CRICKET.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1008, 24 December 1910, Page 16

CRICKET.

iVj.: ■ IBY THE BP.EAKEB.I ■■ . bvWEDNESDAY.. BATTING AVERAGES.

>. . '.'lndioWs "Not J;':-:-," fciiiiln-additioii to the : abofe; Pickett (Orien..tal).,has'a hot-outVaggregate.of'44, ■-•'■ 'V: the 'case of th¥:!ite.v?.E.vO.,Blamires, I > ,y; ilio'. has a "retire'd" anhings .in? both' Satj,.'-:. urday. and ■Wednesday _ cricket;,'';. These [V' ; -taTe ton counted-as ;''6ut." ' 4 ' ' ■ BEST BOWLING.

, Wednesday Enterprises. -.' lAn'eVent'.of tlio-j-ear so'far as Wednesf falls.-.due -p>"' 'Ou ; December .31 > the : '! : V-'senior: representative't team::-.-.leaves fori Aicklaiid, -.'where at will meet, the -Auck- .; . land-Wednesday, representatives at Mount • . Eden PaTk .on - Monday >'.<ahd.': Tuesday, . . January 2 ahd : 3. ■ Every possible -pre-, • jerattoii! is'teuig:.'made by the Auckland v'' : -people, and.some good cricket and an, en-joyable;re-uiiion .should Tesult. ' A. souve-, - printed; bearme .v'the-rnames ot-fHe players, engaged, which i' , '":'should be an interesting memento of the a-;-' , occasion? Two teams, representing,i.the' - :Cliristchurcli Wednesday. Association, ■ plre_. U' Wellington; ana. : play.,local-tean!s, on January 23 and 24. , ; .. - -The Union team stands first in the race !.'.".' for; this''.Wednesday 'championship; 'wifh •eiglit points to credit. * Oriental/ Artil- ■ ■■' -lery,. and Rivals are bracketed with six ' - apiece. Post and; Telegraphy Vivian, and ■ Tramways, have each four-points in hand. Scarcely Fair. ■ connection ivith-the matclies against' ?. 'fv .ilit... .Christchurch ' i.thife '..v-!; (Wellington Cricket, Association. bas grihK the -Wednesday 'people' the- use ot' two, ?C'' ; :! :i iVick'ets.at' the' Basin Beserve on J[amiiu'y.; i:ft':-.'-.23 and,24, .but;.the concession is 'qualified i--/'-V;;?by-' a.stjiteiMnt that two junior cham'lpion- ?., ,-ship.'mat<lifes will probably be played'on' the' remaining- wickets -at the. Basin- on' ;'.'!'the*same! day.' It ife, of course, satisfac-, fc.-'fi'tory,'that the Wednesday Association has | - : been granted wickets, but the qualifying |;v,'-:''-'^tciimstai>eo': is' 'suiely '<&■ 'little unneces-t-vSr,:'Bary.'. The presence: of the junior games E will to some, extent liatoper. the. Wednes"'day!<players,'and certainly, .will not .add attraction of the-occasion from the I,;.:: spectator's point of view. It'is to be admitted'that the controlling body is short, pft :- of-Jplaying' grounds',, but' the .Wednesday! Association' seems, reasonably -entitled, to R&'..'» : clear.fifel4 on the occasion; of an inter* ?;provincial contest. : The Saturday repre-, |.'!'.. ->'!:6ent'atives. would strenuously oppose- any where they are them-|.-V: '*! selves concerned,' ; and ther. writer /.fails {to K, : : ; V6e<!.'. why'.they should' impose, any' such.' disability on their' brethren, who: play in :' tho middle of the-week.

Those Sentinels in White. 'V' h:f;-T.-.- • ; H<ridyijf..iii the games at-the Basin::.onv.-. Wednesday was not' so good'as' in the" previous . week.. , To state the matter 1 plainly,-there were frequent instances of individual clumsiness intermingod with: . ' better work. At any rate, there was' adistinct:'falling away fronr tho standard I?:. .;- set ,by,..;the' Rirals team a: week earlier.a performance that l should be' t,.!.. :.. lo'ngi remembered 1 - and held.,'up;.as' an, exh:'i-. v.'ample. was a-'really fine bit of comI'.V. b'ined iwork,'. every man doing his share, t'. - f i '. and the'-team as a ■whold working .like b' - clockwork. While on this subject,, it may' ndt;b'e aimiss to remark that skippers of, . .-Wednesday' teams do not always show per- . ; : judgment in placing'the field. It is ■ a'matter."for : which a remedy-may be y .> easily", found. A little .observation and i/'" . thoughts will: enable a captain easily .'.to, 1.,-,:, vpj.a.ce. his.mto to tho best advantage.' But. i, it is only fair to add that blame for ;■■ ■ the-faulty fielding on Wednesday cannot • alwa.vs bo justly laid at the "door; of the' k t captains, concerned. There are exceptions., W- VGeofge,';iti' particular, the skipper of the V: I, "A .team;."stationed his men. with capital ~ v . judgment. Tho single fact that h'vf a ? ■ dozen catches were secured by the fieldsmen speaks sufficiently. . >•• Need for iii...dividual'practice, and improvement, 'was fthe chiefly exemplified, in Wednes- ' day's fielding, but, generally' speaking, ---.'captains might profitably, .exercise a little -more'judgment .than they do on an aver- ['. i.: age, in placing the'field. ' ,

