CRICKET.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 13909, 12 March 1909, Page 2

CRICKET.

SENIOR GKADE.

INGLEWOOD WIN IHE ROBERTSON CUP.

There was a good attendance of spec tators at the Kecrea tion- Sports Groun< on Thursday afternoon, when Ingle wood played Wanderers in the decidinj gam© for the cup. Inglewood had th stiongest team (including Gudgeon s, that it could muster, whilst the Wan derers had a strong team, Osborn playing in place of Goss. A close gam< was expected, and the poor form snow] >6 by Wanderers came rather as a sur 3- prise. The wicket was in better orde 1, than for some weeks, though it wa !- hardly a batsman's wicket, being un 7 ) reliable at times. Clegg won the toss and with Crombie went in to the bow] ing of Whittle and Hill. In the firs over Clegg cut Hill very prettil; 7- through the slips for four, while Crom bio drove two hard balls back to th same bowler, which were cleverl; stopped. With the next Crombie go past Hill to the boundary with a har< drive. Both batsmen were playing goo< 7- cricket, and runs were coming freely At 31, Hill got past Clegg jrith a fine length ball. 31—1—11. O'Byrne fol lowed, and three runjs later was run ou when attempting a short second run Inman, who was suffering from an in jured hand, followed. The next bal ) Crombie was out l.b.w. to Hill with a] a most a full-pitched ball. -84—3—20 The prospects of a big score now lookei ) none too bright. J. Nicholls joined a Inman. Both players played very cau tjously, and runs came very slowly. 1 ,j few runs later Nicholls gave a chanci a in the jslips and another at point. 1 chance for run-out was also missed, tin d ball being thrown in to the wrong' end j, Inman broke his "duck" with a_iivq after being at the wickets for som< considerable time. In "the next over hi j_ got Whittle to the fence for four. Witl 62 up, M'Laren replaced Whittle. Botl <j players played him confidently, ah#'iii< a change proved somewhat * expensive Whittle replaced Hill at the top end bowling three consecutive ma.iden overs j. Straijg replaced MtLaren f or two ovors when Hill again went on. Nicholli > } played a hot one back to Hill, whicl \ } was not accepted. At 106, Steeds tool the ball from Whittle. Injnan got hji 1 second ball to" the boundary. At 110 a NJcholls (36) was smartly taken at th< wickets by M'Laren. Nichollsj aftei 2 Flaying hiaiseif in, gave an , excellent „ exhibition. * The partnership had. beer a mo^t useful one, adding, 76 runs/ Dr, Gault followed, but was never quite 3,1 1 home. Qf f his iirst over he was missed at poin£. ; Three runs later Iliman. (36] b .failed on to a short ball from Hill, and; was, caught' at mid-off. His 7 was a pretty innings. Although his hand troubled^ liim < much, he warmed . up; to his gamfc and got a-lot of. fprce into his strokes. Gudgeon, joined the Doctqfr, ;r >.T.bo latter, gave?, a. difficult chance at mi,d-on off Steeds, and the ne?ct , ager -was -bowled -by HiiL. . Billing followed. When two runsfcirerfe added, Sijrajxg&t squar©-lsg. dropped aji easy b catch f^om Gudgeon. . „Thje Wanderers' fielding, «t this v jstage was wretched. [ At< 129t^ Gudgeon iopened out j;o a ball from Hill, and was snapped ud in, the slip^ k ,: I*ulte& 4oin«d Billing. "Whittle . took Jhe.b.aitt.f torn Steeds, » His fourth ' ball Pullen hit clean out of the ground for, »ix r but- Whittle, - had bis revenge, getting him caught with his next ball. 135-^6. Matthews had a short life, 1 Hill beating him with a low. ball, 148 — 9—5.9 — 5. Harris jpined Billing, who w?s run out the next ball. The' finings closed for 148. Hill's bowling performance was a good one— -sevfefirßir 50. He ' bowled^ practically right through the innings,, and if he had ba/l ,tl^ support he deserved 5 from the field', l ■wOitlcrnave done even better. , Whittle — one for 42 — bowled a fine length, although there was not the usual "devil" in his bowling. ' l.Of his fifteen bvers, six were maidens. Although Steeds did not get a wicket, he proved a useful change, and might have been, put on sooner. Requiring 149 runs to win with an hour and forty minutes^ to bat in jn slightly failing light, Hill and Cooke opened to O'Byrne and Harris. Hill failed to get hold of the third ball from O'Byrne, and was caught on the boundary by Pullen at square-leg. M'Laren followed, to see Cook© two balls later play one back to the same * bowler. Whittle followed. In the fourth over M'Laren, with a half-hearted stroke, was caught by Crombie at mid-off ofi Harris. Steeds joined Whittle, and with 10 up gave an easy chance at the wickets. The same over Whittle, who had been playing a lot with his legs, was out l.b.w. to ,o'Byrne. 16; — 4—7.4 — 7. Jack followed. Steeds was judging the runs well, and by good backing up got several short runs. With 31 on the board Jack was beaten with a good •ball from Harris. Strang was the next man. Steeds in the same over gave a difficult chance at the wickets, and after- adding six runs played one back to O'Byrne. 37—6—12. Steeds had played a useful innings. Osborne was bowled with his first ball. Clapham drove O' Byrne's first ball to the boundary, but was bowled with the next. 43 — B—4.8 — 4. Smith was the next man, and after adding five was bowled with a shooter from O'Byrne. Baker followed, and two runs later Strang was run out, the innings closing at 5.20 for 47. The Wanderers exhibition was disappointing. The batsmen showed no defence, and put no heart into their attacking strokes. The Inglewood field was well placed, and their fielding glean. O'Byrne got a lot of work on, keeping a good length throughout, and he has, probably not bowled better this season. Harris also did well, in the ten overs getting four maidens with two for 9. Inglewood, are thus the winners of the Robertson Cup for 19081909 with one loss, Urenui being run-ners-up with one win less. On Thursday's play Inglewood are certainly the best side in the competition. In ad-* dition to their three bowlers, the side is a good all-round batting one, an,d in emergency all can be relied upon to make runs. The following are the previous winners of the. Cup: — Inglewood 1904-5, New Plymouth 1005-6, New Plymouth 1906 r 7, New Plymouth East 1907-$", Inglewood 1908-9.