A CHANGED GAME.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1326, 2 January 1912, Page 5

A CHANGED GAME.

QREAT CRICKET.

CANTERBURY-WELLINGTON.

.THREE BATSMEN. GIBBRS, BLAMTR-ES, ANT) BOWLES. Seldom does tho ever-changing face of cricket give way-from ono thing to another so fast, and to dramatically. .as (his Wellington-Canterbury rua'tch has. done. To those who, yesterday afternoon, watched the stirring progress of events, it- seemed hardly bclievablo that it could be the same Wellington eleven which figured 60 inglorious!)' on that drying wicket on Saturday.. With this, great change, tkre-n names— Gibbes, Blamires, and Bowles—aro to be intimately associated. Canterbury saw Gibbes come in in tho morning, and did not see. the last of him until the evening shadows were thickening over the pitch. His partnership with Blamires after luncheon was brilliant batting, and Bowles, too, gave an exhibition of forward play which fired the crowd. All this, however, is hastening the story a little. . First of all thero were six of tho Canterbury men to be dislodged, and the Wellington men did exceedingly well'to get them out for a. total of- 163 runs, only 62 of. which had been added by the last, six wickets. Then they set out. to make up the deficit of 82 runs, and this they had practically done when the first wicket—Bowles—fell, after ft capital innings. The next pair—Gibbes and Blamires—added another 100 runs before they separated, and Wellington appeared to have a really likely winning position— 100 runs on, and eight wickets in hand, But that was the end of their success, for from that out wickets went down like ninepins, and the whole side was out for 233 runs. The failing light of the afternoon had a good "deal to' do villi it. That was the position when stumps were drawn last evening, and to-day Canterbury will- require to get 157 runs to win. It should be an even tasfc for a team of their strength, but if Saunders shows again his splendid form of yesterday, anything may happen. In auy case, Canterbury have only ten men' to face the music—one having been hurt towards the conclusion of yesterday's play. The wicket had recovered wonderfully' from tho effects of the play of Saturday, and, in the morning, it was fairly dry, and showing practically no signs of wear. Tho worst handicap with which players had to contend was a heavy north-west gale which blew down and across the pitch. It puzzled the batsmen not a little, but it worried the, bowl-, ers a good deal more. ..• • Saunders Rattles Them' Out. When the Canterbury not-outs—Hayes and Patrick—went out to everybody expected that Findlay would bo put on, to bowl down wind, but the gale had delayed a ferry boat, and he was-late. Hick-' sou chose to go "on himself at the northern end, ana set Saunders to struggle with tho wind. The opening play of the Canterbury batsmen was too dull for description, the first five overs producing only <sne run. Patrick had one adventure before ho was out; he played a ball from Hickson none too suTely, and tho ball rolled slowly in. tho direction of the wickets, and lodged against tho stumps, but without epiiling a bail. The manner of his final dismissal, which came very soon afterwards, was equally extraordinary. The ball hit his pads, and there was a.confident appeal from both ends for leg before, but tho business was settled by the ball rolling': into tho stumps, this time knocking the bails off.. Thomas, the incomer, was mostly uncomfortable facing Saunders, who ~was swinging a lot in the air, and turning from both sides—mostly from leg, however. The batsman gave a hot chance to Little at point before, he had got far, but the latter failed to get it fairly, though he made a gallant attempt to reach it. Patrick took the ball from Hickson, and in his second over ho nipped in an unexpected fast one, which camo back a little and took Thomas's legbail. 139-6-21. F. Carlton now came in, but only to seo Hayes's off-stump bowled down by a short-pitched ono. from Patrick. Hayes had.made 55 runs, and ho had stayed at the wickets 170 minules'to make them, playing the while- safe and sound, if somewhat dreary, cricket/ Carlton soon got leg-beforo to Saunders, Sandman succumbed to his first hall,-but Boxshall and Bennett were more difficult to separate. They had added 15 runs before Saunders got oho past Boxshall and among the stumps. Not the most sanguino Wellington partisan thought at tho beginning of the day that that, formidable array of batsmen would produce only 62 additional runs, and tho main cause of their failure to do it was the splendid bowling of Saunders. Ho varied: pace and length and twist in a wonderful way, and never at any time were any of the batsmen at homo to his bowling. Patrick also varied his pace with good effect, keeping the scoring rate down (o minimum, and taking a couple of wickets by tho way. The Gibbes-Bowles Partnership. Tho first Wellington pair, Gibbes and Bowles, were busy between the wickets at once, but it happened that" of the first twelve runs scored, ten were for byes. Practically before ho had scored. Gibbes mis-hit a, ball highland it appeared that W. Carlton, running in fropi midoff, could not miss tho catch. Ho actually got both his hands on the ball and tossed it up again, but ho fumbled the ball as ho ran, and the easiest of chances was dropped. It was to prove a x very expensive mistake as things turned out, for Gibbes never gave another. A minute later Bowles, after he had raised the hopes of tho crowd by tho first winning stroke of innings—a beautiful cut past third - man to the boundary—skied a ball to leg. Thomas must have lost it in the sun, for ho failed altogether to get hold of the ball. This, likewise, was a mistake that was due to cost Canterbury-a heap. All tlie bowlers on the Canterbury side wore'tried, but successive changes did no more than to increaso the rate of scoring. Bowies gave a magnificent exhibition of forward play, and scored besides all round the wicket. Anything-looso ho always smashed to the most convenient boundary, and all the time ho never made one bad stroke. But, in the end, he failed with a ball which should have offered no difficulty to him. Certainly it was nri'ball to hit, but a comfortable one to. play, and he jumped in and somehow missed. Tho partnership had brought up tho total of 80, and, with tho bowlers - all fresh, ho had made 39 runs in 45 minutes.

