Cricket.

Free Lance, Volume I, Issue 22, 1 December 1900, Page 13

Cricket.

Beautiful weather prevailed for the matches on Saturday, and the wickets were in good order. Midland got much the best of the deal with Wellington, scoring 274 in their innings. Wellington, with ftve wickets down for 152, have still to make 27 runs to save an innings defeat. Old Boys collapsed to Phoenix in their second innings, their total only reaching 40, the latter thus winning by an innings and 30 runs.

Holdship showed some of his old-time form in his contribution of 26 (not out), some of his cuts to the off-boundary being beauties. Midlane played attractive cricket in scoring his century, and never gave the semblance of a chance. His success was very popular. The fielding of the Midland team was excellent, Upham being especially good, the catch that disposed of Gore being a brilliant one. Stephenson's (35) was a valuable innings for his team. He never looked like getting out till the ball from Richardson bowled him, which was a real trimmer.

Bead kept his end up well, and made his score of 25 fairly fast, cuts to the off boundary being the principal features in his innings. Playing for the College eleven against Kilbirnie B in the Junior Championship on Saturday, Bidwell put on the big score of 221 (not out). Weybourne (80), Hickson (16), and Gore (13), and played well for their runs, though they were steady at the beginning of their innings. Hales was the most successful bowler in the Wellington team on Saturday, the three wickets he got — Bead, Upham and Howard — being obtained with beautiful balls. Sisson was the only batsman to assist Midlane in the Phoenix innings, he keeping his end up very successfully. His score of 27 is the only one he has made so far this season. Two centuries were scored on Saturday in the senior matches, Midlane getting 111 (not out), and Tucker 109 (not out). To Midlane belongs the honour of scoring the first century of the season. George threw his wicket away. Tucker cut a ball for what looked like an easy two, but after calling " No " George went on, with the result that he and Tucker were at one end, with the ball at the other. The most attractive cricket on Saturday was the display by Duncan. His driving, hitting and cutting were all well timed, and included in his score of 37 (not out) was a beautiful hit to leg for six off Upham. Wilson tried to rival Holdsworth's big hit of a previous Saturday, but only managed to land one from Stephenson on the top of the pavilion. A lively innings well started was concluded by a mishit off Holds worth. Wright, who will be remembered as the wicketkeeper in last year's Canterbury representative team, and who captained the Phoenix team two seasons ago, has returned to Wellington, and it is more than probable he will be found in the field agaiu with his old love. Holdsworth was the only successful bowler for Midland, he getting the five wickets. Bowling the off theory, he got on a nice break with plenty of pace, and three of his victims— Hickson, Gore, and Weybourne — were caught in exactly the same place — by Upham in the slips. Tucker had a lot of luck in hie innings. Ashbolt dropped an easy chance, Duncan a hot one, and a ball from Bedmond went high up off the bat, and landing, struck the wicket, but did not dislodge the bails. Tucker, however, made some fine cuts, and scored freely. Two good stands were made on Saturday in the Midland— Wellington match. For the former, Stephenson and Tucker added, 9l for the eighth wicket, and for the latter, Duncan and Holdship have put on 66 for the sixth wicket, and were unbeaten at the end of Saturday's play. " Observanda," in the course of an interesting communication, agrees with me that •' the umpires are the sole judges as to whether the pitches are suitable for playing on." My correspondent goes on to say:— "l would like to call upon all our budding umpires to make themselves thoroughly conversant with their duties, and the rules, before accepting such an onerous position, and then bring themselves in touch with the scorers, by adopting a generally accepted code of signals, and so save a very large amount of angry disputations and venomous feeling."