FIVE CENTURIES IN SATURDAY’S CRICKET.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18092, 28 February 1927, Page 9

FIVE CENTURIES IN SATURDAY’S CRICKET.

The ninth round ot' the CanterburyCricket Association’s senior A competition was commenced on Saturday in tine weather, though the sky was overcast and this made the light bad towards the end of the day’s play. The wickets were hard and fa *9. It was a day of high scoring, and five batsmen made centuries. Playing Old Collegians at Sydenham Park. Sydenham, with one man short put on the big total of 501 runs, the highest innings score made in the senior A grade this season. The rate of scoring was generally fast, the first 200 being hoisted in 100 minutes and several of the Sydenham batsmen provided an exhilarating exhibition of hitting. Three of them reached three -figure scores, W. Oliver 105, W . Cunningham 103 and C. Oliver 101. J. Robertson looked set for his century when he was run out with his total S 3.

This is the first century that Cunningham has made in first grade cricket, and it is also W.. Oliver’s first. These two added 197 runs for the sixth wicket. Tt was an excellent partnership marked bv some powerful hitting. C. Oliver batted brilliantly. This is the third century that he has scored for Sydenham this season. C. Oliver and

Top Scorers in Saturday's Games. Robertson added 171 runs for the second wicket. The most successful bowler for Old Collegians was I. M. Hamilton, who took three wickets for 68 runs. At Ilaglcv Park Riccarton made 390 against St ' Albans. At one stage it looked as if the innings would close for a good deal less than this, eight wickets being down for 249 runs. However, C. S. Gibbs and A. C. Fuller made a good stand for the ninth wicket. Gibbs made G 3 and Fuller carried his bat for 00. A. Roberts again batted well, scoring 03. W. P. Guinev made 4S and G. W. Haines 40. Against Old Boys at Elmwood Park East Christchurch were dismissed for 217. Of the total G. R. Gregory made 114, his third century in senior A grade cricket this season. W. E. Merritt bowled well for Old Boys, taking six wickets for .86 runs. I. B. Cromb took two for 22. At stumps Old Boys, in their first innings, had scored SS for the loss of no wickets. Lin wood and West Cnristchurch met s at Lancaster Park. Linwood, who were one man short, batted first. After the fall of the first wicket for 37 G. Condliffe and M. Boon carried on, increasing the score to 236 before they were sepa-

rated. At this figure Condliffe had the hard luck to be caught behind the

wickets when his score was 99. It is a coincidence that on the same wicket the previous Saturday 1,. M. Hamilton, of the Old Collegians team, went out for 99. Boon made 122*by excellent batting. Apart from Condliffe and Boon, none of the Linwood batsmen.: did much and the wickets fell rapidly! after these two had been dismissed, the innings closing for 294. For West F. J. Jarrett took three wickets for 54 runs and G. L. Yates four for SO. West made 49 for four wickets. Stumps were drawn at 0 p m., the umpires upholding ; n appeal by the West captain against the bad light.

On account of the Melbourne v. Canterbury Match there will he no club cricket in Christchurch next Saturday. The. present round will be concluded on March 12.

