CRICKET

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 43, 19 January 1938, Page 15

CRICKET

MANAWATU ASSOCIATION MEETING OF COMMITTEE.

Tlic executive committee of the Manawatu Cricket Association met last evening. Those present were Messrs A. M. Ongley (chairman), J. Gallichan, W. Prentice (in place pf Mr D. Jones), H. Von Stunner and It. A. Brace (secretary). A challenge for the Goldfinch and Cousins Cup by the Feilding Cricket Association for Saturday next was accepted, and it was decided that if a Hawke Cup match is played the former game be staged at Terrace End Park, at 10 a.m., otherwise at the Sportsground. Senior B, junior A and junior B club matches are to be played, commencing at 1.30 p.m. In view of the fact that eight teams are engaged in the junior A grade and that all would have to stand down if a team were sent to Wanganui cm Saturday', as previously suggested, it was decided that a team could not be sent, but that endeavours be made to arrange a match for later in the season.

Mr Gallichan, the official scorer, said complaints had been made by spectators about late starting and time lost at other times in representative matches. In the two Hawke Cup matches and the Canterbury match a total of two hours and 31 minutes had been lost. In the Taranaki match 71 minutes had been lost, in the Rangitikei match 53 minutes, and in the Canterbury match 27 minutes. The chairman mentioned an accident in which H. Piercey had suffered a cut on a leg, last Saturday, on a barbed wire (the fifth of a six-wire fence) on -the Esplanade boundary of the outer area at the Sportsground. On his suggestion it was decided to write to the City Council asking that the wire be removed. The chairman commented that a barbed wire in such a position was dangerous. The statistician for the junior B grade, Mr E. C. Watson, advised that at December 18 the points were: Cook’s, 52; High School. 48; Y.M.C.A. 42; United 42; City 32; Kia Toa 16. SENIOR A PROTEST.

The Palmerston Club forwarded a protest against action alleged to have been taken by the captain of the United Club’s Senior A team last Saturday. He had been a “not out” batsman on the previous Saturday, but had not been present to take his place when the game was continued last Saturday, stated the letter. He had gone to the crease after two wickets had fallen and, although given out by the umpire, had allegedly refused to go out. The Palmerston club claimed the maximum points for the game. It was decided that the Umpires’ Association be written to asking for a report and that the United Club also be advised. The mover of the motion, Mr Ongley, said there was no report from the Umpires’ Association and the United Club, he understood, did not know of the protest. .

Mr von Sturmer asked what method would be adopted in splitting up the junior A grade on the completion of the first round. He said that ■if the grade were divided into two sections and all the teams started afresh one would lose an advantage of 16 points now. That total, on the other hand, would prove a very big obstacle for tho other. teams if it were retained. After a general discussion, the meeting held the matter over for a week, as there was not a full attendance and as the round is not yet finished. It Was felt that there might be an expression of opinion given by the teams concerned.

The following registrations of players were granted: D. Frost (City) senior B, A. Cutler (United) senior A, A. T. Gibson (United) senior B, T. Downes (Palmerston) senior A. G. Rabone (United) senior A, D. Cummings (Optimists) junior A. G. Cameron (Y.M.C.A.) senior A. F. Corlett (City) senior B, B. A. Cross (City) junior B. The following regradings were made: H. Lang (City), senior A to senior B; L. J. Mullins (Kia Toa), senior A to senior B. DRAW FOR SATURDAY. The following is the draw for the club games to be held on Saturday, play to commence at 1.30 p.m.: Senior B. —Kia Toa. (m.) v. Y.M.C.A., Sportsground, No. 4; United (m.) v.’ Old Boys ; Sportsground, No. 5; Combined Services (m.) v. City, Sportsground, No. 3. Junior A. —Massey College (m.) v. Combined Services, Sportsground. No. 7; Old Boys (m.) v. Optimists, Sports-

ground, No. 6; H. L. Young’s (m.) v. United, Hokowhitu, No. 3; High School default to Kia Toa.

Junior B. —Cook’s (m.) v. Y.M.C.A., Hokowhitu, No. 2; United (m.) v. Kia Toa, Hokowhitu, No. 1; High School default to City.

NOTES ON THE GAME. CANTERBURY’S VISIT. (By “Point.”) At the end of the match between the Wellington Minor Associations and the Canterbury Plunket Shield team, tlie view was fairly generally expressed that the reverse tlie minor associations suffered would silence the assertions of many years that the team merited inclusion in tlie Shield series. On tho face of the bare scores the position was somewhat hopeless. Five Country wickets had fallen in the opening morning (which gave only two hours of play) and, from the 101 then reached the innings worked steadily toward a total of 223. In the next phase of the match, Canterbury’s innings, the visitors gave Country another shock. Pritchard, without troubling the batsmen, did his valiant best at the city end of the wicket and from eight overs for 23 runs of the night before his uverage rose to 17 overs for 49 runs. The Canterbury pi ayes sought tlie open ground, and oil numbers of occasions scored groups of runs that would have been well tied down under placing such as Cromb’s.

