Short Runs And Byes.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19221, 7 November 1930, Page 9

Short Runs And Byes.

“Curly” Page’s innings of 67 not out for St Albans against Sydenham last Saturday was one of the brightest knocks of the day, and it looks as if the New Zealand representative will be a prolific scorer this season. In the past Page has played country cricket, but with the use of good practice wickets there's no telling what heights his batting will reach now. All the bowling was alike to him, and, with well-placed and powerful shots, he [ scored all round the wickets. Bill Dailey made some big scores last I season, but so far luck has not been j with him, and his last two innings have j produced “ ducks.” One of these days ! Dailey will get going, and the spec- 1 tators will be given a treat. Syd Carleton played a plucky innings for Old Boys against Riccarton last Saturday. He gave a hard chance to Roberts at 39, but after that he went on to 76 without a blemish, combining some pretty scoring shots with ver}sotind defence. Innes, another Old Bo}s stalwart, collected a nice 49. He has a fine repertoire of strokes, but he scored principally on the leg side, off M’Rae, whom he punished severely. Frank Smith, the Lancaster Park skipper, is one of the dazzling variety of batsmen who are few and far between. His knock of 59 against Old Collegians was a fine effort, full of crisp shots all round the wicket. Smith likes the bowling straight and fast, and then he is in his element, and the ball flies to the boundary like a shot out of a gun. But when he gets up against the Bill Merritt variety he is all at sea. The New South Wales Rugby Union, on behalf of its confreres in Queensland and Victoria, has accepted the South African invitation for an Australian team to tour that country in 1933. As there is an agreement with the New Zealand Union for an interchange of visits up to and including 1933, the consent of the All Blacks to a variation of the contract will be necessary, but this should not prevent any difficulty. As matters stand at present, the New South Wales. Union stands to lose some £789 on the season, most of this having been incurred through the visit of the British team. The Ausrtalian rowing community heard with pleasure that Bobby Pearce had decided not to proceed with his Canadian engagement but to return to his native land. Details have not been furnished, but it is possible that Robert does not find the early Canuck winter to his taste. W. J. V. Hamilton, who went from Old Collegians to the Sydenham Club at the start of this season, is an enthusiast of the best type, and already he has started vigorously with his new club. As -well as being a steady if not a fast scoring batsman and a useful field and change bowler for the senior team, he is indefatigable in work off the field, and represents Sydenham on the Management Committee of the Canterbury Cricket Association. West Christchurch have got a good man in M. Ward, late of Old Boys. Besides making a solid score against East Christchurch, he gave good service behind the stumps, there being one leg bye and a boundary bye in an innings that lasted nearly all the afternoon. Ward had some difficult stuff to take on the leg side, but he came through | the trial in excellent fashion. Another 'trouble he had to cope with was wild j throws from close in, a certain fieldsman offending several times in trying I to keep the batsmen within the crease. The only good that resulted from these tactics was a collection of overthrows for the other side.

An interesting feature of the first Sheffield Shield match between South Australia and Queensland, won by Queensland, was the use of the larger stumps which have been employed in English county cricket for the past couple of seasons. The new stumps arc 28in b}* 9in, as compared with the old 27 x 8 measurements, and will be pitched in all the Shield matches played in Brisbane this season. When W. Cunningham walks to the wickets spectators usually sit up and take notice, and so it was on Saturday. The West Christchurch slow bowler, Alexander, had been tossing up legbreaks which had the batsmen in trouble. When “ Bill 15 went in it was a question whether he would amuse the crowd with cautious tactics or have a lash. The desire to have a go won and the first ball whizzed at a good speed right into Alexander’s hands, but the chance was not accepted. To this point the game had been very dull and there was loud applause when “ Bill ” hit the next ball on to the roof of the new stand at Lancaster Park. Cunningham was soon skittled by Bean and the fireworks went out of the game again. One of the young batsmen to whom the Sydenham Club is looking for good performances this season is R. Wallburton, and so far he has justified the confidence shown. His scores in three knocks are 56, 44 and 45, useful contributions all. Wallburton bats nicely, and knows when and how to go for the bowling, as well as having a sound defence. With Patrick and Oliver in the same team to help him along, he should very soon take a place among the top-notchers. Peake Improves. With each performance West’s lefthanded colt, J. W. Peake, seems to gain confidence and improve his style. On Saturday, in West's second innings against East, he gave a fine display, exhibiting all the grace and artistry of the left-hander. In half an hour he put on 48, scoring all round the wicket with particularly good results on the leg side. During the time he and his partner were together the latter put on nine, so that Peake scored 48 out of. 59. There was a lack of power about Peake’s strokes last season, but that trouble has been rectified and he has cultivated a pretty cover-drive. If the colt continues to improve it would, appear that the time is not far distant when he will fill the bill as Canterbury’s left-hand batsman. The disappointing relapse of J. L. Black in the final of the amateur golf championship, and the atrocious weather conditions that prevailed practically throughout the whole of the meeting, did much to detract from the recently concluded New Zealand golf championship tournament at Ilokowhitu, Palmerston North. A useful batsman whom his club has promoted from the lower grade to take his place in the Riccarton senior team is G. H. Robertson. He has not any great performance to his credit this season to date, as he has only had one innings, but he may be relied upon to make some ■welcome contributions. Robertson represents the schools on the Canterbury Cricket Association, j and is another to ; j do more for cricket than actually play { the game itself.

