CRICKET.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14157, 17 March 1910, Page 6

CRICKET.

AUSTRALIA V. MANAWATU. Per Press Association. PALMERSTON N., March 16. The match Australia v. Mauawatu commenced this afternoon. There was a fair attendance. The weather was overcast, but rain kept ott'. The ground was in good order; the wicket was if anything slightly heavy, hut was not particularly difficult. Armstrong and Gorry were not playing. Bardsley won the tos3 and sent Mauawatu to the wickets. Ongley and Mitchell opened to the bowling of Whitty and Emery. Mitchell stopped two balls, and at the third was clean howled by a tricky one from Whitty. Trevena followed. Ongley sent Emery for three, which just failed to reach the boundary. Trevena scored a single with a neat one to leg, but the over found him facing Whitty, whose third ball took his middlo stump. Goldspring followed. In the next over Ongley bit Emery for three, but soon after he knocked one of Whitty's deliveries into the slips, and Emery brought o(f a neat one-handed catch. McLean (captain) replaced Ongley, and Bcored off Whitty. Whitty's average up to this time had been three overs, three maidens, three wickets. Goldupring was clean bowled by Emery. Mason scored a lucky three off Emery, but he fell a victim to Whitty, caught smartly in the slips by Emery. O'Connor followed, and in Whitty's next over placed ono into Bardsley's hands at third man. Cohbe was next man. Emery clean bowled McLean, but the umpire called no ball, and the captain got a life (the ball was the seventh of the over). McLean was now playing with more confidence, and soon after placed a. neat one to leg, but the next oyer of Whitty's proved too much "for Jinn, and after several escapes a ball found his off stuino. Holland followed, and a brief stand ' took place. I'ifty wont up for an hour's play. Things showed signs of livening up, and Holland lifted Emery for another four. Cobbo followed tin's up by two fours. The brief partnership was broken by Holland',* wicket falling to a swift ono from Emerv. Bartlett made a single, then Cobbo fell l.b.w. to Emery. Ho had mado the highest score for his side (32) hv clever hittinr, and his hits included five fours. Welfs placed ono into Whitty's hand and walked hack. ].>-re scored a brace, but was clean howled next ball. Greer was tho last man, and nlaccd a short-' pitched hall of Emery's into Bardsley's hands, the innings dosing for 87 after an hour and a. half's nlav. _ The Australianr <-noned 'to the bowling of Ongley and Bartlett, Facev and Dodds going to the wickets. Facey caused a sensation by hitting Ongley out of the ground twice in ranid succession to the sumo soot. "Twenty and thirty went on the board in miiek time, and Greer r: lioved Oivlev and with his fourth hall clean howled Pricey. Whittv I'clbnved. and spooned Greer s first deliver-.-, but there was no ono handy. Shortly afterwards he repeated thr. nerforji'-Mico with Bartlett and spooned one infcoo Well's hands Kelleway was the newcomer. "Runs tjoto now coming slowly, mainly by Jingles Dodds Ml to a swift ono from Greer. Eiiery renlncod him hilt shortly afterwards the umpires ratcipped the game owing to the bad Sght. Scores:—

MANAWATU Mitchell, b Whitty 0 Ongley, c Emery, b Whitty 6 Trevena, b Whitty 1 Goidspring, b Emery 2 McLean, b Wliitty 8 Mason, c Emery, b Wliitty 3 O'Connor, c Bartlsley, b Wliitty ... 2 Cobbo, 1.b.w., b Emery 32 Holland, b Emery 13 Wells, c Bardsley, b Emery 0 Bartlett, not out 12 Eyre, b Emery 2 Greer, c Bardsley, b Emery 0 Extras '. 6 Total 87 Bowling analysis.—Whitty 6 for 36, Emery 6 for 47. AUSTRALIA.—Ist Innings. Dodds, b Greer 15 Facey, b Greer 24 Whitty, c Wells, b Bartlett 1 Kelleway, not out 8 Emery, not out 0 Three wickets for 48 Bowling analysis.—Greer 2 for 8, Bartlett 1 for 19, Ongley 0 for 21. Timaru B has forfeited to Timaru C. There, is one match which has not been credited to Timaru C. This was played on Saturday week, when Timaru C met Temuka, the game resulting in favour of the former. This gives the C team 16 points in the competition. MB. ARMSTRONG'S VIEWS.

Interviewed for the "Lyttelton Times" after the test match, Mr "VV. I W. Armstrong, the captain of the Aus- J tralian eleven, when asked if he thought I that cricket in New Zealand had mi- ! proved since his last visit to the dominion, replied promptly and emphatically, "Think? I don't think at all: I'm certain that it has." Proceeding to discuss, the game in more detail jVIr Armstrong stated that the hatting of the New Zealand eleven had heen really excellent, and the team had had his men fully extended on Saturday. But after playing in the four big centres he was satisfied that there was a lack of howling talent. All the bowlers they had met had a tendency to bowl too short, and with the wicket a little dead, as it was at the close of the match yesterday, runs were easy to make off' such bowling. He had already ; expressed his opinion, he said, concern- j ing the wickets they had had to play j on, and it was "up to" New Zealand to see that these were improved. Their i batsmen did not get a fair chance of J cultivating diversity of style on such wickets, and his own younger players had found great difficulty in adapting themselves to the different nace of the i New Zealand wickets after" their hard Australian grounds. His own team, ho said, had not heen seen in Christchurch at the top of its form, but even allowing for a certain amount of staleness and laxness if a good wicket were provided in Wellington for the next test match ho expected to see a thoroughly good game, for he had been more than impressed with the all-round play of the New Zealand representatives." Referring to individual players Mr Armstrong said that 'Reese*was undoubtedly the best all-round cricketer they had met, while Bennett was probably the best bowler. Amonrr the younger players ho sorted out Patrick as being "a most promising batsman and expressed surprise that lie had not been included in the Now Zealand eleven. It would be a good thing for cricket, he added, if a few more of the better colts were given a trial in representative cricket, for there was plenty of good material in the dominion that onlv wanted the experience of practice, with" tried nlavers to brin.n; it on. The New Zealand team, he said in conclusion, would rnKke a. very good showiniz against anv of the Commonwealth States, and it would do

eric'ket a world of good if periodical tours were arranged. As a last word he coulcj only advise the clubs to study an improvement in their bowling. At present the bowling lacked variety, and lacked length, and it was no use for a team to make runs so long as it was faced with the certainty that its opponents would make more.