CRICKET.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1669, 8 February 1913, Page 12

CRICKET.

[By thb Breaker.] A Cricketing Surprise. Few of those who figured in the cricket matoh between clergymen and doctors at tho Basin Beservo last Monday gavo a ■ better account of themselves than Archdeacon Harper.- Anyone observing' the way in which he' handled his bat while knocking up a scoro of 31 and his performance in the field, would have, taken it for granted that this was a case of a one-time college athlete • displaying something of his ancient form. As a matter of fact Archdeacon Harper was an athlete in his day, but it was not in cricket that he elected to display his prowess. ' 'The other day "The Breaker," mindful of what had happened at the Basin on Monday, approaohed Arohdeacon Harper and requested that ho would furnish some of his cricketing record. "I haven't got anything of that kind," was the surprising response. "I did not succeed in getting into either tho first or second eleven at Christ's College, and I was a rowing man at Oxford. I played a gam© of cricket now and then for the fun . of the'thing, but I never took up the game seriously." As to his performance on Monday last Archdeacon Harper, made the frank comment: "Nobody was more surprised than myself." . Rev. J. G. S.'Bartlett—Wicket-keeper.. Tho writer found other members of the clorgyjnen's -, cloven which figuredl so creditably at the Basin Reserve on Monday equally modest and ■ reticent. A frontal assault was made on the Rev. J. 0. S. Bartlett, captain of the' eleven, for his "career," and this was met by the remark: ".Really, I have nothing at all interesting to tell you, having never played in big cricket. Tain quito unimportant in cricket." ■ u It was then represented to Mr. Bartlett that a good irinny cricketers' had been interested in the exploits of his eleven on Monday, and that some of us were inclined to suspect that lie, must either Iwvo seen or played good cricket ; somewhere, and, eventually, from such particulars as we have been* able to secure, it seems that Mr; Bartlett-has always been passionately .fond of the game.■; He, was put in itlio Dorchester' Grammar School eleven when quite a small boy. After leaving school and when home for holidays lie occasionally played for the Dorchester Cricket Club, and was captain of tho S. Boniface College eleven at Warminster. Wiltshire, where he had some reputation as a slow bovrler. • His wicketkeeping propensities camo out later when living in Birmingham, where he,saw a' good deal of, lilley, the Warwickshire picket-keeper, and filled his place in club cricketi Sdnoo Mr. Bartlett has been in New. Zealand l , ho has played for the Wahganni C.C., where he was' used/as a change bowlcr, and.represented Wonganui | against Palmerston in/ 1899. i Since then : most, of. Mr. Bartletfs cricket , has been in Wellington, where I everyone knows him as a .wicket-keeper. 'Tho writer is inclined to think that ho Is really fond of that somewhat perilous position, and,. from watching , him in matches, one. thinks that the faster tho bowling comes down to him, the better he seems to like/it. Rev. Mr. Bawden Harris—Bowler. ' The Eey. Mr. Bawdon Harris has had, a somewhat extensive experience in' the cricket worldi.. He played in Australia, and threo Seasons ag;o started playing at Lower Hutt. As a junior player he got some great scores as wickets. Last (season he., played v in, senior cricket, and ;co'uld always bo relied on ; to ( makb double figures."' •' |," J ''' His delivery caused a lot of controversy at Lower. Hutt, it being argued that he threw the ball, but he was never "called" and never oven doubted amongst umpires, but somo of the players argued over it. as iplayers delight to do, for cricket is a : great.gamo,for. argument?.. ) On one occasion, however, when Hutt ■were playing a Defence Department team last season, tho umpire hinted that Mr.' Harris's delivery was a throw, and G. F. Judd, the captain, then, took him off, even .though hei was getting pickets at an extraordinary rate. ' ' If "The Breaker's" opinion' is allowed to count in the matter—and ho once talked the whole question' of bowlers' deliveries over'with no less an authority than "Jim" Phillips—the delivery of the rev. gentloman who forms tho subject in this note is all right. ;A Bright Exception,There is not much to be said about tho College-East A match at Kelburne on Saturday/ It ran to: a foregone; conclusion, for Collegei: would have had. to perform wonders even to escape with a twopoint defeat. As it happened they were under-dogs aH !tha time, and with the solitary exception' of M'lntoah their batsmen found the East-bowling too much , and o triflo over. The exception was a .bright one. M'lntosh played good , cricket all through and got his runs by a judicious admixture of enterprise and skill. If he can maintain anything like' the form he showed on Saturday he should render yeoman service to an eleven that stands sorely,ln need of batting strength though-in the matter of bowling it has nothing to complain about. M'Qlrr'i Average. When ho came to tho end of a crloketing day three' ago with a score of 105 not out, M'Girr's average stood at 51. Last week ho lifted the score to 124 before ho was bowled by Saunders, and his average now, stands at ,44.3. Following are hla scores this soaEon:—o, 14, 0 not out, 72, 4, and 124. Brisk Fielding. Collego'were responsible for some loose floldins in their match against East A at Kelburne on Saturday, but the latter eleven pave a better account of themselves in this department when their turn came to tako tho field. Some possible catches were dropped, but returns to the wicket were lively and prompt. As a Tesnlt no fewer than three batsmen were run out. who was tho first ;to suffer this fate, owed his downfall mainly to M'Girr. The latter turned : onickly after fielding the ball and though tho batsmen had remained stationary, throw at Dickson's wicket and knocked it down. After hitting, the wicket tho ball bounded into tho field. Tempted, the batsmen now started out to make a run from the overthrow. M'GHrr. raced aoroVg and made a good throw, to the far end. Grimmett (who had been bowling) stood up to the wicket, gathered in the ball, and flashed off tho balls boforo Dickson ' got in. ' The "Victim" Took It Calmly. : Odd little incidents happen at cricket sometimes, but it is not often that a bats- , man knocks, the bat out of a follow praotitioners hand in a neighbouring cranio. Burns succeeded in doing it on Saturday when .ho was batting for College on tho ' Kelburne, ground. He square-out a ball which travelled low and hard to the nextdoor wicket and carried away the bat of a player who was just about to settle down to take the bowling,'but was not expecting a r flank attack. Tho "viotim" 1 took-.it very calmly indeed. He did not oven look .round to see where tho ball 1 had oomo from. - i Cental's, Throe-Pointer. , 1 Although tho Contral-East B match re- ! Bulted in a very easy win for Central, tho : fcmsh was made interesting by the deci- ' sion, of tho. Central skipper to dcolaro in ■ the second; innings, and go for a three- ' point -win.'■ To declare whs obviously tho course to take, but the quostion presont- : ing difficulties was that of when to de- ' Clare, fins C. Ilickson settled with good 1 judgment. b ] Central mndo 152 in their first innincs I to whioh East B replied with 79. In their ' seoond innings Central had five wickets i doitn , for. 128, when Hiclteon called tho ' batsmen in.- .East 13. were left with 202.t0 1 get_in two hours and ten minutes. Wag- I staffe and Hutchings made such a good i showing ,for tho first wicket that somo < began to question the wisdom of tho 1 move to oloso tho Contral innings at-th® < stage at which' it'wa» interrupted, How- i

