Out Door Sports

Observer, Volume XXIX, Issue 27, 20 March 1909, Page 10

Out Door Sports

By Harrier.

THE matches of the Auckland Cricket Association, which had been interrupted on account of the athletic sports of the previous week, were proceeded with on Saturday. As the Domain was in use for the- fire brigade contests, the senior matches were played on Victoria Park, Eden Park, a.nd at the North Shore. Consequent upon the slight rain of Friday, the- -wickets favoured the bowlers, and the scoring generally was low.

City failed to put in a. full eleven against Eden A. and already they are a long way to the bad. Only eight City men batted, the total score being 54. Eden A. replied with two wickets down for 121 runs.

Parnell and Ponsonby met at Victoria Park. The former batted first, and with two men short they ran up a total of 122 runs. _ Ponsonby made a very discouragino; start. When time was called they had lost six wickets for 21.

University batted first against Graf ton, but made only the moderate score of 11.4 runs. Tn about half-an-hour's batting, Grafton made 21 runs for the loss of one wicket.

The Eden Colts met North Shore on -the latter club's ground. The Shore men were at the wickets all the afternoon, and their total score was 283 runs.

Horspool and G. Lusk are the not out men for Grafton, with 11 and 13 respectively

Philson made 60 for North Shore in his best style, although he was a bit on the careful side at times.

Fail-burn went in late in Parnell's innings, and was unbeaten with a well contributed 21 when the innings closed.

Robinson played a fine defensive innings for University, for 54 runs. He was the first man in, and stayed at the wickets till after eight of his clubmates had been dismissed. • What the senior selectors were thinking of when they passed Schmoll over in selecting the team to play against Hawke's Bay I cannot imagine. The ex-Aucklander is (says "Touchline," in the Wellington " Free Lance ") in clinking form ■with the gloves, and on his present showing is far and away the best wicket-keeper in Wellington. As a batsman, the Newtowner does not make all his strokes in correct style, but he gets runs, and that is the main thing when a man has got the bat in his hand at the wickets.

In making his big score of 260 the other day, Victor Tmmper at first played steadily, but when set let himself go, as of old, and the brilliancy of his cricket quite carried away the crowd. He hit 20 (4, 6, 6, 4) in one over of Howard, and 22 (4, 6, 4, 4, 4) in one over of Bell, which the umpire restricted to five balls. In all he scored 260 in 3£ hours, making ten 6's, and twenty-nine 4's, or 176 by boundaries. When Trumper does these things it is (says Sydney " Referefe ") just what people expect, and 2000 people were delighted this time. He gave four chances (at 116, 177, 2U, and 233), and seemed glad when sPevemfcually caught at square-leg by Charles Gregory.

The Australian Cricket team left Sydney for England yesterday (Wednesday).

G., Mills did the damage in. bowling for Eden A. Of the eight wickets he got six, for 26 runs.

Sale's 45 was the brightest feature of Parnell's innings. Hutchings (15) and Andrae (18) also made fair stands.

C. Hay and Mason did the best work in bowling for Graf ton. The former-«got four for 39, and Mason five for 67.

The highest scorer on the- City side on Saturday was that of Heaney, with 19. Then followed Archer (11) and Dadley (10)

Cnmmings has 48 not out to his credit for Eden A. Brown made the same number of runs, but was howled by Gleeson.

Hutohings was deadly in his howling for Parnell. His four wickets were obtained at a cost of 6 runs. TCerr got O ne for 15.

Hadden made 42 for North Shore in rattling style. Other useful contributors were Prime (39), Bush (18), and Woodward (21 not out).

Ellis had a good stay at the batting crease for 22 runs on the University side. Fawcett had all the luck on his side in making 32.

The Eden Colts rang the changes in their bowling against North Shore. Francis did the best work, with three for 20. Taylor got three for 49.

Daere's 74 for North Shore was the top score in the senior competition on Saturday. He played sound cricket, and made the pace merry at times.

" The greatest cricketer wp havo ever had, or probably ever will have in Australia— George Giffpn." This remark is made by "Felix," the well-known cricket writer of the " Australasian."

The interest of players in the senior championship is waning. The City eleven had only five of their seniors present on Saturday, and three juniors were brought in to help to make up the team. Parnell seniors were also two men short.

The Ponsonby batsmen made a very feeble attempt against the P?»rnell bowling. Certainly the light was none too good, but six wickets for 21 runs reads badly for a senior eleven. The highest scorer was TCavanagh, with 9 not out.

There ivS a very fair prospect of the district cricket scheme coming into operation in Wellington next season. At the last meeting of the Cricket Association, the secretary put the matter in concrete form by tabling a motion to set up a committee to renort upon the division of the city and suburbs into districts, with a view of inaugurating- district cricket for the season 1909-10. The motion was (remarks a Wellington .scribed agreed to, and opponents of the scheme predict that it will never °:et beyond the sub-committee stage, but the promoters retort that another story will be told before next season's doings a.re under way.

W. F. Trembath, of Gore, the Australasian amateur half-mile champion, has decided to join the cash ranks_, and was to have made his first appearance as a professional at the Dunedin Sports Club's meeting on Saturday.

America is sure Marathon mad, says a New York writer. Throughout the length and breadth of the country distance racing has captured the entire people, and for the time being threatens to overshadow even the public interest in boxing matters. One gratifying feature of the new craze is that the distance for all duly recognised Marathons is 26 miles 385 yards. As showing the virulence of the new madness, the Jack Tars stationed at San Francisco held one on the decks of a coast defence monitor, where only 130 yards to the lap could be obtained, and a dizzier lot of sailors at the finish m>uW hftve been Hard to f&d.