HONOURS BOARD. BATTING. M. Boon (Linwood) 122 G. R. Gregory, East Christchurch) 114 W. Oliver (Sydenham) 105 W. Cunningham (Sydenham) .... 103 C. Oliver (Sydenham) 101 G. Condliffe (Linwood) 99 J. Robertson (Sydenham) S 3 A. Roberts (Riccarton) G 3 ('. S. Gibbs (Riccarton) 63 A. ('. Fuller (Riccarton) '"'GO W. P. Guinev (Riccarton) 48 D. <’. Nixon (Old Boys) *44 G. \\ Haines (Riccarton) 40 G. Mortlock (Olrl Boys) *39 * Not out. BOWLING. I. I>. Cromb (Old Boys), two wickets for 22 runs. W. E. Merritt (Old Boys), six wickets for 86 runs. F. J. Jarrett (West Christchurch), wickets for 54 runs. G. L. ates (West Christchurch), three wickets for 54 runs. 1. M. Hamilton (Old Collegians) three wickets for (58 runs. SYDENHAM PUTS UP A RECORD SCORE. Playing against Old Collegians at Sydenham Park on Saturday, the Svdenham batsmen gave the best exhibition of run-getting that has been seen m Christchurch this season. All their stars were in form, and their exhibition was pleasing throughout. The pitch was fair, and the outfield good, though occasionally balls bumped up both bn the pitch and in the field. Their score, 501, is a record for the season, and was compiled with only ten men. The surprise of the day was the great innings of W. Cunningham, who went in fifth wicket down and made an enterprising 103. His innings, however, will not be such a great surprise to keen followers of the game, as Cunningham has demonstrated on several occasions that he has the makings of an excellent batsman. His most prolific scoring shot on Saturday was a

They both Batted Brilliantly. ’

pull to leg, and he used good judgment m bringing it off. His drives were cor-

rect and forceful, and he used 1 a chop through the slips to good advantage. He made his runs in S 7 minutes.

\\ . Oliver, the highest scorer, with 105. made his runs in good time, using pretty and correct shots. For a long time he kept neck and neck with Cunningham, but when they got into the seventies he slowed up. and the rest of his progress was cautious. lie has all the strokes, and the right temperament for a successful batsman, and with i increasing experience will develop into a first-class man.

C. Oliver's 101 was made in his characteristic bright fashion, though at times he lifted them dangerously when

Both Topped the Century. going for hooks from the off pin. His off and straight driving was perfect. His partnership with Robertson, who was unlucky to be run out when he was 83, was marked by bright scoring and clever running between the wickets. Robertson played stylishly, and never looked like going out. until he backed up too far where there was no run, and a smart piece of fielding brought about his downfall. Avling was going well at the opening of the innings, getting some sweet strokes away to leg. Of the other batsmen Bellamy and King were the most impressive, both punishing the loose stuff without compunction. At the latter stage of the innings the bowling was tiring, and they had a chance to score freely. A pleasing feature of the day's, play, and one which is always apparent m the Old Collegians’ games, was the keenness of the fielding. In Hamilton, Lester and Lawrence Collegians have three fieldsmen who would show to advantage in an\ r class of cricket. The first-named is especially good, and some of his ground fielding is brilliant, while if he gets his hands on anything in the air it is held. The bowling was the weakest displa}-, though great credit is due to Sugden, who bowled most of the afternoon, and managed to keep the runs down to a considerable extent. lie took three wickets, and was unlucky at that. I. M. Hamilton came out with the best average with three for 6S. lie bowled some very loose balls, but there was an occasional really good one among them and the change was too much for several batsmen. He nearly got Cunningham when that batsman was just about to reach his century. Ileasley was absent, and his loss was felt.. OLD BOYS OPEN WELL AGAINST EAST. At Elmwood Park East Christchurch going in first occupied the wicket till 4.45 and left Old Boys with an uncertain light and 247 against them. The pitch was playing fairly well, and the wind helped the bowling to some extent. The outstanding innings for East was played by G. R. Gregory, who made 114. He played a good sound innings, but gave three chances, all from Merritt, whose bowling the batsman treated with great respect. J. M'Ewin* was second scorer for East with a useful 27. He was caught behind the wickets by Mortlock off Merritt, whose deliveries kept M’Ewin gpn the defence.

Mortlock behind the wickets was responsible for the dismissal of four men and the extras, considering the bowling, were remarkably low. Merritt's bowling was the feature of the game. He had the batsmen puzzled although his occasional loose balls were made good use of by the batsmen. lie bowled 23 overs and had 80 knocked off him for six wickets, but his average. 14.3. gives no indication of the respectful manner in which the batsmen treated him. 1. B. Cromb. who bowled only 4 overs, got two wickets for 22 runs. D. Nixon bowled 13 overs, among them the only maiden of the day. He got one for 41. Mortlock and Nixon opened for (Did Roys and stayed at the wickets from 5 p.m. till sturqps were drawn at 0.30. Although the light was bad they put on S 3 in the 90 minutes, Mortlock making 39 and Nixon 44. Both gave a good crisp exhibition.