ever, when Wagstalfe and Hutchings wcro disposed of the innings of the Easterners was praotically over. It closed for 101, so that Control won the match by D 7 runs, and got their threo-point win. Wngstnffe'a innings was ono of this promising batsman's best. He played up to his reputation as a man possessing "strokes/' and at the some time kopt - many of his strokes down excellently, on ' a ivickot that was bumpy and otherwiso 1 unreliable. Hutchings played the best innings he ' has dono for some time, and made it quite 5 dear that he is a very useful bat when ■ he puts his mind to his work, j lunyiij's batting was the feature of the f second inning 3of Central. He went in ' first, and was etill going very strongly when the innings was declared closed. He gave a display of very attractive betting, * and-at the Bame time was very sound. He ' put a good deal of power into all tho shots which were worth hitting for move ' than a single, and with the milder strokes 1 showed a capital knowledge of placing. Naughton, camo oil as a trundler, and 1 captured threo of the Enst B tickets at a cost of eleven runs. He got two wickets with- successive balls, and was called • upon to "do the 'hat trick,"' but refused ! to oblige the spectatorate. Klnvlfl, The Wednesday Association has some representative matches in view. It is to bo hoped that when their team is being chosen Kinvig'will not be overlooked, as he was when a team was being selected to play tho South Melbourneites. Kinvig is worth his place in any Wednesday team for both his batting and liia bowling. . Notos on Potone and South. Potone have this' season been in the annoying position of giving the best teams in tho competition a close go, but, they have just missed o win, either by a few runs, or becaaso time beat them. . Saturday/ against South, the suburbanites just missed a 3-point win by about fifteen minutes. They declared at 160, and, when stumps were drawn, South had seven wickotg down.for 124, and were batting a man *6hort. In Petone's innings the outstanding batsman was M'lCenzie, who played one of the most tactful inning 9 which one. could desire to see. He would poke for ten minutes, steal runs, entice tho field close in,-and then bang away to the out-field. Everybody - was :eorry when Barber ran him out. South's bowling would never have shifted him. : Brico was in good hitting * form, and hit ono ball right out of the oval, over the band rotunda/: ' : Burton and Pitrick, who were partners, put on a fine wore for South. Tho former playod carefully, and was criven out 1.b.w., a decision very much doubted. . The latter hit everything that camo his way. Ho was only in a few minutes.