Cricket.

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 191, 27 February 1904, Page 20

Cricket.

THE continuation of the senior championship matches on Saturday provided exhibitions of cricket that wee interesting on the whole. The Phoenix team flattered thejr adma ers by heading the Midland firstmnings score by one run as the result of their first journey to the wickets. The Midlanders, however, put 141 runs on the sheet for the loss of only three wickets in their second innings, and their pos tion now appears ,\ fairly safe one. The Wellington eleven made child's play of the Old Boys' bowling, and banged it about unmeicifully. The main feature of the innings was vigorous batting, weak bowling, and some wretched fielding. The double-figure scorers on Saturday were • — Weybourne 88, Richardson 71, Crombie 46, Mahony 31, Latham Si, S. Hickson 24, Ashbolt 17 (not out), and Fish 11 Phcaiix McLennan 34, Waters 31, Brice 27, and Lash 23. Midland . O. Hickson 54, Williams 51, and Hutchings 25 (not out). * * * McLennan's innings was extiemely useful to his side. He played with a straight batj but in many instances allowed the ball to hit his implement of defence rather than the reverse. Barrin"- the defensive one, however, McLennan has but few strokes, and, although some "piffle" was thrown up to him on purpose, he could not be prevailed unon to hit out. Another weakness of McLennan's is his disregard of the fact that runs are useful — at times on Saturday he appeared to me to allow certain runs to go by through not backing up his partner. He is young, and, judging by his movements in another branch of sport, should be keener than he was last week. Waters shaped nicely. Stephenson's bowling being much to his liking. He banged the ball a few times over the pavilion fence, but, pulling one a little too much to the on, Quee was enabled to bring off a splendid running one-handed catch. Brice seemed to be very uncertain, as if, perhaps, the weight of responsibility as captain weighed him down more than it should. He played solidly but tamely, and rarely showed those forcing cuts and drives which were the features of his batting earlier in the season. Awain, I think Brice made a mistake when he took himself off bowling the first time on Saturday. But few runs were coming from bis end, and his bowling was niDDing a bit — the batsmen not relishing the kicking ones at all. The change was to their liking however, and the runs came merrily therefrom. There was a time — not many years ago, either — when Fred Lash was one of the foremost batsmen in the Midland Club's senior team. As a matter of fact, he won that club's batting average on one occasion. Since then, he has filled in time with the juniors, and has, in turn, found his way into the Phcenix Club's senior team. His innings on Saturday was full of dash and vigour, but was a long way removed from the displays given by him at the time mentioned at the beginning of this paragranh. Bartlett shaped confidently, and seemed likely to stick the bowling up for some time, but he lunged at a straight ball from Upham, and it banged into his pad — leg-before- wicket. * * * Upham bowled finely, and seems to be good for any number of years yet. He worked his bowling well, too, seeming to bring on his changes at the right time. Upham is as keen as mustaid when he is playing the game, and alters the placing of his fieldsmen for the peculiarity of the different batsmen. Stephenson found the wicket playing too well for him, and the batsmen, going at him with a near boundary, did not give him a possible chance. Quee and Mitchell each got a wicket. I am glad to notice the former is being given a turn by his captain with the ball. He should, however, keep them up a bit further, and, as he can vary his pace without altering his delivery, he will be more effective if he follows the instruction here given.

