CRICKET

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 151, 22 March 1939, Page 16

CRICKET

Sir Julien Cahn’s Team

LESSONS FOR N.Z. PLAYERS Value Of Sound Batting (Bi Bub wood.) What a well-balanced side that good sportsman, Sir Julien Cahn, had for the New Zealand cricket tour was proved in Auckland last weekend when they fully extended the strong Auckland eleven, who were expected to be more than a match for the English visitors. On this occasion the English tourists', for a change, won the toss, and proceeded to give a display of that dour defensive play for which English teams have been noted of late. '. In C. S. Dempster, the one-time New Zealander, Sir Julien Cahn’s team has as sound an opening batsman as there is in the game today in any country in the world. Dempster is a batting genius. ••Burwood" can recall Dempster, some 10 vears ago, explainiug to him his method of defence. He had everything worked out to a science, and used pads and but to the fullest advantage in defending his wicket. The poor bowler, when Dempster was on the defensive, had at best only a chance of hitting the varnish on the off-stump, and this, it will be admitted, is a most illusive target. Dempster, in Auckland, had 11. -Mudge, the Australian, with him to open the tunings, and, -though Auckland had such able bowlers aa J. Cowie, W. N. Canson, A. M. Matheson, and H. G. Vivian, the pair put on 105 runs before Mudge, who had reached 48, was bowled by Vivian. It was a tribute to the steadiness ot the Auckland bowling that the opening pair had to go so sedately. Dempster took 80 minutes to reach his half-century, and play had been in progress for 108 minutes before the first hundred appeared.

But the English opening pair were there to take the bloom off the bowling, and they did their job most effectively. Cowie has definitely lost the pace which made him. probably the best fast bowler in the world when with the New Zealand team in England in 1937.

Bad Fielding. After at last getting rid ot Mudge (48) and Dempster (56), the Aucklanders had only themselves to blame for the big total Sir Julien Cahn’s team hit up. J. Hardstaff, the Notts and All England batsman, is acknowledged to be one of the very best batsmen in the game today, and one would have expected the Auckland fieldsman to have been only 100 ready to see his back on the way to the pavilion. But the great New Zealand weakness, faulty catching, was revealed by the Aucklanders. Hardstaff was dropped behind the sticks by Sale, and twice in the slips, and was allowed to have four innings before he was eventually caught by Sale off Weir for a top score of 84. Why is it that New Zealanders drop so many catches on the cricket field? This great weakness has been frequently commented upon by English critics. The possible reason is that New Zealand players only get one afternoon’s play a weelf. There is little chance of New Zealand players getting any catching practice at the nets during the week ; there is little enough time .nor batting and bowling practice. But if New Zealand fielding is to improve, more time will have to be devoted to catching practice. The Austra- : lian team will be with us next year, and it will not pay to allow such batsmen as Bradman, Brown, Hassett, Badcock, McCabe, and Barnes more than one innings.

An Able Lancastrian. N. Oldfield, the Lancashire batsman, appears to like New Zealand bowling. Against the New Zealand team in 1937 he secured 66 and 43 not out, and on the present tour for Sir Julien Cahn’s team he scored 26, 32, 37, 14, 104 not out, 11, 42 not out, and 70. He is a neat strokemaker, and is an adept at hooking, pulling, and gliding, and he can cut and drive with power.

Carson’s Success. Carson, with three for 32 off 14 overs, proved the most successful of the Auckland fast bowlers. He trapi-ied Dempster 1.b.w., and icleaii-bowled Oldfield and Maxwell, when both of the last-named pair were well set. Cowie had to be content with one for 92 off 29 overs, and Matheson with one for 79 off 22 overs. The fast-medium attack had no terrors for the Huglishmen in this match.

H. G. Vivian did tolerably well with his slow left-hand spinners, his tally being three for 195 off 38.4 overs, and Burke, another slow spin bowler, took two tail-enders for 81 off 22 overs.

Auckland’s Recovery. , After falling for 270 in their first innings, in reply to the lilnglishnien’s 456, the Aucklanders showed something like their real form iu hitting up 305 for three wickets when they followed on. P. E. Whitelaw scored an even century, G. L. Weir reached 96, and A. J. Postles and W. M. Wallace ran into the thirties. That the Auckland batsmen scored so freely in their second innings was largely because J. E. Walsh,, the Leicestershire slow left-hander, who had taken five wickets for 91 runs in the first innings, strained a back muscle, and could only send down one over in the second innings. Sir Julien Cahn played the game in true English house-match style. He seized the ball, and called up great applause by getting rid of Weir when the latter only required four runs to reach his century. Sir Julien also gave .Hardstaff and Oldfield a turn at the bowling crease.

Averages for the Tour. Dempster, as he has a habit of doing, heads the batting averages for the New Zealand tour, heading J. 1 innlstaff for both uverage and aggregate. PliilJipson- has to thank four not out innings lor finding himself up with the illustrious leaders. Oldfield and Jackson also batted consistently throughout the tour. A glance at the bowling figures will show the heat and burden of the tour had to be borne by the two slow bowlers, J. E. Walsh and 'l'. P. B. Smith. Walsh bowled so well that his future career will be followed with interest. The batting and bowling figures would not have been so good had it not been for the two matches played against secondary schools teams.

Following are the complete averages for the tour; —

Patients in some ol the Middlesex county hos’pitals have n trolly laden with library books brought to their bedside, to allow them to choose their reading matter.

Butting. Inns. N.O. U.S. Runs. Av. C. S. Dempster ..8 0 200 531 66.37 J. Hardstaff ..8 0 180 510 63.75 IV. E. I’hillipsuu . 6 4 127 63.o0 N. Oldfield .. ..8 2 *104 336 56.00 V. E. Jackson .. .. 8 1 133 312 18.85 E. A. Walts . ..6 1 84 240 48.00 G. F. H. Heane .. 6 0 67 2118 34.66 II. Mudge ... .1, G. Lush ..6 1 ..2 1 *72 *33 170 33 34.00 33.00 A. II. Dyson ..8 0 103 29.00 C. It. Maxwell .. 6 0 41 110 18.33 T. P. B. Smith (> 1 34 82 lti.10 ,1. E. Walsh .. ..4 0 13.00 C. (’■ Goodway ..2 0 19 _•> 11.50 ,1. Cahn .. 5 2 11 24 8.00 Bowling Wk is. Runs. Walsh .... .. 45 027 13.93 Lush .... 84 14.00 Smith .... .. 34 .•'. 16.08 Phillipson .. 17 317 18.64 Watts .... .. 15 348 23 20 Mudge 0 131 16 Jackson .. «> 152 30.40 Cahn .. 1 35 95.00 Oldlield .. .. o 19 Hardstaff 0 Heane .... .. 0 54