Our-door Sports ..and Pastimes. By Touchline. Cricket.

Free Lance, 30 March 1901, Page 20

Our-door Sports ..and Pastimes. By Touchline. Cricket.

THE encket on Saturday was not of a very interesting character. Both matches appeared to the spectators to be foregone conclusions, and that it uas only a question of playing out time. * • • It took the Phoenix team piactically all the afternoon to get rid of the _ Wellingtons, whose innings totalled lbo runs. Richardson (32), Hickson (19), Gore C-'-U, Duncan (15), Ashbolt (18), Crombie (25), and Wilson (14), all helped the total along In the dim light, at the end of the day, the Phcenix team lost three wickets toi 17. » • • Against Old Boys, the Midland team rallied up a total of 288, and got rid of one of their opponents for two runs. Read (10), Williams (40), Stephenson (l-}> Tucker (125), Hickson (40), Holdsworth (19), and Upham (12) were the main run-getters * * * Both games will be resumed next Saturday, and, I presume, with that day's play the curtain will be rung down. Unless the unexpected happens, there seems to be no hope of finishing either match, so that the Championship Committee will have to declare the Wellington and Midland teams a tie for the championship. Weybourne got 7 off Clarkes first over, only to be clean bowled by Pope's first ball. Williams' innings was a merry one. There is no question about the way the Midland wicket-keeper gets his runs. He goes straight for the bowling directly he has taken leg stump, and the score mounts quickly till he is sent back to the dre&smg-rooin. His stay at the wickets on Saturday was no exception to the rule.

Vic Waters declined to try his luck with the ball on Saturday. Want of practice, I suppose. Claud Hickson rattled up 40 in fair time, the luck of Tucker at the other end encouraging him to take more risks than usual. Duncans score was made up principally of leg hits, but Crombie terminated a very aggressive innings with a weak stroke, playing one quietly back to Pope. Ashbolt was in a better humour for scoring than when he was at the wickets the previous week, but Wilson did not seem to be so intent as usual on finding the boundary. Richardson batted nicely, and scored quicker than usual. Hjjs hook stroke cost him his wicket, as, stepping in front to one from Hickey, he missed it, and paid the penalty. Gore was a long time in starting, but ho laid the wood on when once set going. A fine cut for 7 (six being run out, and one from an overthrow) was executed m his best style. The team that has been chosen to play against Hawke's Bay is the best that could have been obtained under the circumstances, and should give a good account of itself. Douglas (three for 16), going on late, got the best average of the Old Boys' bowlers, Tucker and Upham benig among his victims. Gilmer (three for 72), however, bore the brunt of the attack. There is trouble at Home between Barlow (the umpire) and Ranjitsinhji. The former accused the famous batsman of using impolite language to him, which was denied by the Prince. Both are now asking for apologies. Stan Hickson is worth more runs than he gets. True, he makes a double figure score practically every time he goes in, but he seems to throw his wicket away just when he gets fairly going. In his innings he made some fine drives to the on boundary. Connell, who was seen out for the first time on Saturday for the Midland Club, for one season had the best bowling average in Sydney senior cricket, his wickets costing him 10 runs apiece. He only had three balls on Saturday, but they were sufficient to account for one wicket. He should prove a decided acquisition to Wellington cricket.

Clarkes bowling analysis reads : — 570 balls, 21 maidens, 25 wickets, 226 runs, average 9.1. With this performance, his batting, and his fine fielding, there should be no doubt as to the winner of the Cock trophy in the Phoenix Club. Last season Tucker put on a big score in his last innings, and snatched the batting average from Claud Hickson, who had been scoring consistently all the season. His score of 125 on Saturday gives him the Midland batting average again. Hickey bowled well, with an immense amount of judgment. He kept them right up to the batsmen, and got a lot of work on. His four wickets cost him 46 runs. Pope got four wickets for 54. His length was very good, and he kept them well on the wicket. Clarke was a bit lucky in getting his two wickets. Playing for Kilbirnie 11. against the Old Boys 111., young Hutchings, of the former team, went in first, and was not out when all his mates were disposed of. He put on the creditable score of 144. Playing emergency for the first eleven of his club, a Saturday or two back, he made 51, so that he should now be permanently raised. Has Quee tried another method of stopping his run of bad luck ? The Midland team was supposed to have two new men on Saturday, one of them being named Jull. The "Times" reporter credits Jull with being not out, but the batsman looked uncommonly like Quee to me. The relative batting figures of Midlane and Clarke, of the Phoenix Club, are rather interesting. Midlane's read .— 9 innings (once not out), 257 runs, highest score 111 (not out), average, 32.1; Clarke, 9 innings, 253 runs, highest score 115, average 28.1. They will both be all out on Saturday, and it is just possible that Clarke may score the 30 odd runs more than Midlane that he wants to win the average, as he is batting in rare form at present. The boy is a good one, however, and will take a lot of beating. Tucker, on going in to bat, said he was going to "have a biff," and he did. His hitting was hard and often, and seemed to paralyse the field, for anything in the nature of a catch the fieldsmen generally managed to let drop on the ground. "The Bart" offered to take one, but it bounced out of his

hands. Another one was going straight to Jacobs, but he ducked beautifully* — the sun apparently getting in his eyes ; and yet another one went to Parsons, and it managed to reach mother earth without touching his hands at all. But all the same, Tucker's was a good innings, and it proved that he can put a lot of power behind his strokes if he likes. Wright was in his best form behind the wickets for Phoenix — in fact, it was the best exhibition he has given in Wellington. The total number of extras in the score of his opponents were 5, and they were leg-byes, while he caught two and stumped another. The catch that disposed of Ashbolt, low down on the leg side, was a brilliant one. Mr. G. F. Harris is not finished yet. He says, in another line to yours truly : — "Possibly I may have unfortunately expressed myself in my last, but I did not wish to convey that Mr. Hyams had added runs to the score-sheets, but that it was inferred that I had missed them probably. However, that could not possibly be with the methods taken in checking, if proper and undivided attention were given thereto. Therefore, whoever is responsible for perpetrating this malicious joke, an amende honorable is due from him to both of us (Mr. Hyams and myself), for its invention and currency, for we both invariably agreed after every over. Thanking you very much for your good opinion, and generous wish to see me installed in my old position in the scor-ing-box in the pavilion."