CRICKET.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIV, Issue 824, 21 December 1905, Page 13

CRICKET.

(By

“Yorker.”)

The great surprise on Saturday afternoon was the fine score of 429 put up by North Shore against Parnell.

The match was continued on the North Shore ground, where the local team, with 25 on for no wickets, had to face Parnell’s moderate total of the previous Saturday of 172.

The two not outs were Hussey and Prime... ..The former, however, was unfortunately called away during the week from Auckland on account of the serious illness of his brother. This might have proved disastrous to Shore had not the remaining batsmen risen to the occasion so handsomely.

Shore started the afternoon with Prime and Haddon. Prime made 79 in good style and Haddon 161, so that Parnell’s total was passed without the loss of another wicket, a truly fine performance.

Haddon’s was a particularly fine display. He scored all round the wicket with nice-well-timed- wristy- strokes, and his placing on off was a treat.

This player came from Sydney last season with a good reputation. He scored fairly well on one or two occasions, but never really struck form until lately. It is pleasing to see him in such good fettle'for the Southern tour, and I shall be surprised if he doesn’t score heavily on the fast wickets in the South.

Another good performance in the Shore innings was Stephenson’s 99. Stephenson has nothing like the scoring ability of either Haddon or Prime, but ha c several good strokes and a very sound dt fence. He had bad luck in not getting his century.

Practically the whole Parnell side bowled at one time or another, but all met the same severe treatment from the blades of Haddon and Prime.

Both these batsmen were missed practically before they had scored, and the result should be a lesson to all cricketers on the far-reaching effect of bad fielding.

I hear that the match with Taranaki on the 26th and 27th inst. is off, and that arrangements are being made for a game with Wanganui.

The team leaves on Christmas Eve. Will probably play Wanganui first, and then proceed to Dunedin, where they will play on the Ist, 2nd, and 3rd January, meeting Canterbury the following Saturday and Wellington the week after. . A game has also been arranged with Hawke’s Bay and Napier.

Going in to make 195 against City, Ponsonby gave a very feeble account of themselves, the whole side being dismissed for the small total of 89. • * * * The chief factor in the downfall of Ponsonby was the_ veteran R. Neill, who bowled quite in his old form .and captured no less than seven wickets for 35. The only double-figure men on Ponsonby’s side were Woods (12), Cummings (14), Mason (17), and Gavin (13). R. Mason just looked like getting. a start when he was snapped up in the slips by Hemus off Neill. Cummings, of Ponsonby, an ex-Otago rep., is a likely-looking bat, but does not seem to have got really going this season. * * * • It is a remarkable thing that new arrivals, even though they be first-class bats, always take a season or so to settle down to the Auckland wickets. I am glad to see that Victoria Park is now an accomplished fact as far as a recreation ground goes, and was opened on Wednesday. Bulli pitches are being laid. down on this ground, the existence of which should be a great benefit to the Western and Central parts of the city. • • • • Hussey has gone to Dunedin, and it is not certain whether he will accompany the rep. team on its tour. . Hussey is a good all-round man, but with Sale showing up as a bowler I doubt if the latter is not a better man. Sale is undoubtedly a better bat, but is a very poor starter, which is a great b° "dicap in rep. fixtures.

The Grafton-Eden game played on the Domain provided one of the most interesting finishes seen so far this season. For, though in the end the Graftonites won comfortably with 341 against their opponents 214, the result was kept in doubt until C. Hay, the ninth man in, joined Clayton, and Eden’s total was passed.

During the afternoon three really-good stands were madfc? The first between Jones and D. . produced well on to 100 runs; the sseond, between Clayton and Forster, another 60 odd, and the last, during which the runs required were knocked off between Clayton and C. Hay, over 100 before Clayton was well caught off a lofty on drive in the deep field. * * * *

With 45 on for two wickets, Spense and D. Hay, the two not outs from last Saturday, opened the afternoon for Grafton. Unfortunately Spense , a junior, who has shown great prom’se with the bat, was suffering a recovery after a Week’s illness, and shortly after commencement of play he returned one to H. B. Lusk, who was on at the pavilion end. The catch was a fairly hot one, and was Well taken. Strange to say two balls earlier he had returned quite a soft one to the same bowler, which was not taken. As often happens with a straight return, Lusk thought it was coming much faster than it naturally did, and consequently mis-timed the catch.

Jones was the next man in, and with his advent runs began to come steadily from both batsmen. At this stage of the game the light was anything but good,a misty rain falling all tho time. Fortunately, however, this state of th ngs did not last long, and when the sun made its appearance from behind the clouds the wickets were soon dry and the 1 ght good.

With the runs coming surely and steadily the Eden skipper bethought him of the last stand of the two Graftonites at the Shore, and fearful of the'r getting again well set he made a double change in his bowling.

Smith replaced Clarke, who had kept a good length up till then, but was beginning to tire, and Stemson went on at Lusk’s end. The latter move was, in my humble Opinion, a grave mistake, for, though Hay seemed to find little difficulty from Liisk’s end, Jones was anything but at home to his deliveries, and runs were not coming freely from either batsman. The wicket was not hard, and was doing a bit and Lusk was pitching both his breaks well.

Generally speaking, it is a good rule against good bats to change your bowling if the wickets are not coming; but when a batsman is obviously uneasy to a particular bowler, the object of making a change is absolutely lost. Many times I have long ago chuckled to myself when some captain, whose observation'was not too keen, had taken off the only man in his team that was at all puzzling. * « « » Jones’ 30 was an extremely useful innings, but his batting was not of the order that he displayed in the previous match, when he made 156 not out against Shore. On that occasion he never once looked like getting out. The same cannot be said of his Saturday’s effort. No doubt the difference in the wicket had something to do with it. He was clean beaten by one of Stemson’s slow deliveries. • • • • As often happens after a good partnership, Hay d’d not outlive his partner more than a few overs, putting one back easily to Lusk, who had come on again at the far end. • • • * With both Jones and Hay gone, five wickets down, and still 80 or 90 runs to 'et, the game was anybodies, and the excitement from this point on until Eden’s total was passed was keen on both sides. • « • # An extraord nary thing happened durng Hay’s innings. In playing back to ane of Smith’s balls a somewhat bumpy one, Hay hit the ball hard on to the ground. It rolled quickly back and odged between the off and middle stump, but unluckily for Eden did not dislodge she bails.

The latter portion of Grafton’s innings nust have been exceedingly gratifying ;o the team and its supporters. Clayon’s innings of 77, C. Hay’s 70, and Porster’s 31 were all the more welcome >ecause they were to a certain extent inexpected. Not that they have not >efore shown as good cricket, but because hey have lately been manifestly out of orm. Clayton's innings was one of the >est I have seen h’m play. His defence vas sound and his strokes well timed and ’orcefnl.

Perhaps the brightest display of the afternoon was C. Hay’s 70. This player came in at a very critical moment, when runs were badly wanted, and the decided way he went for and banged the Eden bowling was greatly appreciated by the spectators. One off drive just as Eden’s score was being approached was an especially fine stroke. • • • • Forster’s 31, too, was a most useful contribut’on, and very much better than anything else he has shown th’s season. Stemson and H. B. Lusk were the most successful of Eden’s bowlers, getting three for 75 and three for 77 respectively. » • • ’• • Afternoon tea was given by the ladies and greatly appreciated by all present.