CRICKET

Evening Star, Issue 19793, 17 February 1928, Page 12

CRICKET

[By Wallaby.] '

NOTES AND COMMENTS

On Saturday bowlers had a day out, conditions being-all against batsmen. Both senior games were played on the North Ground, where the wickets were sodden with the heavy rain that had fallen the previous night. The Grange wicket has not been up to the mark all the season, and on Saturday it played tricks that were anything but entertaining to tho willow-wiolders who tried to gauge tho flight of tho ball. The trouble with this wicket is, 1 understand, that the sand which was spread over that part of the ground during the winter has prevented the soil from binding, the result being that the surface quickly crumbles under' the pounding of the ball. Similar trouble, but to a much slighter degree, was experienced at Carisbrook iu tho early part of the season. I

With the wicket in that condition, then, the batsmen should have taken the risks and hit out. Most of those Who did so succeeded in collecting some runs, while those too tired to play tho orthodox game never went very far. The ball flew up or kept low, and life waa very uncertain, so much so that Dunedin, who had first nso of tho Wicket, were all out for 103. The only one on tho side to grasp the fact that htiting was the game was Dick Torrance. The Dunedin skipper made up his mind from tho start to give ’em the long handle, and ho hit up 31 very quickly. He found Conradi particularly to his liking, and hit him for four 4’s and a 6 in two overs. Altogether, he smacked six balls to or #ver the boundary. He had a let-off when Conradi badly misjudged a skier off Elmes, but soon afterwards was easily stumped in jumping out to Alloo.

Towards the end of the innings CJarIdge and White laid about them, and each got double figures. Their batting, if not orthodox, was at least effective. Norman Cherry reached 10 and was unfortunate in being run out when batting nicely. It must have been a close thing, too._ M'Gregor stayed a while, hut in trying to open out was easily caught. This player is a very poor runner between the wickets. Many singles are lost by the time he pulls up anchor and gets under weigh. Cavanagh made the mistake of “ playing the rock,” and used up a valuable fifty-five minutes in adding 4 runs to Jiis side’s total. Rae, a promoted junior, did not shape Bt all badly, but has a peculiar habit of lifting one or other of his feet when making a stroke. A smart wicketkeeper would watch him like a cat watches a mouse. Chadwick did. Reg. Cherry failed to get going, being caught when 8. This was his last appearance for Dunedin, he having been transferred to Invercargill. We can ill afford to lose such a useful batsman from our club cricket, and onr Southland friends will gain a valuable asset in him. Cherry has been a little uncertain in his batting of late, but ever and anon comes to light with a big score. His cluh-mates will miss his cheery presence also. Kenny, who was suffering from an attack of the ’flu, was unable to take his place in the Dunedin team, Rae filling the vacancy lit the last moment. The feature of the Dunedin’s innings Was Alloo’s howling. He found the wicket very ranch to his liking and made the hall turn and lift in nasty fashion. Eight of his first overs were maidens, and in all he howled 25.4 overs, 15 of which, were maidens, for 27 runs and Seven wickets—a good performance, even allowing for the bad wicket. Grange fared little better when they went in, for, with the exception of Knight, and to a certain extent M‘Mnilan, nobody could master the intricacies ;of the pitch. Knight laid on the wood, land scored from hard drives and nicely placed strokes all round the wicket, while M'Mullan got his 15 mainly from chop-strokes down the slips and off drives. With seven down for 77, the finish, so far as the first innings result is concerned, should bo interesting. The score was 59 for seven when Chadwick and Hanan came together, and they stayed there until stumps were drawn at 6 o’clock.

Claridge, who came into the Dunedin team from the juniors when Eastman dropped out, took four for 26. He is a right-hander with fair pace, and by no means orthodox, for he delivers the bail from various heights. The wicket suited him on Saturday, for he made the ball kick. Torrance plugged along and accounted for three wickets at a cost of 16 runs, but M; Gregor was freely hit, especially by Knight, 31 runs being obtained from his four overs. M’Gregor brought off a really good catch when he held Knight off Claridge. It was not a good stroke, hut the ball appeared to be easily beating the fieldsman as he ran in the direction it was taking. At the last moment, however, he put out his hands and the ball dropped over his head into them. It was an example of what can he done by trying. Most fieldsmen would have given it up as impossible. _ Albion appeared to be in for a respectable score when five wickets were down for 122. But after the tea adjournment (by the way, was this adjunct necessary when the playing time had been shortened for the day by an hour? Grange and Duuedin did not take it) the side developed a decided tail and were all out for 148. The wicket, though sodden and slow, was not so tricky as the neighboring Grange wicket, and a bigger score than this should have been got on it. It was a bad start for the home side when Vorrath, the century maker against Wellington, was clean bowled by Dickinson for 3. Two other standby’s in Duncan and Shepherd were also disposed of fairly cheaply, their contributions being 18 and 14 respectively, but Blair hit solidly and played another .useful innings for his team. But it was Caskie that “ knocked the cover off ” the bowling while he was there. The big fellow _ used his height and weight very effectively and landed a 6 and six 4’s in his 47, which he made while 21 were being got at the other end. With Barron’s 18 double-figure scoring stopped and the procession began. Dickinson, howling slower than has been his wont and keeping his arm well up, a better length than ■usual and got in an occasional stinger that heat the best of them. The wicket assisted him in that it enabled him to ■mnda the hall lift, but he bowled well and deserved his average of six for 48, four of his wickets being clean bowled. Faulks, promoted from the juniors, imEressed the writer with his style. He as a nice easy action, and brings the ball from behind his back. He clean jskittled Shepherd with a good one. Douglas caught four men out in the gbps, two off Blunt and two off Dickbason. The catch with which be sent ■Binnie back was a beauty. Dickinson was the howler, and the ball got up and shot from the bat very fast. It was sailing well over Douglas’s head when that fieldsman shot up his left band and grabbed it. With Blunt and Dickinson out for 51 the match is in an interesting stage, as is the Dunedin-Grange match next door. Blunt was got rid of luckily, for it is doubtful whether such a fine batsman would make such a stroke again in a month of Sundays. Blair sent up an atrocious half-pitcher, and Blunt made to hook it hard, but, hitting a fraction too late, he sent it mildly back into the bowler’s hands. He had made only 6 runs, too. Dickinson was dropped a couple of times in getting 18, but made up for it by getting badly run out. ■ ' Being a spectator on the North Ground on Saturday was like being at fc two-ring circus. One’s attention was Hbtded. and one’s eyes travelled from