The Trial Wednesday Game.' • , ■ On Wednesday a trial match was played -at tho Basin between picked -A and B elevens .with a view to tlio guidance of the selectors in their decision as to tho composition of the representative team. The. result was a sweeping victory for the. : A's, and the B's, in almost every particular, wero left lagging, hopelessly in tho rear. L. Mlvenzie .was tho only B •>batsman who made anything like a stand ■ against- the bowling. He played free, bright cricket for his score of '35, and was "ultimately caught in deep-field by Thompson. - The remaining B batsmen fell , away badly. M'Eldowney, with 11, . and • Meston and Whclan with half- a score apiece, were next best to MTvenzie, /but: even they fell considerably, short of his performance.

The Way to Snap Them. ■ A : feature, while the B team held the - wickcts, . was tho number of catches Be"cured. .Weybourne,-Thompson, and Mul1-. fprd each dismissed a couple of their opponents in this way. One or the best catches <was that which Mulford accepted hV from M'Eldowney. 'It was neatly taken' ' V * 1 , by the fieldsman at-the boundary fence, '• * with oily inches'to spare. ■ ; .. .Thompson; with a' record of three wickets at a cost, of 21 runs, was the best' ! - I nf the A bowlers. Ho sends down a dans'- geroiis'islow break, which proved on this ; - v occasion,; a3 it;-often does, highly effective. Cooper, with: three;for j2B, played [ /' a good second to Thompson. He is a ! left-hander, not always successful in im-

parting the necessary "devil"' to, his work. Still his' deliveries break in, a .surprising way at, times,. Laying on the Wood. / .When the A team' commenced batting, a radical change came over the game, and the bowling fraternity were no longer in the ascendancy. Tolnurst, for a-lengthy spell,'.played all that camo. to him with the greatest ease,; and hit out in all. directions.'/ Finally, with 40 runs, in hand, he lifted a :ball to Whelan in the . outfield. W e ybourne, who retired with 38. to'his' played a spirited innings, putting immense power into his frequent drives. Ho was seldom at .a loss,' al-. though once "he, gave a chance. Meston 'missed him off his own howling.- Weyr •.bburne;.h'ad'then*, made 35. By way .of retrieving •,fiis 1 error, he drove tho next ball to the-boundary 1 track; for,. 3;- , \ The B team bowlers had a rough, pasconsidering the. quality of. hatting opposed to their efforts,' trundled not so- badly.; Their-work was of. the 'steady- - going variety,. • and merit earned .--.was pretty evenly distributed." 'Wyatt came out' on top- -with two • wickets. for eight runs,- and Billman' and • M'Evedy trundled with fair effcct.' - ; While the trial game was in full swing on Wednesday, r M'Gill knelt on the . field. . He;was.not, intent.on' devotion,; but on a catch, forwarded .by Driver;, which'in. tho ; event' he. accepted atid safely, held, ' - / When Hull Took Charge. y ■ Tramways and the -Vivian team concluded on .Wednesday a match: begun on. ■November" 16." ,'Each had. completed. an. , innings,, and Tramways had secured a lead of 31 runs. ' .Tramways, beginning their first innings on Wednesday, suffered an initial mishap. Clarke, playing an . opening delivery by Thompson, was caught.. by, Dalgleisli. at mid-off. It was a clever'catch, taken low. Hull played an aggressive and, fruitful innings before ,lie was disposed of by Dempsey. His score was'-mostly composed of foprs and threes. In'his. total,'of 88 there were only 13 singles. Hull has an average for tho season of; 53.1. • .Bramley played, a liard, stubborn'.'innings'.-from start to 'finish, .•■without' giving ,a»cliance. .He was-at the .wickets'.for : moic-than . two hours,; and ..had. co'mpiled',sl when Tramways declared their ; innings' closed' at 5 o'clock. Marshall, who made 20 not out; is rather .given,:,tp; blind .hitting, but he . kept his place,.-arid got-in some, powerful strokes. , .Tramways 'closed ' their, -innings; with two. .wickets down for 1G1:: ■.. The only question remaining' open was whether a four or two-point win was to be. their portion. ■ . Dempsey, witK..one. wicket for 28, and Thompson,, withrone- for 51, were- the "star" Vivian bowlers.'; D.e'mpsey's bowling, average' does, not ptand high, there is no mistaking his value, on occa- ■ sion, nis a- change ■ bowler. '••He has a. happy knack of becoming dangerous when: hie side is in extremis* a most valuable ■ quality.' '

