CRICKET

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19768, 16 February 1927, Page 4

CRICKET

WANGANUI PLAYS MELBOURNE LOCAL BATSMEN AGGRESSIVE BERNAU IN BRILLIANT BOWLING FORM HOME SIDE COMMANDS FIRST INNINGS Ideal cricketing weather, and a fast wicket and outfield and the prospect of seeing first-class cricket, were conditions which attracted a very large attendance to Cook’s Gardenia yesterday when the match between Wanganui and Melbourne was commenced. The brilliant batting of Orr, Holland and H. Williams, the fine fielding of both teams and the superlative trundling of the speed merchant, Bernau, were highlights in a game which caused the crowd to stay till the last ball of the day was delivered. Wanganui scored the fine tally of 271 runs in the first innings and when stumps were drawn Afclbourne was 114 runs behind with only three wickets in hand. Following is the position at a glance:—• WANGANUI First Innings 271 MELBOURNE First Innings, 7 down for 157 The teams were as follows: — Melbourne.— Ransford (captain), Onyons, Sandford, Johnstone, Jowell, Wood, Rogerson, Armstrong, Dakin, Campbell and Ebeling. Wanganui.—Orr (captain), Kerr, Dempster, Bernau, Wood, Treadwell, Holland, Williams, Thakabau, McAneny, Harris. Game Full of Interest Orr won the toss and Vernon Ransford, hero of many interstate matches, led his men. into the field. Right from the first delivery the play was full of interest. Sensation followed isensation throughout the game and when stumps were drawn Wanganui was in ihe satisfactory position of commanding a first innings lead over the visitors. Features in the play were the fine innings compiled by Orr, Holland and Williams for Wanganui and the steady play of Johnstone, who played practically right through Melbourne’s innings. Bernau roused the bank .crowd to a high pitch of enthusiasm when he secured the wickets of Sandford, Wood and Jewell for no runs, and put Ransford out for four. Bernau has found a permanent place in the hearts of Wanganui cricket followers through his sterling form in big games.. His play yesterday was no exception to the rule and his bowling was chiefly responsible for Wanganui being in such a fine position when stumps were drawn. Holland’s Fr(W Batting Chester Holland top-scored in Wanganui’s first innings with a wellscored 70 runs. He was the Holland of yore. With consummate ease he hit the Victorian bowling all round the ground. Pretty leg shots, powerful on drives, one of which landed on the terrace, and perfect cover strokes, were features of Holland’s score. He was not troubled very much at any stage of the game and he eventually lost his wicket in attempting to punch Johnstone out of the ground. Orr played a characteristic innings. He was a great deal more aggressive than usual and his total included 48 runs scored from boundary shots. On the off he was particularly sound, while his leg glances delighted the crowd. His weakness, however, was apparent when he cocked a ball on the leg stump back to the bowler. With am ounce of luck Orr would have got the ball away, but he turned his bat too soon and the ball came up off the edge of the blade. A Refreshing Innings Particularly refreshing was H. Williams’ aggressive innings. The young Wanganui player was dashing throughout and he attacked all the time. Well timed off drives zipped to the boundary time after time, and as the innings drew to a close the batsman stepped out and hit almost anything. Harris, the last man, joined Williams when the batsman had 39 on the board. Five ovens running the Wanganui player secured the bowling by running smart singles and he added 30 to his tally before Harris was clean bowled. Ebeling, the fast bowler of the Melbourne team, kept a perfect length throughout, but he did not have quite enough ‘‘devil’’ to beat the batsmen. He secured 3 wickets for 43 runs in 10 overs. Joohnstone kept a fine length and just turned the ball enough to keep the batsmen quiet. He took two wickets for 37 runs in nine overs, and was perhaps the steadiest of all the visiting trundlers. Armstrong presented few difficulties —in fact his deliveries were relished by Holland and Orr, and his average suffered accordingly. Wood bowled well for six overs. He developed a lot of pace from the pitch, and kicked occasionally. Wicket-taking Sensations. The fast wicket and the steady wind from the Trafalgar Street end were in favour of Wanganui’s express bowler Bernau, and surprises started very early. Onyons and Sandford, two very brilliant and aggressive batsmen, opened Melbourne’s innings to the bowling of Bernau and Holland. Onyons got Bernau away for a boundary to long on from the first delivery, and the third was despatched for a single. Sandford faced Bernau, but Ipst his wicket when Bernau’s fourth delivery, full of fire and of perfect length, beat the bat and crashed into the timbers. The fast left-hander was at the top of his form, but a few loose overs were beautifully hooked to the on by bo*h Onyons and Johnstone. When the batsmen appeared well set Onyons was un