RICCARTON BAT CONSISTENTLY. There was a good attendance of spectators at Haglev Park on Saturday afternoon, when Riccarton and St. Albans met for the second time this season. It was Riccarton's turn to bat first, and as the wicket was good and the outfield fast, it was predicted that the championship leaders would make a decent score. Gorrir and Roberts, who had been responsible for the fast-scoring record a week previous, opened the innings. Both gave chances early off D. Sand man, Roberts being dropped in the deep field by Johns, while Gorrie snicked one to Norrie in the slips, but the chance was not accepted. However, when the total was 35, Norrie made amends by catching Gorrie. Roberts and Cox then carried the total to 88. when Cox, who had made 28. hit D. Sandman up to his brother at midoff. Haines and Roberts set up a good partnership, which carried the score to 151, at which stage Roberts was bowled by Thomas. Andrews failed to score, and with the addition of one run Haines was run out when lie and Guinev were attempting a second run. Three wickets had fallen for one run, and with five down for 152 a different complexion had been put on the game. Evans and Guinev, however, added 58 runs before Evans was caught. Guiney was bowled at 238, when hitting at Norrie. This bowler also accounted for Powell eleven runs later. Eight, wickets were down for 249 when Fuller and Gibbs became associated, and between them they put on 110 runs before Gibbs was caught in

the outfield. The last wicket partnership between Fuller and Rix put on 37 runs and then Rix shared a similar fate to that which befol Gibbs. The total was 390. which will keep St. Albans busy when the game is resumed next week.

Roberts gave another good exhibition of batting, marred only by the chance in the deep field. lie hit one six and three fours, though a great many more of his strokes were worth boundaries, and would have produced them but for the fact that Sandman had his field set deep. Roberts has been a most consistent rungetter during the season and has well earned the distinction the selectors have conferred upon him by including him in the representative team to play Melbourne. Haines played a very sound knock for 40, including six boundaries. lie was well set and practically sacrificed his wicket in being run out. Haines is another batsman who has shown consistently good form this season, and he is unlucky in. missing representative honours. Guiney’s knock of 48 was his best since last time Riccarton played St. AlbanS. lie made his runs all round the wicket and hit a six and six fours. Even allowing for the fact that they went in when the bowling was tired. Fuller and Gibbs both batted excellently. The veteran’s exhibition was particularly pleasing, and he showed quite a variety of strokes. He never looked like getting out, and the chances are he would have increased his 60 to three figures if anybody had stayed with him. Gibbs was particularly strong on the leg side, though he made good strokes in other directions. lie hit one very fine six and eight fours. Gibbs has shown on more than one occasion that he can handle a bat effectively, and next year he promises to be one of the best all-rounders in club cricket. Powell laid the wood on. getting five boundaries in a total of 26. Evans made 23, Gorrie 17, and Rix 19. so that Andrews was the only one who failed to reach double figures. Thomas bowled 21 overs and never lost his length. His three wickets cost 100 runs. D. Sandman, Norrie and Vv. Sandman each captured two wickets. D. Sandman did not bowl later on in the innings owing to a strained thigh. F. Woods was absent from the St. Albans team, while Crawford fielded only half an hour and then went off ill.

BOON AND CONDLIFFE MAKE RUNS FOR LINWOOD.