,-The-Vivian team, when it-went to the wickets with'about an hour" and a half remaining- for play, had a fair chance of staving off. a four-point defeat, : but signally failed: to improve, it. Carson. ivho : went in late,'played effectively for 28 not out,_ ; _and. fpril6» was res-, pqnsible during his-term for some prettydrives.-' Caterer' was the! cnly'other batsman to reach double figures. The rest had a day off... Four .were' dismissed without .scoring. Tramways- ultimately secured, their four-point, win by.'a; hand©me margin. ■ ' - • ' ' ' ;

i;-' ? :.■■■■ ■■■:- u 3. ,g> .. a 5 g ' •§ .- m a . •» '.: ? ' CH : H ' h Sh <1 f JvvV Ariil'ry 161 120 2 ■ 0\ 80.5 t Toms, P, and T 51 35 3 2 54 0 Hull;;': .Tramways... 322 96 0 .53.6 I Union ... 229 100 -5 ■ 0 45.8 !■•; ;. | Bramley, • Trams 176 51* G 1 - 35.2 i>'.;.;''Dempsey, Vivian... 173 '75.- 5 0 34.6 t>;-M'Gill,'-Union ..... 170 :. 72 .5". 0 - 34.0 : : 'Little, Oriental ... 194 50; 8 27.7 p.;-!(Weybourne, ' Artil'y 132 57*, 6 r 1 -.26.4 pPPMdftMP'Unioh ...104 35 6- "2 26.0 Tolhurst, Rivals... 78 . 57*. 4 --1'" '*2G.0 >:7 Cording, Vivian... 129 75 ,5 ' 0 25.8 ■'V'Drirer,; Union ...... 103 . 92* 6' 2 225.7' pp^Mason,:- Artillery . 49 .22 4 P2 ' 24.5 >: Carson, Vivian ■.... 97 : " 48 ; 5 1' 1 24.2. 'Thompson, Orien. 192 45 8 . 0 24.0 'MJEld'owney, Orien. .141 '86'.'-'8 2P 23)5 i "Wyatt, P and T. 112 38 6 -1 22.4 ;PP. .Stniiitoit,:Rivals';..: 109,. 56* i6,p 1 21.8 ir lO'Sullivan, Union 108 -.,:.37. 5-' .0 : 21.6. ,, Tyrell, P. and T. 130 .78 G .' 0 21.6 p.- Darroch, Rivals ;.. 85 39 4 , 0 - 21.2 ! M'Kay, P. and T. 102 . 35* 6-.1 .20.4 •" Knapp, P. and-T. .60 41. '• 3.. 0 •:>20.0 f; : ' -'M'Kcnzio,: Rivals 98 p 32 ; 6;l-d' i ; . Marshall,' Trains.' 56 * 22 * 4v- i' : V 18-6. M:. Smith, -ATtillery... 104 .42. C 0. 17.3. !.'"t / Pliinmcrl P. and T. 69 28 5 1. 17.2 pp : ; George,-Rivals- .....' 81 35' 6 • 1 16.2 j' : V; i iM'Bvedy, .Rivals.;. 57 49 4 0 ••.14i2 P' .. M'Donald, Trams. 14 14 .1 0'- l-f.O ■: AVhelan, Union ... 55 32 4 0 13.7 Greig, P. .and T. 50 31* G.-2 12.5 Selater. P. and T. 37 26 ,3 0 12.3 s p '- Perkinson, -Trams. 49' ' 27 5 1 ' 12.2 I' Shand, Oriental.... SO 41' S I 11.4 Ki : 1 Howe,Rivals ; 68.-. ..25."':IS,->0 11.3 p.v'-'M'Intyre,^Artillery; 66": 24 . 7 6.011.0 ' Wilkinson,; Orion.'.33 21'. 3 0 11.0 1:; ;.: Branz; Artillery ... 63. . 20 ; P6,\0 10.5 P: Robinson,-pjniou....31.-30 :3\0' 10.3. : Clark,' :, Tromiyayg'; , 51'. 6: 1 : M;2 ,• Clapshaw, Trams. 50 - 15 •' 5( : 0 10.0

'■'& ' ■ '£'• •'<§■' • Darroch', - Eivals. , 33;, 8. . 4.1 fiV-V Iiodgers, . Tramways. .82: 10 8.2 Mlatyre, Artillery..,',. ,287,, 34 8.4 Greig,. P. and T. ... 115 , 10 . : 11.5 j little, Oriental 2C8 17 122 W , 13.8 ? i' . 170;', .12 . 14.1", tf '-. O'Sullivan, Union ... 1-15 % 10 .14.5 f; : .Shand,'-OneaW ' - 11 .. Jf-9 Harris,. Union . 13 , 15.1 P v^'.Bailey,\Artilleiy_ '..;..V.'-331 Mi £fxBMlmari,-Orientals.v:;212 12 . ,. ;-17.6 I;??::.; ThompMni . VivianA-... '19- ,..'10; , 19-2