CRICKET.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 651, 30 October 1909, Page 9

CRICKET.

(By The Breaker.)

The first round of the senior championship didnot bring, out'anything calculated to surprise the onlookers—they havo. becomo used to such displays as was given by Petone last f'1 tu o r n d %u ,Enills J, Wellington South-all out .1 he weather has not been quite satisfactory, and tho wickets have been soft on bote; days, but tho general showing of tho teams allows of material improvement. Diligent practice is wanted, and if is regrettable to learn that ono of tho senior clubs has not yet got tho nets out. Lack of a practiceground may have been the cause, but presont arrangements mako provision for'-nil district clubs throughout the remainder of tho season, in tho North versus East A. match, J. Blacklock and S. Hickson may bo said to have commenced tho season's batting in earnest, lhejpair were together for an, hour, during which time Hickson raised his score from 29 to 47, and the ex-Old Boy put up 18. Hickson had soine t trouble with Tucker, who kept a good length, and got somo "work" on tho hall. Qiimn s bowling received more , casual treatment.

Blacklock had some luck, but some of his strokes, especially on the on-side, were clean and powerful. His first respectable hit scattered a number of spectators who' wero hanging over the fence south of the pavilion. iho Wellington veteran, C. A. Richardson, played a very deliberate innings. He seemed to try to follow, the flight of each of'tho bowlers deliveries from hand to bat, but at 1J his middle stump fell to a nicely-pitched ball from Hales.,

Hales took premier place in the bowling, his average i for the innings being 8.3., and Quinu followed with 9.5. Gibbes, who was put on against tho, wind, did well in taking a couplo ot wickets, and Tucker was very useful to steady the gait of the batsmen. It was obvious at i o'clock that North (130) were, to have a first-innings victory, East hav. ing scored 105; and, by the time stumps wero drawn, tho second innings of East had produced 63 at the cost of four wickets. Tho bowling of Upham, Xuclrie, and' Waters, 'seemed to require a . good deal of playing. North has undoubtedly a very good team of trundlers. uunmshed second innings of East A was not remarkable in any way. Little (Phoe. nix) secured 14, mostly by leg-hits, and M'Gill (18), and Midlano (19) had not. been disposed of when the game stopped. Midlano got: ono V n ■ mV" 11 nlso hit out a couple- of times if C h ? P ; P -show. promise, and should rank high in the averages. Midlane, it will bo remembered, was one of the best all-round men in the disestablished T.M.C.A. Club ™ T il e '"? t(;am 'of Wellington East District Club also encountered defeat in tho initial match. They met Wellington Central on No. 2 wicket, Basin Reserve, and lost by ten wickets and two runs. The bowling of the B team is poor, and it was this weakness which made a win impossible to them. • 'Slight improvement'in batting was shown on this wicket last Saturday as compared with the first day. A,fortnight ago,each sidoconiDieted an innings, and the scores were:— Central 80, East 59. It was, therefore, either side's game—until Hawthorne - and Beechey took up the bat for Central last week.- • followers of tho eastern district rcpresenta. tives hoped to avoid a three-point downfall when Wills commenced to open out. He caused a number of pavilion seats to bo . hastily vacated by one hit, and on another occasion the ball startled a dog in tho street, who was not tho least interested .in tho game. Wills hit high all through, but at last a comparatively .gentle, stroke .compassed'his downfall, at the hands of Hawthorne.

. Another unerring catch by Hawthorne sent M'Lennan away for 19, after a brief but merry life, and Collctt (27) dispatched a hot one to Murphy, and the ball was hold. The havoc which-. Beechey and Hawthorne wrought in the bowlers' camp is very evident from.the scores.' Beechey is one of the few left-handed bats Who have left the ruck, and his performance last Saturday was. a. bright spot in a drab ; afternoon's cricket. ,At 30, Beechey was missed by M'Lennan in, a high offdrive, the fieldsman getting.ono hand'on the ,ball....,,.Hawthorno showed less■"abandon than liis" partner," but his first good hit,' to tho '.pavilion,"lacked'nothing:'in execution. He is jshowing considerably, better form than was evident when he played for Gas Company. One outstanding event in local club cricket since the opening of tbo season was the Potone debacle, which took place on Saturday afternoon on the Basin Reserve, when'Petono succumbed to Wellington South., (The''suburban players concluded their first ■ innings,' and notched a total .of Gl. With a UeabVof ! 46rS0'uth commenced to bat. , Oobvjft j'sind -Varo"'started' oil', but tho partnership only pasted. ,twb :: .minu'tes, Varo being caught: by IVi 'iforiil." He"let'go" Orrthe'leg side, ; L-ut th? iball 'caught the ; corner of ■ the Bat, and the ■leather went up in the air. '."•'■■■ -,; , .; Despito their lead, South, played. sqmewhat but' at l.s p.m. they declared c-osed with five.wickets for 55. ..'. '' ;; ' '.

