CRICKET COMPETITIONS

Taranaki Daily News, 8 November 1935, Page 12

CRICKET COMPETITIONS

GAMES IN THE PROVINCE YOUNG PLAYERS’ SUCCESS "' • 1 TIME LIMIT IN THE SOUTH Before the senior cricket' competition matches at New Plymouth started it was problematical whether the New Ply-, mouth team’s newly promoted players would settle down early or whether senior cricket experience would be necessary before they obtained the success that was theirs in the lower grades. In batting lack of experience and confidence affected their play but in bowling on a matting wicket, to which they are accustomed, they reaped a harvest of cheap wickets and by dismissing Old Boys in two innings for 170 gave New Plymouth an outright victory. Of the 18 wickets that fell during Old Boys two innings Groombridge, the only bowler who was a member of last year’s team, w 4 as responsible for four. The other 16 fell to Autridge, Parkin and N. Kinsella.

The outstanding performance of the match was the bowling of Autridge, who took seven wickets for 10 runs in 12’over’s. Making the most of his height Autridge sowls a stdady length at medium pace and rises high off the wicket. Slight variations in pace, and an ability to turn the ball either way' sufficiently to lead the batsmen into mistakes, give him deceptiveness difficult to cope with in conjunction with his steadiness. If he can reproduce the form of Saturday on the turf wickets he should-* have a successful season, and in view of the failure in thefirst matches of the leading bowlers of last season he stands a good chance of gaining representative honours. His success should give him confidence, which might effect an improvement i.to his batting, which was good last year but which suffered from nervousness against Old Boys. The infusion of new blood has resulted in a great improvement to the New Plymouth fielding. Throughout the afternoon the players were on their toes and worked willingly and well, but the returns to they wicket were inaccurate. N. Kinsella' held three good catches, Johns a difficult one on the boundary and Davison a great one-handed catch at mid-on. With the bowling showing great promise and the fielding so much, improved New Plymouth has every reason to be hopeful for the season. In every department of the game Old Boys showed disappointing form. On the first day the fielding and bowling slumped in the face of a big stand and the batting was very weak. Most of the team are experienced enough to. cope with good bowling, so that Saturday’s collapse must be attributed to lack of practice. If the team is to repeat last year’s success it will have.to take serious steps'to get into form. It has the material and the ability but seemed to lack keenness and determination on Saturday. The New Plymouth bowling was good and the matting wicket might not , have suited Old Boys, but last year’s champion team .should surely produce one man \vho could make a stand against inexperienced bowling. It is to b hoped that Old Boys will not again give such 'a poor display as that with which it opened the season. J. Birch, one of the most consistent batsmen last season, . was dismissed cheaply in both innings, He has the knowledge and technique of a good batsman, yet he adopted incorrect tactics against leg-break ■ bowling, and it was no surprise when he was caught off a mis-hit. When Lash settled down quickly in the first'innings he looked as though he would make mdre runs than 20, but Groombridge clean-bowled him. Egglet'on ,and Christensen showed runs could be scored by hitting five fours in quick succession, but Alexander’ in his first appearance at New Plymouth did not strike form.. In view of the successes of New Plymouth and Western Park in their opening innings of the season and the triumph of the New Plymouth bowlers a great deal of interest centres ii. the game between these teams on Saturday. Western Park so far has had no phance to

show the strength of its attack, and New Plymouth will have the services of the coach, A. E. Aiderman. Last season these teams had some close struggles but Park always managed to come, out on top. The match starting on Saturday should be a good test for New Plymouth’s young players, who will be well established" r; they can reproduce against Park their success against Old Boys. The importance of the time factor in South Taranaki was very much in evidence on Saturday, when two' of the three senior games, in really interesting positions in both cases, had to be-drawn owing to the time limit. Kaponga was in a good position against Old Boys and Stratford was fighting for runs against Hawera when stumps, were drawn. It is a pity that the matches should have been spoilt. The third match, between Patea and Manaia, ended with the , two teams scoring an aggregate ‘of 197 runs in the afternoon. Old Boys’ dependence on two or three of its men for anything approaching good scores was Well illustrated against Kaponga, when the stalwarts W. Barker and L. Duke saved the side- from rout. No fewer than five of the side’s batsmen failed to score—a poor showing that even the vagaries of the weather and the consequent loss of practice can hardly excuse. Barker was himself 1 throughout the innings. That is to say he was steady, somewhat slow, and wholly safe until Stan Betts trapped him with a straight one. Barker’s caution is admirable at times, though inclined to be tedious, but his tactics were .essentially correct on Saturday. Duke, on the other hand, was more enterprising and played some powerful, beautifully-timed shots all round the wicket. Throughout last season he showed remarkable consistency, and if he carries on with the good work this year he cannot fail to go close to inclusion in the Taranaki side. Stan Betts is a heartbreaking man for any team to oppose. He was the destroying agent, when Old Boys batted, plug-

ging away with accurate bowling for 15 overs,. , Then he opened the • Kaponga innings and showed no possibility of going out. Dormer was rather unlucky both in batting and bowling, but more practice should see him back in the form so many have learned to fear. Even though Manaia scored only 27 against Patea the batting was at least more consistent than Old Boys’. The Patea Domain wicket cannot, even by its most ardent admirers, be considered perfect, and Manaia men had some trouble with it. Nevertheless, the bowling feat of Pauling and Ellis in capturing between them nine wickets for 24 runs had merit. On his da; last season, Pauling was one to be dreaded, and if he continues with that form he will be a great asset to Patea. Ellis’ average was actually better than Pauling’s and he too showed the commendable qualities of length and spin. Patea had struggled without much luck lastly ear, and greater success this season would be popular. Ross Eden’s presence in the Manaia side means a good deal to the team and, thdugh he failed with the bat, he was right in form with the ball. Kitt also bowled well and the Whalens only need to some of their remarkable last season’s form for the side, to-show out well in the competition. After spending most of the afternoon trying to stop Penny, Des Forges and H. Hawke from scoring, the; Stratford men failed to get going against Hawera and the team was in something of a desperate position when stumps ’ were drawn. Penny really is a wonder. He scored 29 by' careful cricket and then tossed down apparently guileless balls to . tie the batsmen in knots. Hie bowling success is as much the result of cleverness and shrewdness at picking * batsman’s weakness of technical excellence. Another veteran, H. Hawke, h a recent arrival at Hawera, also showed out, and he is likely with more practice . to become one of the most stylish batsmen in the competition., McKenzie was the most successful Stratton bowler and he bowled with good judgment to talc* , four wickets.