OPENING BATSMEN DISMISSED CHEAPLY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18959, 3 January 1930, Page 11

OPENING BATSMEN DISMISSED CHEAPLY.

CANTERBURY CRICKETERS PLAY AUCKLAND ELEVEN

Page And Roberts Have Good Third Wicket Knock

(Special to the “ Star.”) AUCKLAND, January 3

The Piunket Shield match between Auckland and Canterbury opened at Eden Park this morning in overcast weather. As the Otago team performed so weakly in the recent match the strength of the Auckland side was hard to determine and a better line of its merit will be gained after the present match. Canterbury have adopted the principle of not playing their coach, J. Newman, in Piunket Shield games. The visitors arrived yesterday morning and practised in the afternoon. Following are the teams: — CANTERBURY AUCKLAND I. B. Cromb A. Anthony M. L. Page S. A. R. Badetey C. M. Harris W. L. Elliott W. E. Merritt H. D. Gillespie R. C. Burns A. M. Matheson P. Allen J. E. Mills J. L. Powell R. W. Rowntree A. W. Roberts G. L. Weir R. O. Talbot A. F. Wensley J. L. Kerr P. E. Whitelaw G. Simmonds W. J. Smeeton R. E. Hastie (12th man) Messrs W. A. Duff and W. J. Somerville are the umpires.

In the absence of Garrard, who was indisposed, Mills captained the Auckland team. The playing area was in capital order, and when Mill's called wrongly, Page did not hesitate about taking the pitch. With a dull sky, promising rain at any time, it was considered a wise move on the part of the visitors to take first strike. The attendance was small when play began Smeeton, the twelfth man replaced Garrard. Opening Batsmen. Merritt and Cromb were the opening brace for the visitors, Merritt taking first strike to the Auckland coach, Wensley. Off the fourth ball of the over the Canterbury slow trundler got an easy single, and off the last ball Cromb did likewise. The latter then faced Matheson, and Rowntree let the first ball go for a leg bye. The fourth Merritt chopped for a single, and the stroke was repeated by Cromb. Matheson was sending them down well off the wicket, and Merritt snicked him for a single. Cromb was content to allow anything not loaded to pass. A single came to Merritt off Wensley’s next over, and then he put double figures on the board by driving Matheson for a brace. Matheson had satisfaction the next ball, when Merritt snicked one to Weir at fine slip, the latter bringing off a smart catch low down. 11—1—8. An Appeal Roberts joined Cromb, and with his first strike put Matheson through cover for a pair. After a leg bye Cromb chopped Matheson through the slips for a pair. He survived a not very confident appeal by Matheson for lbw. Roberts turned Wensley to leg for a fast-run two, and 20 went on the board after 32 minutes’ play. Scoring was not fast, runs coming chiefly in singles. Both Wensley and Matheson were treated with respect, and unnecessary risks were not being taken. With the score at 23, Wensley got Cromb when Rowntree brought off one of his characteristic catches at the wicket. 23—2—S. Page filled the vacancy and Smeeton took up the trundling from Matheson. Page opened his score with a single and scored the first boundary of the match when he drove Smeeton’s last ball to the fence and brought the total to 28. Wensley’s Bowling. With two batsmen gone for a pair of flights, Canterbury’s hand was not toe I good. Roberts twice turned Smeeton for two and Wensley then sent down his second maiden, this time to Page. The four ether over* of the coach had produced but one run each. A brace and a three to Roberts off successive balls at Smeeton’s expense introduced signs of better things to come, but the batsmen were very cautious with Wensley. Roberts was con tent to see another maiden go by to the coach. Page looked like being con siderate to Smeeton, but. when the last ball was a simpleton, the skipper could not resist lifting it high to the boundary. “ Great Batting.” Smeeton had sent a maiden down in his first over, but was not doing so well later, and Roberts had no second thoughts about hitting him hard. He opened out, and was treating the crowd to great batting. He took his score along rapidly, and soon reached 25. At the end of an hour’s play, the visitors had 47 on the board. Smeeton sent a maiden to Roberts, which was unexpected, seeing that the batsmen had been putting plenty of power into their strokes. Page survived an appeal by Rowntree for lbw when Wensley trundled, the tally being then 57. Expensive. Smeeting had been rather expensive, having 21 knocked off him without looking likely to get a wicket, and Anthony relieved him. A single to Rob-

erts came off the first over of the newcomer, and then Matheson took over the attack from Wensley (one for 23) at the pavilion end. A single to Roberts was the only score off six balls. A single off Anthony to Page put threescore on the board. Double Bowling Change. A double change which Mills slipped on the batsmen quietened them down for an over or two. The field was fairly close in, and missing nothing. Roberts reached 30 in fifty-eight minutes, after a very quiet opening. Page Applauded. Page was applauded when he turned Matheson twice in succession to the fence and took his score to 25, and the total to 80. The batting was spasmodic. For an over or two the batsmen would be particularly quiet, when they would suddenly open out. Ten came off Matheson in one of his three overs, so Wensley was brought back to steady the scoring. Page and Roberts had put on 57 in 50 minutes by entertaining cricket. Gillespie. at cover, was fielding brilliantly, and his accuracy was saving many runs. Rowntree like a flash had the bails off when Roberts leaned forward to Anthony, but the batsman’s toe was in the safety zone. Century Reached. Playing some nice shots, both batsmen continued to take the tally along without giving a chance. An. occasional boundary was valuable. Roberts found the fence with one of Anthony’s deliveries, and the score reached the nineties. The partnership had added 70 in an hour. The century was hoisted when Roberts drove Anthony j for a single after 90 minutes’ play. At the luncheon adjournment the score stood at 104, Roberts being within an ace of the half-century. A light drizzle commenced to fall as the players left the field. Steady rain was falling at two o’clock, delaying the resumption of play. i CANTERBURY. First Innings. I. Cromb, c Rowntree b Wensley 8 W. E. Merritt, c Weir by Matheson S A. W. Roberts, not out 49 M. L. Page, not out 35 Total for two wickets .... 104 (CONTINUED IN STOP PRESS) MILLS NOT TO PLAY IN FIRST TEST GAME. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, January 3. J. E. Mills, Auckland’s only representative in the New Zealand eleven, will not be available for the first test against the M.C.C. at Christchurch next Friday. STEWART’S GULLY. Third Grade v. Shirley A, at Stewart’s Gully—C. Holland, It. Sisson, C. Gimblett, W. French, L. Foord, H. Robb, G. Needham, H. Cordell, H. Poore, A. Kayner, A. Cordell. CAMBRIDGE TERRACE CLUB. The following will play for Cambridge Terrace third grade against Railway, at Linwood Park, to-morrow at 2.15:—H. Cockran, G. M’Carthy, A. Dingwall, R. Genett, N. Hall, G. Wright, T. Goodchild, Foreward, F. Scotter, J. Engltebrecht, K. Wright. Emergency: K. i Dingwall.