fortuately run out. Then Bernau found his lengra again. Jewell only survived three balls when his wickets were bowled over by a beauty which landed in the block hole. Two balls later Wood played Bernau on to his wicket, an J in the next over Ransford was sent back to the pavilion by a ball which came across and clipped his off stump. From 60 for two wickets, Bernau altered the telegraph to five for 70.. Wanganui supporters were jubilant. An Uphill Fight. Rogerson joined Johnstone, who had been batting quietly and steadily. Neither batsman took any risks, and Bernau was watched very carefully. Slowly, run by run, the score mounted to 100, when Orr pul Treadwell on in place of Bernau. in his second over the Old Boys’ trundler crashed through Rogerson’s defence and 6 wickets were down for 116 runs. When T. Armstrong came in John stone had reached ,35 runs. Wanganui’s total was still 155 away and the pair carried on quietly. Armstrong got lioilend away beautifully to the deep field with powerful drives, but in Treadwell’s fourth over Armstrong’s middle stump was rooted out, and 7 wickets were down for 140. Dakin filled the vacancy and, with Johnstone, played out time. Holland bowled really well, but without luck. He was treated with respect right from the opening of Melbourne’s innings. Treadwell kept a good length and he took his two wickets with really fine balls. Play will resume at 11 o’clock this mprning, and the luncheon adjournment will be taken from 1 till 2 p.m. Scores: Wanganui. First Innings. Dempster, b Ebelingl Orr, c and b Wood 57 Bernau, b T. Armstrong 26 Kerr, c Ebeling, b T. Armstrong .. 1 Wood, b Wood 3 Treadwell, c Rogerson, b Ebeling 28 Holland, st. Campbell, b Johnstone 70 H. Williams, not out 69 Thakabau, c Ransford, b Johnstone 3 McAneny, run out 5 Harris, b Ebeling 1 Byes 2 Leg byes 1 No balls 4 Total27l Bowling Analysis. , '

Melbourne. First Innings. Onyons, run out 37 Sandford, b Bernau .. 0 Johnstone, not out 54 Jewell, b Bernau 0 Wood, b Bernau .... 0 Ransford, b Bernau 4 Rogerson, b TreadWfell 30 T. Armstrong, 1,b.w., b Treadwell 6 Dakin, not out 11 Byes 12 Leg byes 2 No balls 1 Total for 7 wickets .. .. j.. 157 Bowling Analysis.

THE TOUR OF ENGLAND HUGH TRUMBLE’S VIEWS. GOOD RESULTS EXPECTED. L Per Press Association. ] WELLINGTON, Feb. 15. The opinion that the tour of the Melbourne Cricket Club’s team should be of great benefit in view of the visit ct a New Zealand team to England was expressed by Hugh Trumble, the famous Australian cricketer, who arrived in Wellington from {Sydney today. The Melbourne team, he stated, was quite up to the average county standard in England. ‘ ‘ The tour to England will be a splendid education for members of the team,” he said. “I always think any man, if a cricketer at all, who gets a tour through England, is bound'to come back a first-class player. The improvement that a player makes, if he has intiative and keenness, is tremendous. If a player is going to make good at all, he will do so. On such a tour he is in a team playing against good sides, and of course he will be improving his knowledge of the game. One can always learn something in cricket. The New Zealanders played very well in Australia twelve months ago, and I think they should do very well in Ep"land if they band themselves together at the outset. They will meet many a worse side in England than the Melbourne team now on tour in New Zealand, which is quite up to county form. In England they will have this advantage over the Australians, that they will be more accustomed to the wickets, which are very different from the hard wickets in Australia and are more like those in New Zealand.” Trumble expressed the opinion that a player like Kort Lang would be' invaluable to stiffen the side.

0. M. R. W. Ebeling .. .. , 10.3 L 43 3 Hansford 3 0 23 6 T. Armstrong . . 13 0 93 2 Wood . 10 -0 43 2 Johnstone .. •• . . 9 0 37 2 Bogerson . 4 0 24 0

0. M. B. w. Bemau . .. y 0 4 Holland .. .. .. 12 0 54 Treadwell .. .. , .. 6 0 27 2 Williams .. .. 0 5 0