Taken generally, that innings might be said to have practically finished at 217, when the tall Mcßae infused such grand dash into the batting. The association of Mcßae and Jacobs appeared to be disastrous to Manawatu, but in the writer’s opinion the disaster was at the close of the first day, when Cromb (eventually making 77) gave McVicar a very hard chance, but a chance nevertheless. From 217 the Canterbury innings took a new lease of life and soared to 330 in what appeared to be but a few minutes. Altogether the match seemed to evidence against the fifth Plunket Shield idea. The one Canterbury innings produced a total only 43 runs short of the aggregate of the two Country efforts. On the other hand, the match has brought to light a number of interesting points which weigh all in favour of the Country contention. First and foremost there stands out the gain that would be made by the Country side with other matches of that standard. One feels that the team; even without the addition of E. Christensen and S. Betts (Taranaki), G. Hook (Wanganui) and M. O’Brien (Hawke’s Bay); would make a very much better showing if they were placed in the same company again. Tlie team members themselves were disappointed, but it is frequently scon that a side, worked up to a pitch where they mean to move mountains, collapse utterly. Donnelly (59), Murchison (50) and Norris (29) were the only batsmen, with the exception of Petersen (28) who made anything like a score in the CcPuntry side. The first three are used to facing bowling which is better than that usually met with here, and a general improvement in the batting could be expected. Matters moved by fits and starts in the Country innings, and it was obvi- ' ous that the batsmen were somewhat awed by the occasion. One cash in point provides sufficient evidence on that— Pritchard’s care. He faced bowling which would have been hit out of the ground had it been served up to him oil a Saturday afternoon in a club match. With few claims at the moment as a batsman, be makes liis runs from straight out hitting find once he lias “sight” of the ball the runs come steadily on most occasions. On Wednesday afternoon last he would have fared much better if he had imagined himself in a club match. Cromb made the batsmen dance to his tune of singles and hesitancy at the wickets. His placing of the field was a lesson and he quickly cut off any natural scoring strokes. Two chances, had they been taken (not to mention the rest), would have almost certainly changed the whole complexion of the game. Tlie turning point in the meeting was the beginning of the Canterbury innings at the close of the first day. Cromb gave a catch in the first over and had Country managed to take it Cromb would not have then stayed at the wicket to show his men what to do with the bowling. Cromb literally led the way for his side. Jacobs gave two chances early in his 62, and had one been taken the Canterbury effort would have beeen cut right short, for after Jacob’s eventual dismissal the innings lasted only another 26 minutes.

The selector (Mr A. M. Ongley) says that the claim for a fifth shield district has been justified by the match. The minor associations were unfortunate in the absence of four good players (Christensen, Betts, Hook and O’Brien) while the Canterbury side was fresh from Plunket Shield games, he said. In those circumstances the team had done as well as could be expected. “We have tlie material and all we need is experience,” is Mr Ongle.v’s view. “Our Country cricketers will never improve unless they get that experience; The match proves conclusively that within two years the minor associations team could be quite up to Plunket Shield stand aid.” Those views are borne out by a eonscensus of opinion among the Canterbury side, which was that the minor associations would be quite up to Plunket Shield strength if they could get their strongest team in the field.. As far as could be gathered, there was a feeling among some minor associations that Manawatu was dominating matters rather much, and this might be the reason why leading players such as M. A. O’Brien and H. Reanoy (Hawke’s Bay), and E. Christensen (Taranaki) notified that they were not available. If the Wellington minor associations’ teams were to marshal their full strength, they would give any major association a good game Oil the completion of the AueklandCanterbury Plunket Shield match N. Gallichan headed the bowling averages with 7 for 76. an average of 10.85. Mulcock. the Canterbury bowler, stood second with 16 for 232, an average of 14.50, and T. Pritchard was third with 6 for 89, an average of 14.83. Whitelaw, of Auckland, led the batting with an average of 141 in three innings (one not out) and Scott, who made his debut in Shield cricket this season for Auckland, stood second with an average of 122 (in one innings). Carson, another Aucklander, had an average of 112 (in one innings) but Uttley (Otago) had 100.75 for his® four innings). Pritchard (12 in one innings) and Gallichan (2 in one innings) were both well down the list.