'.■ Here was Pefone's chance apparently. Ihey had to score 102 to secure a three-point win, and certain of their optimistic supporters considered the Southerner's very indiscreet for closing prematurely. Thereby hangs a tale. Brico and Nunn commenced to, bat, and Ihey were subjected to a vigorous attack by Cobcroft ■and Patrick.' Things went merrily enough until the .first disaster .came, and that came- very -soon. Much was expected of Brice (he 6f scen'tiiry fame), but his friends were doomed to disappointment. Cobcroft bowled one on tho off, Bricejiiadeashotat it,.but somehow or other, it just, touched tho edge .of the blade, soared up above his head and deposited itself in Taylor's ' hands. Oho ' wicset for two runs. .Whether,it.'was tho fall of their chief, or whether it was general ill-luck need not be discussed,', but certain it is that 'disaster then followed disaster in rapid, succession. Brice's innings lasted for ' four minutes. Seven more minutes elapsed when his partner, Nunn, was clean bowled: by Patrick. Two for 10. During the'following nine minutes, Joyce and Powell bit the dust. Four for 15. \ With I them vanished all hopes'of scoring that vision-'! ary 102. .''."'■„", ~'• ' : Green was.the next victim offered up, and in one minute Dalgleish' followed. Bowman did'i not long survive. At this stage-it was observed that five wickets had fallen, without a j single run being mode. ; .■ ■ . The debacle continued, and an incident occurred which showed that if a man did not get out one way, ho: would another, and that quickly. Reynolds put up a chance, which caiiio in Taylor's direction. The latter missed it but''.Patrick was close at hand, and the ball found a resting-place in his hands. The only thing that the batsmen seemed to be really proficient at was getting themselves out. Ihe fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth wickotsthus fell without adding a run. Bennett nhdCate formed the final partnership, and the latter gave Vare a difficult chance, which was missed, however, and the spell, pf the number 15, at which the score had struck, was broken. Petone commenced to bat at 4.23 p.m., and all ■were x>ut at 5.8 p.m. . : , ■ There was nothing at all remarkable about the play in the Hutt-Victoria College match. It was just the kind of club cricket that has made the spectator tired—too tired even to grumble-nothing less, certainly nothing more Had tho wicket been fast, tho game might have had a littlo of' the clement of excitement, for on the 'first innings Hutt had established a lead of only, one run. But as it was tho wicket was soft, and the game slow. Monaghan's 23 was the record of the best bet of the day. Ho placed his strokes well, giving no chances. Ward, who came next on the scoro list, had to thank the field .for his long stay at the wickets. Of' the rest, lot a littlo suffice. Pilcher made 13 for Hutt, and the remainder of tho team had to bo contented with singlo figures or. cyphers. -With the hall Eodgers had the best record. Five wickets stood to his credit, four of them clean-bowled, and. two of them token with •successive balls., , Advice was received this week that Mr. A. E. : Keif reaches Wellington by the lonic on Monday, .en route for Auckland, • where he will again act as coach. There,is an apparently v/ell-foundcd rumour that Macartney is looming to Duncdin shortly, and Christchurch' cricket authorities are determined to import men who can piny the game as it ought to : bo played. Must the Empire; City drag along as before, content-with the feeble club cricket. that has kept tho Wellington public away from the.Basin ltcsorve for years? This centre has proved itself to be a power ■ in winter sports, and most of tho summer games have representatives, who can' uphold tho honour of tho city. Cricket, howovor, has been neglected, and, at this,time, when the game has been given a new birth by the introduction of district matches, it is fitting that the local association should seriously consider the obtaining of a professional coach. Already a number of unsubstantial stories havo been circulated, but, as far as can bo ascertained nothing definite has been decided upon. '