CRICKET.

Evening Star, Issue 3048, 25 November 1872, Page 2

CRICKET.

By “ Looker On"

A line, warm, genial afternoon on Saturday, induced a good many spectators, inchiding a number of the fair sex, to resort to the Recreation Reserve, where matches were to be played by both of our Clubs. The gallant twenty-two Volunteers, clad in warlike costume, mustered in great force to do battle with the first eleven of the Dunedin Cricket Club. The eleven took the field, while two representatives of “ the pomp and circumstance of glorious war,” bat in hand, appeared to face the artillery, such as it was, of the select eleven. The batting of the twenty-two was very fair, and considering that few of them ever practice, very creditable indeed. The feature of the afternoon was Morrison’s innings of 50. He played in tine form, showing a good defence, and ability to hit hard when opportunity offered. He should practice leg hitting, that being his weak point. As it is, he is one of the safest and best bats in the club. No other volunteer made much of a stand, but still, owing to the bad disposal of the field and loose play, runs came fast enough, and before six o’clock the score had reached 140, wit) two wickets to g > down. The play of the te’ect tea uof what is presumed to be the leading club, would have disgraced any up-country or school-boy eleven. The men were badly placed, and, like the proverbial policeman, they were never in the right place when wanted. Instead of allowing the bowlers to settle down to their work, and di-pose of their adversaries if they were able to do so. the sapient skipper of the the select team rang the changes so quickly and so frequently as to lead to the supposition that, “dressed in a little brief authority,” be put a man on to bowl simply for the pleasure of taking him off again. Judicious changes often prove effective. .Senseless and injudicious ones encourage the batsmen, while they disorganise the field. The utter inability of the eleven to meet successfully a moderately t/ood twentv-two was amply shown in this match. A more lamentable display of impotent weakness could not well have been made. The select team wiil require to practice tickling and work better together before they c tit lay just claim to be considered anything very superior in the cricketing arena. The ground was dry, hard, and bumpy ; and although pains had evidently been taken with the wicket, it was by no means a good one. The Citizens’ wicket seemed to be far worse, for at almost every hit the batsmen made a perfect cloud of dust arise, which completely obscured for a time the unfortunate men who happened to bo near the wicket. No good cricket cau be expected until water is laid on to the ground, and this matter ought to be attended to at once by the joint Clubs. Without good wickets, no good cricket cau bo looked for. The outside ground is exceedingly rough, being full of ruts and holes, and so erratic arc the movements of the ball that no fieldsman can possibly make sure of securing it with certainty. The following is the score in the match, D.C C. v. Volunteers :

VOLUNTEERS. F. Muir, b Fulton - - - 5 A. "Webb, c Kcade, b Fulton - 0 W. Fuller, b Reade - - - o T. Muir, b Reade - r - 4 J. Morrison, c Thomson, b Cairns - 50 J. White, run out - - G W. Lambert, c Reade, b Fulton - 0 Greenfield, nm out - - . J A. Creagh, ran out - - -4 M. Creagh, o Kettle, b Thomson • 2 A. Coxhead, run out- ■ - 2 A. Reid • - - - 10 W. B. Ogilvic - - -3 J. Copeland - - - - 0 S. Muir - - - - 0 C. Bunny - - - - 0 Marsclen, b Fulton - - - 1 Thomson, b Thomson - - 3 Keys, b Thomson - - -7 Park, not out- - • - 1 Gillies, to bat, Hutchison, to bat. Extras .... Total - IfO

The match eleven Citizens 'v, eleven Albions was a very unsatisfactory one, unsatisfactory because neither Club brought out a goo i eleven, the advantage, if any, being on the Citizens’ side; because the match was drawn, and because such a miserable wicket was provided. The Citizens ran up the large score of 88, i f which Coxhead contributed 17, and Morrison 23, though both should have been had before they obtained half-a-dozen, while the extras were much too great. Sutcliff, for the Albion?, batted very well. The lidding and bowling on both sides, Morrison in the latter department excepted, will bear a great deal of improvement. The following are the scores CITIZKXS. Coxhcad, F. M., l» Jago - -17 Shepherd, c Kirk, b Thomson • 2 Ferguson, c and b Sutcliffe - - u Cole, b Jago - - - -6 (don, b Sutcliffe - - 10 Peake, run out - - • 0 Morrison, c Kirk, b Sutcliffe • 23 Clark, b Sutcliffe - - - 9 ■Watson, W., c Barkman, b Sutcliffe 0 Watson, J., c Peters, b Barkman ■ 0 Mills, not out - • 0 Extras - - - *lB Tot* • rBB

albtonk. Barkman, c Clark, b Glen ■ • I’eters, c Coxhoad, b Glen - - m Peyton, T., b Glen - ' ' . Hutchinson, T., Ibw, b fehephcid • 1 Kirk, b Shepherd ■ ; * “■ Sutcliffe, b Morrison- , • Little, not out - • Sherwiu, b Mom sou - • • y ■Wills, not out • - • 0 Jago, to bat Cohen, to bat Extras - - * * ” Total - * 56