened out, punishing the wet bowling. Kandell replaced Ewart, who had done no good, and in his first over clean-bowled Eden. 119 —5—25. Nasmith came on at the other end and spectacularly caught and bowled Young with his first ball. HO —6—19. Sturrock and Hayes were the new batsmen, and the former attacked Nasmith’s bowling with enterprise—the first batsman to do so. Hayes did not last long, Kandell, skittling his stumps. 132-7-4 ' ’

Clarke came back in place of Nasmith and bowled Penny off his pads first over. 137—8—2. Thomas lasted one ball, Eggleton taking a spectacular low catch at mid-off, from Clarke’s bowling. 137 —9 —o. Atkins was last man. In conjunction with Sturrock he gave a bright display, both batsmen cracking everything, and Sturrock was clean-bowled in trying to lift Clarke out of the ground. He had made a nice 16. NORTH AT THE WICKETS. The two Country players, Giddy and Gibson, opened North’s batting against Lay and Thomas. The team was faced with making 150 runs in an hour and three-quarters. Rain, which had been drizzling all the afternoon, ceased. Giddy and Gibson had just started to open out when the.former was run out at the end of the .first run from a no-ball. Lash started with some powerful square cuts, but was soon clean bowled by Thomas, and two wickets were down for 16 runs Kingstone came next. The crowd sat up with pleased anticipation, and the fireworks commenced immediately, chiefly through slips. Gibson was overanxious for runs, and a quick return from Sturrock ran him out. Sturrock took the ball from Lay. The loss of two cheap wickets sobered up the scoring, and Sarten played the rock. Rain fell intermittently, and presently the batsmen opened out. Kingstone took a lot of risks, and paid the penalty when he skied Sturrock to close coyer and Young took a brilliant running catch. 44 —4—l6. - BATSMEN OPEN OUT. Nasmith joined Sarten, and the latter hooked Thomas hard through Eden’s hands to the boundary. Nasmith played with much more enterprise than usual, and Thomas suffering in consequence, Penny took the ball from him. Nasmith and Sarten made a good stand, and Barker took up the attack in place of Sturrock. The scoring quietened down. At 85, the long partnership was broken, Nasmith playing Barker on to his wicket. 85 —5 —21. The light was failing, and Randell could not get on to the bowling. He opened out, but was mis-timing, and gave a few anxious moments. Sarten reached the thirties’ and brought the century up by his favourite leg shot, the) leg trap set to catch him proving ineffective. Raudell whacked unmercifully at everything, and presently got his eye in. It was the only possible chance of winning the game. Pulling everything between square leg and long on, he reached 24 in no time, his score comprising' five boundaries and four singles. At that stage he was caught by Barker off Lay, but Ewart, who replaced him, continued to force the pace. Sarten also opened out, and was caught in trying to. score quickly, • Eggleton was next man in, but time was called with North still requiring three runs for a win. Details: — SOUTH TARANAKI. H. Barker, c Sarten, b Clarke .... 4 S. Betts, c Kingstone, b Nasmith .. 24 J. Cheevers, st. Petty, b Nasmith .. 26 R. Eden, b Randell 29 S. A. Lay, 1.b.w., b Nasmith 14 T. Young, c and b Nasmith ...... 18 C. Sturrock, b Clarke 16 P. Hayes, b Randell •• • 4 H. R. Penny, b Clarke 2 A. Thomas, c Eggleton, b Clarke .. 0 F. W. Atkins, not out 6 Extras 7

Total 159 Bowling analysis. —Clarke took four wickets for 37 .uns; Randell, two for 18; Ewart, none for 32; Eggleton, none for 23; Nasmith, four’ for 33. NORTH TARANAKI. St. Giddy, run out 4 N. Gibson, run out . 9 C. Lash, b Thomas . 4 C. N. Kingstone, c Young, b Sturrock 20 J. Sarten, cJßetts, b Lay 45 O. M. Nasr.ith, b Barker 21 L. Randell, c Barker, b Lay ........ 24 G. L. Ewart, not out 15 Eggleton, not out 0 Extras ® Total 148 Bowling analysis. —Lay took two wickets for 29 runs; Thomas, one for 51; Sturrock, one for 22; Penny, none for 12; Barker, one for 13; none for 16. PAGE BATS 109 AT CHRISTCHURCH. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch, Last Night. The fourth round of the cricket competition was concluded yesterday in beautiful weather. Riccarton beat St. Albans, Old Collegians beat West Christchurch, Old Boys beat East Christchurch, Linwood beat Sydenham. The best batting performance was 109 by M. L. Page for Old Boys, while R. J. Read (Sydenham), six wickets for 51, had the best bowling average.