BRIGHTER BATTING

Taranaki Daily News, 29 March 1932, Page 12

BRIGHTER BATTING

TARANAKI V. KILBIIRNIE

CRICKET MATCH ENDS IN DRAW. BIGGER SCORING ON SECOND DAY. Brighter baiting than on Saturday was seen yesterday in the cricket match at Pukekura Park between Taranaki and the Kilbirnie Club, Wellington, and the match ended in a draw. After gaining a lead Of 11 runs on the first innings Kilbirnie made I'B7 for eight wickets in their second strike and then declared, leaving Taranaki 199 runs to get in a little over two hours to win. Taranaki made 139 for six wickets, at which stage stumps were drawn. Kilbirnie’s batting right from the start was much faster than on Saturday, and though Morris and Kershaw were both dismissed early, Bilby and Hayman made good stands, and five of the batsmen in a row reached double figures. Hayman batted hard, and uneasily at times, for the top score of 44, but he opened out at the finish, and gave a couple of chances in a few balls before he was caught and bowled by Wilson. Most of the batsmen were uneasy! to Nasmith and Wilson, the two Taranaki slow bowlers, but they had greater command over them than on the first day. With seven wickets down for 127 at lunch time it looked as though Kilbirnie might once again be dismissed fairly cheaply, but after lunch Currie and Edmonds held the bowling u|p, the former batting very well for 34 not out, and the Taranaki attack was visibly tired w’hen the closure, was applied at 3.20 p.m. The Taranaki innings started brightly, H. Barker leading the way with a snappy exhibition of free scoring, but with his dismissal the team soon drifted back into Saturday’s rut of dull, dogged play, which did not appeal to the spectators. Hall started very ecratchily, 'but towards the end of his innings he opened out spectacularly, and the day’s play finished with two sixers and a four in succession from 'liis bat. TARANAKI SCORE RAPIDLY.

Taranaki, wanting 199 runs to win, and with only two hours to play, opened their innings at 3.20 p.m. Both Giddy and H. Barker scored rapidly at first, especially Barker, but with the total at 20 Giddy was clean bowled by Crook, the Kilbirnie fast bowler. Barker was getting some nice drives and glides to the leg boundary. He. scored faster and faster as time went on, and brought 50 up with a sweet sixer into the horseshoe bend off Morris. Of the 50 he had scored 39. At 66 Bilby set a well-populated leg trap for Barker, and the spring snapped immediately, the batsman mishitting into the hands of Kershaw. His 49 had been a bright knock, one of the brightest seen for some time, and the spectators had enjoyed it immensely. With Dormer and Nasmith in partnership the scoring slowed up, and all chances of making the necessary 133 runs in the remaining 'hour’s play vanished. Bilby had Dormer well tied up with his leg breaks, and the batsman missed a whole over. After batting threequarters of an hour for 9 runs Nasmith reached 10 with an eighth single, and was greeted with ironical cheers. Dot* mer also received a similar cheer when he eventually hit one from Bilby. Next aver he was well caught behind the w.ckets off Kershaw. With Hall and Nasmith together the rate of scoring became painfully slow, and the crowd expressed its displeasure in no uncertain terms. The total crept to the eighties in sparse singles, and then both batsmen opened out to Bilby, 10 coming from one over. At 99, and with his own score at 21, Nasmith was clean bowled by Crook. W. Barker was shaping well, square cutting in great style, when Phillips sent down a grabber, and the promising young South Taranaki batsman was clean bowled. In the last over of the day Hall hit two sixers and a four in succession off Hayman, and the innings closed at 130 for six wickets. Hall had opened out in the later stages, and registered a useful 46. Details are:— KILBIRNIE. r■ . ' First inings 113 Second Innings. Kershaw, 1.b.w., b Wilson 8 Morris, b Groombridgo 0 Bilby, b Nasmith 26 Hayman, c and b Wilson 44 Christopherson, run out ......... 19 Crook, b Ninkie 14 Phillips, b H. Barker 10 Turnlbull, run out 7 Currie, not out 34 Edmonds, not out 1 10 Extras ' 15 Total (for 8 wickets dec.) . 187 Bowling: Groombridge took one wieket for 28 runs; Dormer, none for IT; Ninkie, one for 30; Wilson, two for 46; Nasmith, one for 27; H. Barker, one for 22; Spence Giddy, none for 2. - TARANAKI. First innings ; 102 Second Innings.' Stan Giddy, b Crook 6 H. Barker, c Kershaw, b Bilby 49 O. M. Nasmith, b Crook J 21 W. Dormer, c Currie, b Kershaw .. 2 W. Hall, not out 46 J. Kinsella, 1.b.w., b Crook 2 W. Barker, b Phillips 8 Spence Giddy, not out 0 Extras 5 'Total (for six wickets) .. 139 Bawling: Crook took three wickets for 43 runs; Kershaw, one for 9; Morris, none for 29; Bilby, one for 29; Christopherson, none for O; Phillips, one for 6; Hayman, none for 18.