ono match to another. 1 take it that the idea of playing both senior matches on this ground was to enable the Carisbrook ground to be free as early as possible, so that the caretaker might have time to prepare it for the carnival at night. In spite of tho small scores which often characterise matches in the lower [grades, tho performance of the “hat trick ” is not a common occurrence. Now and again it is done. On Saturday Aitkon, of Carisbrook, wont ono hotter, taking four Y.M.C.A. wickets in as many consecutive balls. This took place in a second grade (B section) match. The same player also made 13 runs with the bat. Tho financial result of the opon-air entertainment held on Saturday night in aid of tho Otago Cricket Association funds will not be definitely known until all tho art union ticket blocks come iu at the end of the month. The carnival was quite a successful one, though it was once more apparent that the majority of cricketers do not rally round in support of tho movements which are organised for their benefit. A walk around tho ground on Saturday night disclosed the fact that large numbers of players had not bothered to attend. Doubtless most of them had bought art union tickets, but the point is that they had not sufficient enthusiasm for, or interest in, their own cause to make a point of being present, even when good- entertainment was provided for them. If the selection of the Australian team for the dominion had been delayed until the New South Wales v. Victoria match had been played (says tho Sydney ‘Referee’), it is' possible that E. a’Beckett and C. Nicholls would have won places. Experience on such a tour might have boon of inestimable value in developing these new ones, so that by the time the tests come on next season they would be well qualified to step into tho eleven.

Of the colt a’Beckett’s bowling in the Victoria v. New South Wales match, when ho captured six of the latter for 119, much has been written in the Melbourne papers. One authority says that a’Beckett was, on the whole, the best bowler on the side. In his manipulation of the ball and in accuracy Blackio was actually superior to his mates. But his tactics wore inferior to those of the colt. A’Beckett went for the wicket, or just off the off stump, swung in a bit, and was accurate and persevering. In his 32.6 overs he did not have much luck. As with Nicholls, so with the Victorian colt, he impressed the best judges so much that ho is now reckoned a test match possibility. This was a searching trial for a youngster. The attendances at the last New South Wales v. Victoria match were a record for the match, being as follows: —Thursday, 30,386, £2,195; Friday, 13,387, £909; Saturday, 15,830, £1,040; Monday, 6,895, £431; Tuesday 1,036, 30; totals, 67,616, £4,606. The previous record attendance for a Sheffield Shield match in' Sydney was 56,152, and the takings £4,133. This was two years ago.

COLT’S FOR TESTS

W. M. Woodfull, tho Victorian captain, writes ris follows in the Mel-, bourne ‘ Herald ’: —

“E. L. a’Beckett (Vic.), K. Schneider (S.A.), and A. Jackson (N.S.W.) are the only three colts in first-class cricket to-day who have any prospect of inclusion in the next Australian eleven, with the reservation that it is yet too early to speak with auv degree of certainty, and that much will depend on next year’s performances. A’Beckett is a howler, and Schneider and Jackson batsmen. Ido not express any opinion as to the older men, who have not yet had their big chance. I am concerned principally with the colts, and I think that a’Beckett, Jackson, and Schneider stand out.

“ I am not judging a’Beckett solely on his performance in the present match in Sydney, I have seen his howling several times, but his effort in the last two days stamped him _as a bowler of great promise. He finished, too, as keenly and as accurately as when he started. He has yet, however, a long way to go before he can be confident of selection. One is not picked on one performance to play for Australia.

“Jackson is young, hut he has done very well, and if he continues as he has started I think wo shall hear of him next year. I have seen Nicholls only onoe, and I am reserving _my opinion of bim until later. Schneider appears the best of the young brigade in Adelaide.

“Some of us have been disappointed this year in Alexander, but next year ho might come again and show ns that his earlier form was correct. None of tho other colts so far has impressed me as a likely test man, although, as I said before, next year’s performances will decide the fate of all of them.”