The sixpenny fund started by a London journal as a testimonial to Jack Hobbs has been closed at the level £SOO. It was less than was expected, though many of the mighty, from princes to politicians, threw into the hat, and since any amount of sixpenny donations could be tendered it was hoped that the capitalistic classes as well as the proletariat would subscribe. That they didn’t is probably due to the fact that the great cricketer stayed a bit too long in the game. It he had done well against the Australians this season, the eady would have been overflowing. Since he didn’t, he is now' experiencing the first touch of the frost which inevitably comes to every public performer when his powers decline. Though not a consistent player, M. F. Pengelly, of St Albans, is one of those men whom the bowlers always like to see the last of. Pengelly has been known to lose his wicket very easily, but, on the other hand, he has a habit of rattling on a very useful thirty or so when the other batsmen fail. He stands up and hits hard, and, with a good eye and good timing, when he strikes his day the results follow. He is also a useful change bowler, sending them down at medium pace with a consistent length. Keen interest attached to the match between Dunedin and Old Boys at Dunedin last Saturday. The Dunedin side is exceptionally well off for bowlers with Badcock, Monk, Torrance, M’Gregor, Robertson (the ex-Midland, Wellington, player), and Claridge at the disposal of skipper Strang. Old Boys batted on what was probably the best wicket provided for any of the senior games, and at stumps 278 runs were on the board for the loss of five wickets. The first century of the season was scored by the New Zealand representative, G. R. Dickinson, who had 109 to his credit when Robertson bowled him. It is generally admitted in Dunedin that the most attractive batsman in the province from a spectator's point of view is Jim Shepherd, and the Albion man’s two fine innings against the Englishmen last season were among his brightest and best. It is interesting to therefore, that he has started the season in scoring mood. Playing for Albion, last winners of the championship, against Christian Brothers, he opened the innings on a wicket that left quite a lot to be desired while the outfield was slow. In less than an hour Albion had on 84 runs, of which Shepherd had compiled 71 before he was caught and bowled by Brookes. Shepherd attacked the bowling in great style and scored freely all round the wicket, playing a really dashing innings. Barron, a consistent batsman, made 36 very soundly, and H- Miller, who opened with Shepherd, did well to make 17 in his first appearance in senior cricket with Albion. He is a batsman of the steady type and had a previous season in senior cricket a couple of seasons back as a member of L. C. Eastman’s Colts team. Do Sumner and New Brighton wish to increase their totals of summer visitors? Here is a tip from Australia in case they do:—Coolangatta, a seaside hamlet near the New South W&lesQueensland border, has hit on the brilliant idea of providing free tennis courts as an attraction for holiday-makers. Pending the making of these courts, A. J. Kennedy, one of the city fathers, has come forward with an offer that says much for his sportsmanship—he will throw open his private court to visitors free of charge, and supply balls and net into the bargain. I Those who recall the aloof and starchy Jardine when he* was in Australia with Chapman’s side might have been excused for rating him as a dyed -in - the - wool conservative in criket, as in less important matters. That the contrary is the case is seen in his article on Test match cricket in the Cricket volume of the Lonsdale Library series, a successor to the famous Badminton. Jardine advocates the playing of all Tests to a finish, the which is heresy of the rankest to the average Briton. He pertinently asks what sense there can be in asking a team to travel thousands of miles in five months to play one decisive Test. He stresses the fact, too, that in Australia, where the marathon Test was eqrly inaugurated, sixty-five out of ‘ sixty-seven matches have been finalised. In England, only twenty-nine out of fifty-two have ended in a definite decision. f The English Press has been raking up some thirty-year-old forecasts of the i future of the motor. One journal of that day warned its public, after statImg that it would not be surprised in years to come to find motors used almost as much as horses, to beware of the dangers of a machine “ which is not tp be handled on casual acquaintance. The streets are full of motorists who entertain just the opposite impression. Keep Those Scores. An important phase of cricket which clubs neglect amazingly is that of scoring. Seme of the senior teams in Christchurch have their regular soccers, men who are enthusiasts and reliable But in many cases the matter of keeping tally is left to chance, anybody being roped in for service. In the East v. West match on Saturday, at the end of one innings the reporters were unable to procure anything like a correct bowling anatysis. Out of a contused mass of pencil marks in the books a result over ten runs different from the score was obtained, which was impossible for publication and unsatisfaetorv to the players. The two schoolboys who were given the task of scoring are worthy of encouragement for their enthusiasm and are not to be blamed tor inaccuracies in work which should have been done by experienced and reliable scorers. Surely it is up to clubs to ensure that the books are kept properly so that some reliance can be placed on the detailed results.