CRICKET

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 95, 16 January 1935, Page 13

CRICKET

Plunket Shield Team To Play Auckland E. McLEOD IN FORM Townsend’s Bowling (Notes by “Burwood.”) The Wellington representative cricket team will leave for Auckland by train this afternoon to engage Auckland in a Plunket Shield match at Eden Park on Friday, Saturday, Monday and Tuesday next. It is unlikely that the match will have alij - bearing on the destiny of the Plunket Shield this season, as Canterbury has virtually secured supreme cricket honours this year by outright wins, over Auckland and Wellington at Christchurch. Past Battles. Still, matches between those old friendly rivals, Auckland and Wellington, whieli date back to 1860, always provide battles worth seeing. The first game was played at Mount Cook Barracks in Wellington, when the local eleven prevailed by four wickets. What a procession of great players files past as one recalls the games of the past! On the Wellington side loom Arnold Williams. Stan Brice, Jack Mahony, J. P. Blacklock. W. R. Gibbes, J. V. Saunders, C. G. Wilson, C. W. Robinson. Tom Southall. J. S Hiddleston, B. J. Kortlang. D. C. Collins. 11. M. McGirr, F. T. Badcock, T. C. Lowry, K. C. James, C. S. Dempster. R. de R. Worker, J. Newman, to mention only a few, while On the Auckland side come such stalwarts of the game as L. G. Hemus, C. Oliff.'A. M. Howden, Alf Haddon, A. E. Relf, E. V. Sale. F. Pearson, W. BrookSmith, N. C. Snedden, S. G. Smith, C. C. Dacre. C. F. W. Allcott. J. E. Mills, E. H. Bowley, A. F. Weasley and 11. G. Vivian. Building a Team. But it is not with the past, but with the present that the Wellington players will have to deal in Auckland this weekend. Wellington is in the process of building up a team, and lias good material in the side which leaves for Auckland to-day. All that is lacking is experience, and the confidence which comes with experience. Back to the Fold. It is pleasing to see that that fine allround player E. McLeod, of the Hutt club, hns been restored to his rightful place in the Wellington eleven. When one comes lo think of it, it is passing strange that he has not been a permanent member of the team. Starting off as a lad in his teens, McLeod gained a place in the Auckland eleven in the 192122 season, and scored a half-century to assist Auckland to defeat Wellington, nt Auckland, that season by ten wickets. Such promise did the youthful left-hand-ers show that he was selected to represent New Zealand against MacLaren's English team in the 1922-23 season, playing in the first Test match at Wellington. He transferred to Wellington, and hit up 102 against Auckland in the Plunket Shield match in the 1929-30 season, and gained a place in the New Zealand team against Harold Gilligan's M.C’.C. side in the 1930-31 season. In the match at the Basin Reserve, McLeod received a severe blow on a kicking wicket from Nicholls, the Essex fast bowler, and had to be carried off the field. This season McLeod has come right into his own as a batsman. In seven innings, four times unbeaten, he has scored 389 runs, giving him the phenomenal average of 129.66 per innings. Starting off with 14 not out for Hutt against. Petone. McLeod then went on to wore 27 not out against Old Boys, 1 anil 29 against Midland. 149 not. out against University, and 100 and 69 not out against Kilbirnie. Let us hope the Hutt left-hander will get going in his beststyle nt Auckland, and show his old team mates what a high-class batsman he has become. Strong in Batting. The Wellington team is so strong in batting this year that their collapse against the Canterbury attack at Christchurch was difficult to account, for. It would appear that psychology had a bit to do with it. When the first few Wellington wickets went cheaply that wily cricket general. M. L. packed the Canterbury slips, and the inexperienced Wellington batsmen were afraid even to hit fast long-hops on the off. If the 'Wellington batsmen only play their natural game at. Auckland, they should get lots of runs. The 104 not cut. which Tindill scored for Midland against Old Boys on the Kilbirnie ground on Saturday should be just the tonic he wanted to restore his batting confidence. With other able batsmen on the 'Wellington side, such as J. Ell. J. R. Lamason, 8. Ward, W. G. Rainbird. R. D. Morgan, R. A. Whyte, and W. Tricklebrtnk, the local team should show somethinj' like their real form at Auckland. If the}’ only see to it that no one is foolishly run out. and that none of them stops a straight one with his . pad instead of his bat, the Auckland bowlers should get a trouncing. One word of advice: Remember that Townsend, the Derbyshire professional, can turn the ball sharply from the off. and that it is highly unsafe to get in front to him even when he is. bowling round the .wicket. In the Shield campaign this season. Townsend lias trapped three victims l.b.w. while bowling round the wicket. He got Graham and Bellamy in this way at Christchurch, and Cavanagh at Dunedin. Wellington pinyens should not forget how the Derby professional dismissed Ell and Riley with successive deliveries at the Basin Reserve in the special mntcli before Christmas. It is foolish for batsmen to imagine that it is impossible for a

bowler to get a leg-before decision while bowling round the wicket; Townsend Ims already done it five times this season.

