Cricket.

Free Lance, Volume I, Issue 40, 6 April 1901, Page 20

Cricket.

THE Championship matches aio dragging their weaiy way along, and it seems now inevitable that they will not be brought to a definite conclusion tins season, in so far as the Avinning of the championship is concerned. . * • * Saturday's play was remarkable for the eagerness of several of the Pncßnix team to lose their wickets, and the fine stand by Richardson and b. Hickson for the Wellington Club , • • The game between Wellington and Phoenix was continued on No 1 wicket, which, although looking clean and fast to the eye, bumped a lot to the tast deliveries. # # On No 2 wicket Upham and Connell and Upham and Tucker in cither innings made hacks, to use a sporting phrase, of the Old Boys. The latter's two innings totalled the meagre score of 118, as against the 288 made by Midland in its first innings. Extras put on the good total of 28 in the Old Boys' two innings, Williams generally letting Upham's fast ones on the leg go to the fence. Hickey batted confidently for Ins contribution of 11 (not out), and rather surprised me. I wish him still further success, and a lift in the order of going in. The Wellington team were without the services of Hales, their fast bowler, who was detained by business. His absence did not encourage the Phoenix batsmen, however. The averages of the Midland bowlers against the Old Boys were at, follow — Upham, 136 balls, 48 runs, 7 wickets; Tucker 84 balls, 40> runs, 8 wickets , Connelf, 72 balls, 21 runs, 5 wickets.

Clarke did not stay long, although he made some fine strokes, and looked like making any number of runs. He lost hi& wicket lunging to one from Aslibolt, from which Duncan beautifully .stumped him. Wright and Millar thiew their wickets away by attempting impossible runs. A run at any time is valuable, but a player ought to remember that his wicket should be worth more than a run to Ins team. There was nothing remarkable in the Phccnix bowling. There were only two occasions on which Richardson and Hickson looked like getting out — the former giving an almost impossible chance to Wright at the wickets, and the latter being dropped by Midlane in the deep field off Wright. Connell made a favourable impression on Saturday. He has a very easy delivery, but there is a lot of mischief in it— the one on the off stump generally has enough break on it to carry it on to the leg stump, while the ball on the leg stump generally breaks back to the off one. He bowls left hand round the wicket . Knox Gilmer still continues his consistent batting for the Old Boys. In the first innings he got 22 by stubborn cricket, the only one to give him any assistance at all being Cole. The batting improved greatly directly Joe joined Gilmer, the new-comer hitting them about. Cole got 17 in the first innings, and 13 m the second. Douglas had 17 (not out) to his credit m his second try. Richardson scored much faster than usual, many of his cuts going easily to the boundary, while his batting all lovmd the wicket was good. An object lesson he gave to fieldsmen on one occasion. He was chasing a ball which looked almost certain to reach the boundary, but he persevered, with the result that the batsman was run out in attempting the third run. Midlane played a very aggressive innings, m one over making two fine hits to leg in succession for four and six respectively. He looked like staying all day till he threw his wicket away in attempting to hook to leg a short-pitch-ed one from Ashbolt, which he should have driven. The best of us make mistakes, but this is one Fred, should cure himself of. His innings of 30, however, was very attractive, and was appreciated by the spectators.

Frank Ashbolt still keeps up his bowling. In the last few innings he has been very destructive, his main destroying agent being a yorker, which the batsmen generally tried to put over tlie boundary instead of playing. Ashbolt took six for 38 on Saturday. S. Hick&on seemed to bat with a deal more caution than usual, but his innings was marked by sound cricket. His driving was excellent, one drive going like a shot from a gun the whole length of the ground, while a leg hit he made was a real beauty, off which six were run. I said last week he was worth more runs than he was making generally. He seemed to think so, too, for he took no risks on Saturday till his score was well on, the only chance in his innings being given when he was in the sixties. His total was G6 (not out). Jim Jones, who recently resigned from the Permanent Artillery to return to his home on the West Coast, to follow the mining industry, performed splendidly in junior cricket. His figures for all matches in which he took part this season, are as follow ■ — Number of innings, 17; runs scored, 911 ; times not out, 4 ; average, 70. This will take a lot of beating in local cricket. The real reason why Jones remained in the juniors was that the members of the Permanent Artillery had a team competing in the Wednesday afternoon competition, one of the rules of this competition providing that no senior player could take part in it. Jim was the backbone of the Permanent team, and, in order to give it his assistance, he elected to play amongst the juniors on the Saturday. Jones s is one of those cases where a precedent could have been established by the Selection Committee, viz.,— that of placing him in the representative team even while he was playing junior. His performances warranted it.