WANGANUI CRICKET

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 276, 22 November 1945, Page 7

WANGANUI CRICKET

SENIOR MATCHES PLAYED ON UNCERTAIN WICKETS BATSMEN FIND GOING HARD Because of the annual match between lhe first elevens of the Wanganui Collegiate School and Wanganui Technical College last Friday and Saturday only two senior competition matches were played. The first day’s play in a further series of two-day matches was commenced. On the Technical ground the match between Technical Old Boys and United Old Boys was just a debacle on both sides and very little comment can be made because of the state of the wicket. Bradman, himself, would have found the going hard on such wickets and it would not be fair to criticV>e the batsmen on their very timid display. At the same time several players were out before they went in to bat and their wickets falling were not due to the state of the ground. Very few batsmen were bowled, the majority being caught behind or in the slips when playing forward. After each side had completed an innings, play was abandoned at 5 p.m. United are certainly unlucky as they appear to have a very strong batting side but so far have not had the chance of showing their worth. Unless better wickets are secured, a lot of harm will be done to cricket in Wanganui, as players will look to other sport on a Saturday afternoon if they cannot get a decent game of cricket. A somewhat similar position arose in the Wanganui-Marist game although Dee Marist bowlers were not so dangerous, as thought they would be, on the far College wicket* Priest batted very soundly in making the only decent score of the afternoon and so far this season he has two innings of 60 to his credit. Tizard made a solid 26 and was unbeaten at the close of the Wanganui innings. The other batsmen failed to impress against lhe bowling of Cuming, who finished the day with eight for 61, a good performance against such a strong batting side as Wanganui has. The Marist innings started disastrously, and at stumps had lost wickets for 11 runs. IN OTHER CENTRES The scoring of a double century by the New Zealand representative and Auckland’s sole selector, W. M. Wallace, and the hat trick by W. R. Emery were the outstanding features in the second series of matches which concluded in Auckland on Saturday. Wallace scored 50 in 35 minutes and 100 in 90 minutes. He scored freely all round and in one over hit two sixes and one four. His total score of 210 was made in 195 minutes. Play in the Wellington cricket competitions on Saturday afternoon was given plenty of sparkling touches, and one to use the bat with great flourish was J. Ell, who had been the leading light on the previous Saturday in running to a century without losing his wicket. Continuing his innings, he mastered the bowing again and went on to establish a new record senior score for Wellington. His brilliant exhibition at the Basin Reserve produced 291 runs, and it ended when, missing a ball (which was rare), he waD given out on appeal—stumped. In adding 190 runs to his 101 on the previous Saturday, Ell was at the wickets for 115 minutes, his full score of 291 being compiled in hours. A »six and 47 fours were included in his great tally for Wellington, whose innings had realised 421 for eight wickets when closure was applied.