CITY CRICKET.

Dominion, Issue 1337, 15 January 1912, Page 6

CITY CRICKET.

UNDER DIFFICULTY. CLUB EFFORTS ON SOGGY TURF. SOME POSTPONEMENTS. Cloud-banks and Chaos. Eyeing tho ominous cloud-banks in the northern sky with apprehension, cricketers dropped along to the Basin Resorvo on Saturday, mostly to find chaos. To piny? Not to play? How many men have you got? Shall wo postpone? If wo postpone, when can we play oif? Also where? Scores of theso questions were asked, but not answered. There was' 1 no association official who would' assume direction, and say what should be done. In'theso emergency eases there never is. A count-up- of East 13 gavo a total of about. seven' players. 'No very cxtchsivo mathematics.,was needed .-. to figure', 'out North's .strength, for-'they were only three. :So this match went overboard, and is to bo: begun' next week. ■ A "Capersomc" Pitch, Central and College, however, were found.'to -.be mobilised on. a war footing, and they . deoided to . go , on. Shower _ after shower swept oyer 'this game, butthey -got along- with thq'match somehow. The bowlers' seemed to have trpuhle about, foothold .and grip, and onco one- of Naughton's pitched only, a couple of yards :in front of him, which raised a laugh among.tho shivering spectatorute., .On tho. other, hand, it was no batsman's day, for, strange to say, the wicket, was. kicking like'a mule; and one or two deliveries got .up very high. In attempting: to slam these rising balls, some of the batsmen—notably Blamires— lost, their wickets.. Possibly-this unlpok-. cd-for conduct on tho part ;of a "Saunders.' pitch" accounts .for the -pfttuliar'scoring. Centralyn Somo • Trouble, : ■■;, '■■ Broadly speaking Central are 'in trouble with College, but that trouble is not regarded seriously by the Central men themselves. They expect that next Saturday's encounter wjll sco College well beaten. So far a good deal of the play in this encounter has beeii mero operabouil'e. It. could, hardly .have been anything else on that .soggy field. Tho Collegians 'were in first, and plodded along to' within one of tho century, boforo their tenth' wicket fell. It was a funereal, innings, and Dickson and SalJnond and.. Dempsey"" were the ■only, trio who climbed to double figures, and, . when the total was at-35, four wickets, had fallen. was chief agent in staying the pace of tho procession at this stage, and 48 was up before tho. fifth wicket fell. After that Salm'ond. was tho only man who looked like'a batsman. Ho'seemed likely'to'see tho innings through, but' was caught by Beechey' oif Blninires whon the last pair "were at the crease. .The bowling honours ■wore Braggo'6, and he : varied his work by occasionally delivering from a yard or two -behind the 'crease. -It was a piebald effort—some balls ,wcro good, some not so'good, some, woro full; tosses,' : and somo were long hops, but.in'tho.end ho wound up ;with seven' wickets. ■ .Central's batting; was not of a kind caleulated.to set, the harbour [on fire, and ior/,..tho,:first''hbur ; they'experienced the greatest'tliscomfort i'r'oin ; .Saunders and Dickson.-'.'-The bowling^was good, and, as Indicated, the■ pitch' .kicking a bit, and the- result-.""was; something like a "rot". The innings was commenced■"■ by two ;promoted juniors, Cook and Jackson. Both had been J makiiig. big scores in, tho lower grade.'butboth-'failed on Saturday. Cook'rbtiredwith'a "blob," and Jackson with four—two wickets for i runs. ''Missing Them" off Saunders, Theu the third', fourth, and fifth wickets fell without tho total of 18 being altered. The first'ten runs occupied half an hour's time, and the first 20 an hour. Tho fielding, on tho wholo was clean, but Wilkinson was badly dropped by Broad off Saunders. Tho ox-Australiau's bad luck with his fieldsmen seems to continue, but, nevertheless, ho seomed to bo in good form, ami-took a lot of