Playing West Christchurch at Lancaster Park Linwood made 294 and West replied with 49 for the loss of four wickets. Lin wood’s score should have been a good deal higher than it was, for G. Condliffe and M. Boon gave them an excellent start, carrying the score to 236 before the fall of the -econd wicket. However, apart from Condliffe and Boon, most of the Linwood batsmen went cheaply. Boon made 122. his first century for Linwood this season. lie has been batting particularly well this season, and a century for him was overdue. He made no mistake about it on Saturday, and gave a line exhibition of hitting, scoring freely all round the wicket. Some of his shots were beautifully timed and executed. Boon gave a couple of -chances, both in the one over. They were off G. L. Yates. The first was dropped by J. L. Findlay at point, and the second by C. A. Cocks in the slips. Boon’s score was 25 when he gave the first of these chances, which were the only blots that marred a fine innings. Boon's total included twenty fours. He reached his century after 75 minutes batting and was at the wickets in all for 110 minutes. ?•; Condliffe had very hard luck in going out caught behind the wickets when his score was 99. Amongst the West Christchurch players themselves there was a difference of opinion as to whether Condliffe did actually hit the ball. Condliffe scored much slower than Boon and his exhibition of batting was also not so attractive, but still he gave a very solid display. Apart from one chance when his total was 21, he made no mistakes. lie hit fourteen fours. The partnership between Condliffe and Boon added 199 runs. It was a fine partnership marred only by a slight, but at times very apparent, lack of understanding between the batsmen in running between the wickets. Condliffe was the principal offender. He was not quick enough to respond to the calls of his partner, and it was more through good luck than good management that one or other of the batsmen was not run out.

Apart from Boon and Condliffe the only other Linwood batsmen who reached double figures were T. Kennedy (17), E. G. Perrin (13), S. Yates (12 not out), and C. Orchard (12). Orchard scored half his runs in one hit off Yates. Next delivery he tried to repeat the performance, mishit the ball and was caught out. Kennedv’s score also included a six, off Jarrett.

R Read, who made 8, had ground for a real grievance against one of the umpires. Read went in after the dismissal of Condliffe, who was caught off Jarrett. It was with the sixth ball of the over that Jarrett got Condliffe. Read banged Jarrett’s first two deliveries to the boundary and it should then have been over. However, the umpire had apparently'lost count, for he allowed the over to .go on and with his thirteenth ball Jarrett skittled Read. Kennedy went in and the umpire still allowed the over to go on. Jarrett had delivered fifteen balls when some of the spectators reminded the umpire that the over was assuming undue proportions. An incident like this is a strong argument in favour of the system adopted in Dunedin by which the end of overs is indicated by one of the scorers sounding a gong.

West tried frequent changes of bowlers, especially during the CondliffeBoon partnership. The attack was not very formidable, and Condliffe and Boon took most of the sting out of it. For that reason alone the other Linwood batsmen should have done much better than they did. Jarrett, who has only lately come to light as a bowler for West, was their most successful trundler on Saturday. taking three wickets at a cost of 54 runs. He bowled nine overs and was responsible for the dismissal of both Condliffe and Boon. G. L. Yates,’a new member of the West team, was about their steadiest bowler, and besides he took four wickets at a cost of 80 runs. He delivered 13.4 overs. lie got F. Kerr and J. Logie with successive balls, but his cousin, S. Yates, stopped him from doing the “hat trick. ’ C. A. Cocks took a couple of wickets, but he was expensive, having 67 runs scored off

hint in one over. J. L. .Findlay and T. Condliffe bowled without success. < ond liffe’s first over was the most expensive of the innings, IS being scored off it.

W. Hayes kept wickets very well for \\ est. He caught two men and stumped one, and there were only five extras.

Disaster came early in West’s innings. R. H. Booth was run out in at tempting a single off Read’s second delivery, and in the same over P. S. Foster was caught in the slips by Kennedy. Two wickets were down lor one run. The third wicket fell with the total 18. Jarrett being caught in the slips off Yates by Kennedy, who took a brilliant catch with one hand. Kennedy took his third catch in slips when he caught R. H. Baxter off Yates. A. R. Blank and Hayes then carried on until 0 p.m.. when an appeal against the bad light by the West Christchurch skipper was upheld b\ the umpires. West’s total at stumps was 19 for four wickets. Blank was 18 not out. He made his runs by careful cricket.