What of the Bowling? The inclusion of B. Griffiths. E. McLeod and W. G. Rainbird should strengthen the Wellington attack. With Tricklebank anil Blundell to supply the pace. Jack Lamason and Rainbird the medium-paced deliveries and Griffiths. Morgan, McLeod and Ward the slows, the Auckland score should be kept down to reasonable proportions.

Aucklanders in Form. The Wellington team will run into the Aucklanders at the height of their form, as Ron Bush hit up 195 for University against Grafton, and Mills ran up 130 for Eden against Ponsonby on, Saturday.

A Great Knock. What a treat it was to watch Christo-phere-en, the Kilbirnie captain, going boldly for the Hutt bowling on the Basin Reserve on Saturday afternoon! Time and again he walked calmly up the pitch and rattled good-length balls up against the fence. After reaching his century in 88 minutes he took the brake off, and delighted the crowd with some hurricane hitting. He ran to 157 in 115 minutes, hitting five G's and nineteen 4's. He gave an easy chance when 117. but otherwise his display was flawlessi. Christophersen wass’O much at homo in the role of hitter that one wonders why he does not adopt it oftener.

O. Wrigley deserves credit for helping Christophersen to put on 196 for the first wicket, the colt’s share being 53.

Kilbirnie applied th? closure with 206 on for the loss of five wickets, and Hutt could only follow their moderate first innings of 173 with 154 for nine wickets. The Hutt totals would have cut a sorry figure were it net for McLeod’s contributions of 1.00 and 69 not out. Griffiths bowled well for Kilbirnie in Hutt’s second inningH in taking six for 90. while ’Wilson gave good support in capturing three for 9. If Kilbirnie can maintain this form they should retain the championship.

Country Aspirations. It is not at all surprising to hear that the country players are not satisfied with the treatment they are receiving at the hands of the management committee of the Wellington Cricket Association. A meeting has been convened by the Hawke's Bay Cricket Association at Napier to-night, at which a proposal will be put forward to form a Plunket Shield province consisting of minor associations in the AVellington area. This is an excellent: suggestion, ami it is to be hoped that it will jirove successful. It is unfair that (he players of such important centres as Taranaki, Manawatu. Hawke's Bay, Nelson. Wanganui, Wairarapa. Rangitikei, and Marlborough should be debarred from taking part in first-class cricket. It is rumoured thatT. C. Lowry has offered to bring a country eleven to play the town at no expense to the Wellington association. Let us hope that this, too, will eventuate. Mercantile League.

The inter-grade Mercantile Cricket League competitions were continued on Saturday under perfect weather conditions. Chief interest in the A grade naturally centred .round the game between State Fire and Jnsco. In the first round State Fire inflicted a severe defeat on .Tasco under weather conditions which reacted against the latter team. On Saturday. JiVseo ran up n solid score before declaring, and it. was only the pugnacious batting of one or two batsmen which saved the side from severe defeat. As a result of this game Jasco now have only a very slender chance of winning championship honours. Cowans, who won the championship last season, but who showed a complete hiss of form in the first round this year, scored a narrow but nevertheless excellent win over Customs, who are now six points behind State Fire in second place. S. Brooks did poorly with the bail in the first round, but on Saturday he demonstrated his best form in taking five wickets very cheaply.

An excellent sporting gesture by G. Eeles, captain of Pastimes B grade team, contributed largely to the defeat of Pastimes in a high and close-scoring game with State Advances. Bromley, an Advances batsman, was given out l.b.w. to a ball he had obviously hit, when he had not scored. Eeles sportingly requested him to return to the wicket, and Bromley went on to make 24 runs. Advances had not reached Pastimes score when the last over was about to be delivered, but 017 the sixth ball they secured the necessary runs with two wickets in hand. But I'or the sporting attitude of Pastimes there seems little reason to doubt that the game would have ended in a draw. The annual inter-grade games and the representative match with the cricket association juniors will be played next Tuesday.