playing. EerendsMi, though playing in mufti, was Bwift aud workmanlike behind the wickets. Ho stumped Cookjiko a flash, and caught Birch, on both occasions, before the batsman had scored. Burbidge, fielding in the long-field, brought off two remarkably'fine catches, by which Robinson and Birch were dismissed. Beechey was the saving grace in the Central innings. When he went in, five wickets were down for 18; tho sixth wicket fell with tlio score at 61. Beechey' made free with the bowling, and showed little respect, for cither of them. lie drove like gunshot at times. When stumps were drawn,- nino wickets wero down for 82. The present position is very interesting, especially as tho match may have to be decided on the first innings. Gibbcs in Scoring Vein. Something between a mud-puddle and a .quagmiro is about tho description of tho. wicket on which the East A-Lower Hutt match was commenced at the" Hutt Ground. At the ends the sodden earth ■worked up into, a black mire, preventing bowlers and batsmen alike-from getting foothold. "The howlers had the worst of tho rub, as' things happened, for the men with bats scorned to l>o able to sort. • out tho ball tolerably well from the splashes and the flying lumps of sticky mud. But the, ball became soft, greasy, and dropsical; and it simply would not run over the sodden field. , '. ;. . * East won the toss aud. batted, but sun-' dry adjournments for uncomfortably heavy showers wait tho players running to tho pavilion from time to time in the earlyiuftornoon. Later tho weather got better, and the wicket got worse., Botsmen could not take.risks between the wickets, and , it was hopeless for ' them to attempt to jump iii to a ball. Hickson and Gibbcs , were in their sttjulicst form, and it was by their patience and endurance that tho scoro of 171 for three wickets was compiled. Oi\ a good wicket.and a fast ground tho score would with the same strokes have been fully, a hundred runs better. EAST A AND HUTT. East A.—l'irst Innings. Bowles. 234, If. Pringle ...;..-.: 9 S. Hickson, 221211311112111112121111211 121111121212, b. Pringle 55 G ibbes, 1122-112211220201211112132242111 . 111211-1, not-out i.....-...'.. .'B2 Midlnno, 11. b. E. Judd 2 Mickey, 122121, not out 9 ..Extras 14 Total for threo wickets 171 Bowling Analysis.—E. Judd took ono wicket for 30 runs; Pringle, two for 56; Matthews, nono for lfi; Aldersley, nono for 21; P. Judd, none for 14; Isherwood, none for 13. COLLEGE AND CENTRAL. College.—First Innings. Burbidgo, 4, c. Hickson, b. Braggo ... 4 Jameson, 123, c. Robinson, b. Bjaggo 5 Griffiths, c. Robinson, b. Braggo 0 Dickson, .113112311111, c. Braggo, b. Robinson 19 Bercndson, 112, c. Naughton, b. Braggc ; '4 Salmon, 1312311111112, c. Beechey, b. Blamires 19 Saunders, 112, b. Bragge .1 Panning, 1211, b. Braggo 8 Broad, IJII, b. Braggo 4 Dompsey, 33231, c. Wilkinson, b. Bla- ■ mires ~....„..., 12 Caddick, 322, not ont 7 Extras ~ 13 Total 99 Bowling Analysis.—Bragge took seven wickets for 55 runs; Blamires, two for 9; Robinson, ono for 12; and Nanghton, nono for 10. Central.—First Innings. Cook, st Bercndson, b. Saunders ... 0 Jackson, 22, b. Dickson :........ 1 ISlamircs, 11113 a, c Caddick, b. Dickson - 12 Naughton, IX. b- Ssraiiiera „„* 3

Robinson, c. Burbidge, b. Dickson ... 0 Wilkinson, 111111111, h. Dickson 9 Beechey. 1112121134133, c. Burbidge, b. Dickson 3:3 Bragge, b. Saunders 0 Birch, c. Bercndson, b. Saunders ... I) C. Hickson, 3113, not out 8 Paterson, 2211, not out (i Extras '. 8 Nine wickets for S2 Bowling Analysis.—Saunders took four wickets for 35 runs; aud Dickson live for 38. OTHER CITY MATCHES. Catholic Club v. North, junior championship.