CRICKET

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 107, 30 January 1935, Page 4

CRICKET

The Inter-Island Match TWO STRONG SIDES Professionals Should Play (Notes By Burwood.) Tho New Zealand Cricket Council has acted wisely in arranging for a trial of strength this month between elevens representing the North Island and South Island. 7 Too few first-class matches are played in the Dominion, and if New Zealand is going to make a creditable showing on their next pilgrimage to England they should be given the opportunity of taking part in as many such games as possible. Strangely enough, the two islands have only, met twice on the cricket field. The first match was played at Wellington in 1904.,'when the South Island won by two wickets. The north totalled 106 (D. Mahoney 54, F. R. Mason 30) and 156 .(0. Olitf 49, Mahoney'3l), and the South Island scored 168 (K. Ollivier 48, S. Orchard 37 not out, and J. Baker 32), and 185 for eight v/ickets. Two Australian players, S. Callaway and 11. Graham, pulled the match out of the fire? for the south, the former hitting up f>3 not out and the latter 60. Callaway was the most successful bowler for the south, with three for 59 and four for 19, while E. Upham (Wellington) did best for the north, with three for 49 and four for 79. It was not until 1922 that the next inter-island match was played, this time at Christchurch. The north had their revenge, the margin in their favour being five wickets. South totalled 169 (W. R. Patrick 39, E. R. Neale (Nelson 37), and 256 (R. C. Blunt 50, E. R. Neale 52, D. Sandman 37, A. W. Alloo 35, Patrick 32). North scored 244: (W. A, Barclay 67 not out, 0. W. Allcott 40, N. 0. Sneddon 32), and 183 for five wickets (.1. S. Hiddleston 68, Sneddon 37, E. McLeod 27 not out). Allcott played a big part in north’s victory, as, in addition to scoring 40, lie captured five wickets for 45 and four for 73. It is passing strange that these were the only occasions on which the islands met. The Third Meeting. Much interest will be taken in the match which is to be played on the Basin Reserve, Wellington, on February 8, 9 and 11. It is pleasing to see that the four major associations have sent forward., the namps of almost all-of their best players to the — Messrs. H. B. Whifta and W. Butler (south) and N. C. Sneddon and A. W. Duncan, (north). It is difficult’ to . understand why the New Zealand Cricket Council instructed the selectors not to include the two professional coaches, F. L.' Townsend (Auckland) and F. T. Badcock (Otago). These are the very players required to try out the strength of New Zealand cricket. Townsend has this season proved himself a bowler of class, as he has taken 24 wickets for 334 runs in three Blanket Shield matches, and. would have had a bigger haul had rain not curtailed the Auckland-Otago match to one innings each. It will not be much preparation for the tour to- England' if' New Zealand batsmen in the inter-island match hit up centuries against New Zealand bowling. We are very fortunate to have a bowler <f Townsend’s capabilities in this country, And while he is with, us our players should learn all they cun from him.

It must not be forgotten that when the English team was here in 1933 all New Zealand could score in reply to England’s 560 for eight wickets declared in the first Test match nt Christchurch was 223. In the second Test at Auckland New Zealand made an even feebler showing, falling for. the inglori-. ous total of 158, to which England responded with 548 for, seven wickets, declared. This was the match in which W. R. Hammond, the Gloucestershire professional, made the record Test match score of 336 not out, beating Don. Bradman’s 334 for Australia v. England at Leeds in 1930 by two runs. It will thug be seen that New Zealand batsmen require all the play they can get against, spin bowlers ’the two calibre of the Derbyshire professional.

A trial .of strength between the two islands, however, should embrace all the players, and should not be confined' exclusively to the four major a'ssociations. Surely such players as N. Gnllichan (Manawatu), M. A. O’Brien (Hawke’s Bay), H. B. Massey (Masterton), and O. Naismith (Taranaki) are worthy of consideration in picking a North Island team.