The Stand of the Day. Blamires joined Oibbcs to institute the. most brilliant partnership of the match. Ho began elo-sv.lv and carefully, watching every ball and playing it accurately, but, once having taken the pace ol'.tho pitch, ho played fast aud fearlessly. Mostly ho preferred to drivo for .1. scoring stroke, and his timing was a delight. Oibbcs caught the infection, and also "scored faster than before, but it was not long before Blauiircs overhauled him. Tho end did not come until a. hundred runs had been added by sterling cricket,, and Blamixes had contributed 65 of them. His innings had lasted 67 minutes, and his score included eleven boundary hits. One of his strokes was so original-, as to bo worth a line of its own. W. Carlton, a very slow bowler, was put on, with all tho liehl placed ou tho leg-side. ' A gentle ono came down, and tho balsmhn, instead of cutting it for a possible brace, changed hands on his bat, and slninmcd the ball over tbo off-boundary. Patrick's stay at the wickets was not long, and the ralo of scoring cosed up a good deal. Probably Gibbcs was tiring, and perhaps the bowling was a little heller. At any rate the score was 1!)9 when Patrick retired clean bowled by Iteesc. Phillips was very uncomfortable to Tk-ese, but quite at. home with I3enncti. lie raised, his friends' hones by cutting one from the Canterbury skipper (0 tho ropes for four, but Ihal was .his..only sroring stroke, for he got his pad in front of a. straight ono a. few minutes later. ' Little was in no better Hx, being equally ill at o.ifo with both boivlers. and he was ssnt back after sroriug a'siugle.. I'indlay, sent in next to do. fie he had on. &tt-

