CRICKET

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 101, 23 January 1935, Page 14

CRICKET

Wellington’s Heavy Defeat CHANGE OF POLICY Team Not Representative of Province (By Burwood.) The overwhelming defeat inflicted upon the Wellington representative eleven by Auckland, at Auckland, during the weekend, following Canterbury’s sweeping victory over Wellington by ten wickets at Christchurch at the New Year, would prompt the belief that Wellington this season is not up to Blunket Shield standard. But the elevens which have represented Wellington tin Blunket Shield engagements this season by no means represent the full strength of Wellington cricket. Wellington’s humiliation on the cricket field this season is due to the wrong policy pursued by the management committee of the Wellington Cricket Association in confining the selection of representative teams solely to city players. During the many years that Mr. C. G. Wilson was chairman of the Wellington Association every encouragement was given to country players in the Wellington Blunket Shield area to prove their worth of a place in the representative team. The annual Town v. Country match was regarded as one of the most important local fixtures of the year, and afforded the selector or selectors an opportunity of seeing what talent the country could supply. And what valuable members the minor associations have produced for Wellington cricket in the nast! It is only necessary to recall such stalwarts as T. C. Lowry, J. Newman, E. H. L. Bernau, C. Holland. N. Gallichan, D. A. Cameron, M. A. O'Brien, R. de R. Worker, and D. L. Freeman to show’ what a valuable recruiting asset Wellington possesses in the minor associations under its wing. Change of Policy. Of. recent years, a distinct change of policy has been noticeable on the part of the management committee of the Wellington Cricket Association, and this year it culminated in the time-honoured Town v. Country match being dropped, and not a single country player being included in the Wellington Blunket Shield team. Now, the Wellington Blunket Shield area is by no means confined to the city. It consists of the players within the area defined by drawing a line across the map from New Plymouth to Napier, and taking in all the populous territory from that line to Cook Strait, and furthermore in eludes the provinces of Nelson and Marlborough. Country Players Dissatisfied. It is not at all surprising that the country players are dissatisfied with the treatment they have received this year. Some light on the policy which is being pursued by those in control of the game will be forthcoming at to-morrow night’s meeting of the Wellington Association, when Hawke’s Bay’s query as to whether instructions were issued to the selector this year that no country players were to be chosen will have to be answered. It would have been better for the game, and for themselves, if the Wellington Cricket Association, had openly stated its policy in regard to country players at the commencement of the season. Weakness of City Players. Anyhow, Wellington’s Blunket Shield teams this season have been confined exclusively to city players, and the result has been to prove that they are uo match lor Canterbury and Auckland. Auckland's superiority over Wellington at Auckland in the Shield match which concluded yesterday was full and complete. The northern eleven on Friday and Saturday piled up the solid score of 401. P. E. Whitelaw led the way with 115, and substantial scores were registered by M. Wallace, L. F. Townsend (the English coach), H. G. Vivian, R. G. Bush, A. W. McCoy and V. S. Sale. The weakness of the 'Wellington attack was shown up conspicuously. E. 10. Blundell, the Wellington captain, had to be content with two wickets for 112 runs off 43 overs, while Tricklebank failed fo get a wicket, while 62 runs were hit off his 10 overs. Lanuisixn's Good Record. Strangely enough, the only bowler who came through the ordeal with credit, was J. It. Lamason, who did remarkably well in taking five wickets for 67 runs off 27.5 overs, and might with advantage have been given more work to do. B. Griffiths, the Kilbirnie slow spin bowler, did tolerably well to take three for 101 off 20 overs. McLeod, the Hutt slow bowler must have kept a good length, as only 13 runs came off the eight overs he sent down, _ and it is surprising that his captain did not keep him on longer in an innings of -101.

Weak Batting. When they went to the wickets, Wellington showed that they were as weak in batting as they had proved in the bowling department.

E. AlcLeod and S. Ward, who both reached the sixties, and W. Tricklebank, who played an enterprising innings lor 47, were the only Wellington batsmen to make a stand against good bowling by the Derbyshire professional, L. F. Townsend, who took five -wickets for 89, and J. Cowie, the Auckland colt, who captured four for 61 with his fast deliveries. The innings only realised 255. Feast of Run-Getting. Auckland, in their second innings, unmercifully punished the weak Wellington bowling, hitting up 431 for seven wickets before applying the closure.

Whitelaw created a record for Plunket Shield cricket by scoring 155, being the first batsman to score a century in each innings of a Shield match. J. E. Mills hit up 84 and Townsend, the professional, followed up his 44 in the first innings with 90 not out. The Wellington bowlers appeared in even a worse light than they had done in the first innings. Blundell failed to get a wicket, while 101 runs were knocked off the 37 overs he delivered. Lamason again was the only bowler to come out with creditable figures, his tally being four for 109, which gave him nine wickets for 176 runs in the match, as against Blundell’s two for 213. Faced with 577 runs to get in the fourth innings of the match, the Wellington batsmen collapsed yesterday, and were beaten by one of the biggest margins recorded in Plunket Shield games, 43S runs.

Value of Good Coach. Auckland’s overwhelming superiority this season can be largley attributed to the northern association’s wisdom in employing a first-clasw coach. Townsend has been of great service to Auckland as a bowler this season in Shield matches. He secured five for 66, and two for 22 against Canterbury; five for 83. and none for 9 against Otago; and five for 89 in the first innings against Wellington at Auckland, besides hitting up 44 and 90 not out with the bat. lie crowned a great performance by capturing seven wickets for 25 runs in Wellington’s second innings yesterday. This gives the Derbyshire professional the rich harvest of 24 wickets for 294 runs in Shield matches this season. at the low average of 12.25 per wicket.

In addition to this. Townsend has done invaluable service in couching the Auckland representative players and eliminating their faults and weaknesses. Wellington will have to Like a leaf from Auckland’s book before they can hope to meet on level terms on Hie cricket field.