OUT DOOR SPORTS

Observer, Volume XXXIV, Issue 24, 21 February 1914, Page 10

OUT DOOR SPORTS

[Br Harrier.]

THE local cricket competitions were continued on Saturday in anything but pleasant weather. The wickets were soft after the recent rains and the light was anything but good. The feature of the days batting was the performance of Hemus and Brooke Smith putting on 144 runs for Eden against Grafton, Hemus getting 94 and " Brookie " 71. The other batsmen did next to nothing, extras helping on the way with 26. With most ot their good batsmen still to come and if the wicket is in good order Grafton should go close to getting the 236 runs necessary to win on the first innings. The Parnell Eden B made the match rather interesting by playing three men short. Eden made 107 for 7 wickets and Parnell replied with 170 for four wickets the best batting being shown by Arthur Wright and Somervile for Parnell. The Ponsonby University match took place at Victoria Park and drew a good crowd of enthusiasts to this favourite ground. Though the scoring was low, the fina stages of the days play were very exciting, Ponsonby just gaining a lead of 5 points on the first innings just before time. For Ponsonby N. 0. Sneddon, fresh from his success in Australia, was successful with both bat and ball. In batting he gave easily the best exhibition of the day on a very bad wicket, and at the bowling crease he always had the opposing batsmen tied up. The superiority of his play over the others showed easily the amount of good the Australian team had done him, and the writer fully expects to see him do great things before the season is closed. None of the other batsmen did anything much, young Worker failing for the first time, but he showed plenty of confidence, and was out to a good catch by Graham off a bumpy ball. For University, Player and Taylor bowled very well indeed, and Caradus shaped best with the bat. The Waitemata-North Shore game took place at the Shore. Waitemata got Shore out for 165, Howie leading the way with a well played 63, and Prime and Dacre also showing good form. The Mollers showed best form with the ball; Waitemata lost six wickets for fifty three runs and will have to struggle hard to avert defeat. In the next round considering that the Eden B, team was three men short last Saturday and that neither they nor Parnell have any earthly chance in the senior competition, it would be wise if these two teams were dropped and final left to the others.