The Rival Teams. Tho match at Wellington should provide some interesting cricket. The North Island eleven will be strong in batting with P. E.'Whitelaw. E. W. Tindill. G. L. Weir, H. Ell, H. G. Vivian, M. Wallace, J. R. Lamason and W. Tricklsbank to follow each other. Vivian, as captain, will have a fair variety of bowling to call upon. Cowie and Tricklebank will supply the pace, B.andell, Lamason* and Weir the mediurfi pace.' and M. Sharp and Vivian the slows. The .South Island will have such tried batsmen as M. L. Pago (captain), F. W. Bellamy, W. A. Hadlee, I. B. Cromb. A. W. Roberts, C. K ; Jackman and K. Uttley to call upon, and the bowling will be in the bands of G. R. Dickinson. Bellamy. Roberts, Cromb, Dunning and Moloney. The two teams appear to be well matched, and it should be anybody's game.

Jackman'is the Old Collegians bats-man-wicketkeeper. He scored 54 not out against Lancaster Park on Saturday. M. Shari> is.'the Gisborne colt who ae-. eompanied the Auckland tenrri oh its southern ’ tour, at Christmas time, anil played against .Wellington in the special two-days’ game at the Basin Reserve. He is. a .slow spin bowler of promise. A Bi-Uirant Batsman.

A player who would have helped to save Wellington from humiliation on the cricket field this ■ season is S. Wilson, the youthful -Kilbirnie batsman, who, in seven innings -this season, once not out, has scored 455 runs, in the senior championship competition. lie scored his third century-mi-Saturday when he hit up 127 against ■ University on the Kilbirnie ground.- • Wilsoir is the most dashing batsman- in- the game in Wellington, and should-have played in all the Shield matches,- -Ile-is-also a smart fieldsman, with a pair- of-safe li.rnds.

A Useful Recruit. The University club have received a useful recruit in Harper, ex-captain of Christ’s College-first eleven, who scored 23p for his school against Otago Boys’ High School .this, season.' Promoted to senior grade, this season, he scored a century in .bis. first innings for Old Collegians. . . . Mercantile' League,

Many .gopd individual performances were returned in Saturday’s Mercantile League games. One of the best batting efforts outside .the. A grade was that of Biggar, of Bing .Harris,, who scored half his team’s total of 302 for five, declared, with sound yet aggressive strokes all round the wicket.- -Torrington. Taubnians fast bowler,-was-also in rare form, and he took twelve wickets for 63 runs, including the “hat trick.” Kristiansen, of New Zealand Slippers, who took thirteen wickets' for 70 runs, also was in his most aOerrrate ’ form.

The A grSd(J 'cbrripetition', which will be completed in another six series of games, is beginning to create interest. State .Fire, the lending team, is still in an excellent position, with a four-point lead. The loss of Francis, its fast bowler, is likely to be felt, however. Francis has been transferred to Otago, ar.d Overseas Shipping took full advantage of his absence on Saturday to force a close finish with the championship leaders. At

stumps they were but fourteen runs short of the winning margin, with three wickets still in hand, and another ten minutes of play would have clinched the match for them. McKenzie played a real captain’s hand for State Fire in scoring 49 runs and taking (our wickets, while J. Banks, the ex-Wellington representative, showed his class in a brilliant battiijsr effort for 97 runs. Both Banks and McKenzie have been outstanding players in their respective teams this season, and the only disappointment has been that they have not performed better in repre-, sentative games. A". Mftrtin revealed his best batting form in a fine knock of 70 for Roseneath against Jasco, who are not playing as well now as in the first round. Henderson hit up a hurricane 101 for BookerBricks in a big innings of 250 for four wickets, declared, while a neat 70 scored by Dobbs? of Smith and Smiths, paved the way for a fairly comfortable win over Cowans, last season’s champions. Customs have lost the services of their fast bowler, C. O’Connor, for the remainder of the season, and their chance of winning grade honours now seems to be hopeless.