Contrary to all previous expediences, Upham opened the Midland innings with Hickson, but the move was not successful. Besides going eailv himself, on one occasion Hickson was almost lun out as the result of one of those sharp runs Upham is accustomed to try on. When Williams joined Hickson, though, a gradual change came over the same. Nether of the batsmen took too kindly to Bnce's deliveries, but made many luns at the expense of Hickey at the' other end. The double change — Redgiave for Hiokey, and Barton for Briee — suited the batsmen splendidly, and the runs came along in great style. Barton was bowling well up, but Redgrave was throwing; up some awful stuff on the legside. He looked like presenting the other side with runs, for the balls which pitched outside the leg-stump worked away from the batsmen, and a schoolboy could have banged them into the country. Why Redgrave does not bowl his fast ball when he takes a turn at the bowling crease is the biggest conundrum in the w orld to me. Williams went merrily on his way, showm^ much of his old-time ability in getting, his rung. He bansed them to leg, drove them straight past the bowler over the pavilion fence, cut them bpyond No. 1 w_cket, and found the path with similar strokes from the ether end. Eventua^y, he lost his wicket lunging forward to a goodlength ball from Bnce, the ball conung back off the wicketkeeper's pads Claude Hickson to be thud wicket down with 54 runs to his credit is something very unusual, and he deserves an extra word on that account alone. He is a great man for his side, and shows a bold front to his opponents and p fine example to his comiades. His square and late cuttin~ and drags to leg, weie the mam scoring strokes in 1 is contribution last week. During his stay at the wickets, Hickson survived two confident appeals of ''How's that?" The first one was the run-out pre/iously mentioned, but in that case his loner arm was just long enough. The other was off Hickey 's bowling — a catch at the wickets. A beautiful leg-break landed light on Hickson's foot and from thence went to the wicket-keeper. Hutchings got going early but just when he reached double figures narrowly escaped playing one of Brice's on to his wicket. This stroke is only carelessness on his part, and unless he loses it he will not reach the eminence as a batsman his abilities deserve ♦ * * The Old Boys had a field day all right. There is at least one fieldsman in the team who ought to be got away out on liis own by his captain and taught how to catch a ball. Two catches I noticed him drop would have disgraced some of the "Arabs" playing over by the Fountain. When Hales was battmp- he hit one high in the air that wenit to the fieldsman aforesaid. A small boy at the fence said, "It's all right Hales he won't hold it," and sure enough he didn't. Some of the Old Boys' bow ling was \eiy trashy — short-length balls outside oi the off -stump aie the ones batsmen as a rule generally relish. But, they had much the worst of the luck. What seemed to me a positive catch in the slius off Crombie's bat before he got fairly groing, was given in the batsman's favour, and this disheaitened some of them a bit. In passing, the way in, which the fieldsman in this instance threw the ball on the ground was, to put it mildly, not in the best of taste. Weybourne had just staited to open his shoulders, and slogged one from Tucker to deep long-on. The fieldsman in this position badly misjudged the ball, but he made amends later on by brilliantly catching Weybourne in the same position at the other end of the field. Congratulations to the Wellington eleven on their display of fiee and animated cricket. Their total of 357 runs for an afternoon's play is a regular oasis i« a desert in Wellington, and what most people would like to see to-moirow is the Old Boys setting about their task of making over 400 runs in a similarly determined manner. Further congratulations to Skipper Richardson. He has been under a cloud this season w ith the bat, and I was really pleased to see him getting his share of the runs. Contrary to his usual custom, Richardson went for the bawling, and had much success thereby. Another player whose success is pleasing is Barney Weybourne. As keen as they make them, Barney generally manages to get shunted pavihonwards just when his bat is setting used to the feel of the ball striking it. He was steadier than usual in commencing last week, but when he got into his stride everything was treated alike, and his display was full and free, and the wood was laid on to good purpose. Crombie was a powerful hitter when in the Wellington senior team on previous occasions, and his latest innings

fully bears out his fairly-earned reputation. He may have had a bit of luck early in his innings, but these things are the happenings at cricket, and go towards keeping one's mteiest in the game, especially if you are the one whom the luck favours. My pencil is carrying me along in good style, but I will have to check it. 11 is an unusual thing for Mahony to be the fiisfc wicket down, yet that was his c xpenen.ce on Saturday — Crombie opening with him. Stan Hickson and Latham put power behind their strokes and, judgin~ by late matches, Ashbolt could be sent in earlier with advantage to his team. "Not-outs" have a leaning towards impi ovine battmg averages, and Frank's tendency this way lately is getting noticeable. * * * Tucker was the most successful Old Boys' bowler, his five wickets costing him 97 runs. Staples (three for 69) and Wills (two for 68) were the only other bowlers to secure wickets. Knkcaldie appeared to me to be keeping a good length with his own deliveries, but what sui prised me most was the little use he made of McGowan. Last reason "Me" was his star bowler fiom one end yet, in the match under leview, he bowled but three overs. As 12 runs were only scored off the eighteen balls he bowled, it seemed to me that he could have been persisted with a bit further. The Old Boys have a contract in front of them, and I hope they will start their innings witn the deteimination to get the best of it. They have plenty of batting talent s L ored away among the eleven playeis. The present is a fine opportunity of brinei 11 " it to light — let us hope they may.

Cuff, the ex-Canterbuiy player, played in the Tasmanian team against the Englishmen. Eight of the Victorian team that played against New South Wales last month were teetotalers. The fourth test match commences today (Friday), at Sydney, the fifth match at Melbourne next Friday. Stemson's latest bowling figures in Auckland cricket are five wickets for 44 runs. "Harrier" says he got great work on. I. Mills 38, Sale 44 (not out), N. B. Lusk 20, Fairburn 26, R. B. Lusk 25, Barry 26 (not out), N. Williams 47.— Some late Auckland tallies. Ransford, who played for Victona against the Englishmen, is but 17 years of age, and only got into the Melbourne Club first eleven at the end of last 6eason The report that R. E. Foster, the English ciicketer, intended settling in South Canterbury at the end of the tour of the English team, has been denied by that gentleman. I. Hyams, the treasurer of the Cricket Association, acts as scorer for the M d'and Club. He told me on Saturday that he had, during his occupancy of the scoring-box, jotted down a total of 10,000 runs for his club. I should say that this constitutes a lecord for this country. Ollivier, the mainstay of the Canterbury team on its recent Northern tour, gathered together 154 (not out) for United against Midland in Chnstchurch lecently. "Scoring Board" says he played sound, careful cricket until he had notched the "three figures." After this he hit the bowlers in all directions on the on and off, scoring his last fifty with remarkable quickness.