urday, lut-freely and found the ball all right,- but very soon ho sent one high 'to Hiekmott at long-slip. , Hickson joined Gibbes, but could not > , May, and the telegraph read 228—7r-3. An hour before it had showed 180 runs, for ono i wicket. Gibbes's end -before auy i moro runs woro added, and it came for , iiu easily excusable stroke. 'Reese sent ' down to him a half- vollev, which Gibbes ! m out at and lifted it into.(ho'hands of j Hiekmott, fielding right out on the ropes at long-off. The catch was held up, and ' Gibbes retired after a, stay of 185-minutes at the wickets for a score of 76 rims. Tho next three batsmen added only ten ruus. Tho fielding of both sides was really good. Little, Finlayson, Bowles, Saunders and Blamires all fielded ' 'brilliantly for Wellington, and the returning ■ to tho wickets was always accurate. Blamires's ' throwing in was brilliant, Tho Cam«rbury fielding was likewise cood, and tho •field was '-Always: remarkably' well placed, ' ft circumstance which had not a. little to do-wit.h keeping'the runs down. Sandman, Reese, and Hiekmott were perhaps the safest and cleverest-in a, very una fielding side. ' ! There were two accidents in the match. Hayes twisted his ankle running .for' a ball in one of the roughest coriiew of tho outfield, mid had. to ho replaced by a substitute. Finlayson drained-himself--pain-fully by over-reaching and;-falling for- ; ward, and trying to keen his back foot, insido tho crease at the same' time. ■ RJ, was unable to continue: batting, but Rceso kindly allowed him, to come bark and finish his innings later. ' ". ; . Wcll.ington,---First;inniiißv.;' ; " Bowles, c. and b. Sandman a Phillips, 1312, b. Eeese .„„„.., .7 Blamires, 142241312, b. Bennett ..;... ""(» Gibbes, b. Reese "n Patrick. 1231111411, 1.b.w,, b..T. Carlton -15 Little, b. Bennett ~„.,'„-,.,.„, ;,;-'• ft Hickson, b. Bennett. .„..„.„. ft Finlayson, b. Bennett \ n Berendson, 3121, c. and b. Bennett ... 7 i Findlay, 2611162111, not out .' :.. ''"a Saunders, dl, c. Beciett, bl'Sandnian 5 Extras , „ 5 Total ;., -:....J~ti Bowling Analysis.''"''' ', ! Sandman took two wickets for-17 runn 5 Reese, two' for 16; Bennett,-five for 20i ' 1. Carlton, one for 23. j .How .the Wickets Ml. ... ■■ '* ; . l ::z 3/4 .5 b 7 8 '9,.in ' ■; 0 14 22 42 42 42 42 48 70 81 Canterbury-First Innings,.; ! Ollivier, c. Berendson, b. Saunders ... t < ! Hayes, 1212324111411134312112414211, b:'->• ' Patrick ..'. '" Se ' : W. Carlton, 244, b. Patrick ;.::.:.'..; ift Hiekmott, 213112112122312131, run out... 3ft ! Reese, 31411, b. Saunders m / Patrick, 4, b. Saunders 4 .' Thomas, .3614124, b. Patrick .;..:-.....',..',;/21 T. Carlton, 11, 1.b.w., b: Saunders »..,;. '-"a Boxshall, 312112122, b. Saunders 15 v . Sandman, b. Saunders 0 Bennett, 121, not out , i ' Extras- ...I it Total „...., ; ,-..'. ; 163 ; Bowling Analysis.' ! Saundera-took six wickets for 52 runs ;' j Patrick, three for 41; Gibbes, none for! 15 1 ' Findlay, none for 7; Finlayson, none for 9; Hickson, none for 28. • ■ . How the Wickets Fell. 12 3 4 5 B 7 8 9 10 10 27 7a "95 103139 144 148 148 163 , i Wellington—Second Innings. 80w1e5,.1142444242141212, b. Bennett ... 39 Gibbes, 11433131211111144144241212121114 . .1121223, c'.'Hiekmott, b. Reese 79 Blamires, 4212-142241411141411442443, c. ; Boxshall, b. Bennett 65 Patrick,-1313,- b. Reese R Phillips, 4, l.bVw., b. Reese -. 4 ; Little, b.-Reese ' j Findlay, c. Hiekmott, b. Bennett 1 Hickson, 12, b. Bennett - 3 Finlayson, 313, not out 7 Berendson, c. Ollivier, b. Reese 0 Saunders, -12, b. Reese 3 Extras,, .-.., 31 ~ Total '..1"...':.."...': .'..".1..., J 238 ! Bowling Analysis. i. Reese-took six-wickets for 75 runs; Bennett, four for 77; Thomas, none for 11 j Sandman, none for 21;_T. Carlton, none -| for 11; W; Carlton, none"for 9'."'"'" ' I . Kow tho Wickets .Fell. "''■''•' ' - 1-; 2-3- 4;..5. 6-*.7-<.-.8 ,-9. -10 ; -.- 80 180 199 209 221 222.228 238 Tho match will be resumed at' 2 p.ni, ' to-day. • ■ ...,-.- ..•,.•...,. ~,.. Clearanco of Stock'of best makes of Cricket Bats, at hear; reductions'. Estata of lato George Denton, 58 Willis Street.- . < Advt. • '