—This match was concluded at Kelburno on a wet wicket. North, with a deficit of 40 on tho first innings, and thrciv wickets down for 8 in the second, were all out for;a total of 14, Toms taking five wickets for 3 runs, and Carroll three for 5. North batted two men short. This left Catholic Club winners by an. innings and 20 runs. Playing-against Post and Telegraph Stores at Kelburne Park, A. E. Kernot's eleven scored 142 for the; loss of ono wicket (C. Midlane.37, B. Midlnne Gt not out, Simm 31 not out). Play was stopped on-account of. rain, and the match will bo continued next Saturday. MATCHES ELSEWHERE. IE; felocraoh.—Pross Association.! Christchurch, January 13. Tho weather was fine, but.the wickets wero in favour of the bowlers.when the sixth round .of. grado matches was.commenced, to-day. .... ". ■ . : Tho chief attraction was tho gamo between Sydenham and West Christchurch. Sydenham -wero dismissed for BS, : Wilson (27) being top scorer. West:Christchurch then appeared to have a "soft,thing" on, • but from the start tho wickets fell 'at very short intervals, and the. .total only reached. 10. - Bennett at : ono time had seven wickets for six runs, and wound up with eight for ninotcen. Sydenham in their second innings had scored 02 for four wickets; when stumps were.drawn. Linwood -put up 143 against Riccarton. Thomas (32) and PcTrin (30) were the only, players who showed desrmt cricket. Rix captured eight wickets for SG runs. Riccarton had no difficulty in passing Linwood's total, and had scored 119 for three wickets when play ceased for tho . day. A. Norman pluyed a fine innings ■ for 70, not out, and was'ably assisted by Whitta, who. scored 48, not out. St. Albans notched 155 against East Christchurch, T. W. Reese being topsoirer with 36. East Christchurch fared even worse, for at the call oftimo they had lost mx wickets for-54 runs.. Auckland, January 14. ■ The -fifth series of senior cricket matches was concluded in excellent'weather, and wins were scored by Grafton, Eden, and North Shore, all on the first innings. •'•■•• ■•■-■■•■■•■■■• In the Graf ton-University match the former had scored 177 on the first da;-, and 'Varsity had 32 runs on for.one wicket, but the students found the bowling of Jones and Mason too good, and the innings closed for 97. Jones" took six wickets for 34 runs, and Mason four for seven.- Grafton's second innings was declared closed with 73 on for seven wickets, Jacobson talcing Bix wickets for 31. This left their opponents with ;.1M runs to get in 65 minutes, and 'Varsity had made 129 for six wickets when jthe time ,limit was reached. Wallace• .made 42, and Ellis 30. ' In the match Ponsonby v. North Shore, the latter replied with 222 to Ponsonby's score of 169. Sale made 46 and Joyce 39. MTVlath took four wickets for 27 runs. Ponsonby's second innings realised 74 for eight wickets, Howden taking four wickets for' 16, and: Bush two for 3.'. Parnell's first innings against Eden, who had scored 258, closed for 129 (Somervell .49). Hay took five, wickets for 51. Eden, in their second effort.. made 147 for four wickets (Taylor 57, Gordon 36). Dunedin, January 14. In the grado cricket matches Carisbrook (178 and 94) beat Albion (85 and 109), and thus secured a four-point win. Dunedin (86 and 83) beat Opoho (62 and i for- four wickets). Carisbrook A (240) beat Grange (seven for 127) on tho first innings, and secured a two-point win. Batting for Carisbrook, Hopkins made 92 not out, Siedeberg 52, and Wilson 67., THE CARLTON PRESENT. SUM OF .£350 NOW IN HAND. Christchurch, January 13. Very gratifying end spontaneous has been tho response in connection with the proposed presentation to W. Carlton, to whoso fine play is genotnlly attributed Canterbury's win in tho Plunket Shield match against Otago. At present no less than .£350 havo been subscribed, a fact which is in itself a sufficient testimonial to the gcieral appreciation of the fine score that Carlton "put up. , It is intended to make the presentation at a suitable interval during the Welling-ton-Canterbury match; which is to be played in about a fortnight.'