Championship Matches.

NZ Truth, Issue 12, 16 November 1907, Page 3

Championship Matches.

■■Cricketers were once more m luck's .wa*. of: Saturday afternoon, the weather,.being, as rtuld as it was possible to bo,, while the slight drizzle which fell m the morning tended to improve the wickets. Wellington was surprisingly crumpled up by Phoenix m much the same way as Togo treated Johnny Russo m the Straits of Tsushima,, Newtown had a bad licking at the -. hands of Old Boys, and Midland kepi possession of the wickets against Gasworks for the whole of the afternoon, finding up with a two points victojy. Scores oanned out as follows '—Old Boys 210, Newtown 61 and 111; Wellington 56 and 103, Phoenix 183 ; Gas Hompahv 240, Midland 302-. n !f_ Boys -.or m a four point win Ka;;-- inst -i^ewtown. Had Newtown gone at. the howling on previous Sat- . urdov :\f. they did ou last, there was &. . good chance for them of losing by two points only. Their second inninnines totalled 111 for seven wickets : the rest of the team were absentees. Turner, -shaped well with the 'bat, ami showed that he could hit hard, ai-d his placinc was fairly good', but h<. was apparc-ntlv not well, and went out T*itb a mishit. Paynes (2.1 >. was tie ton -corer. '■'ouni- '.'il-.:?-;. was very confident, .'■/*■_ v*r"' vf his leg work was very '=•:;• ?::.-•■ K-v,-ii with the ba*t all ■■.'.•.•■*■•! •-. v<vt improvement on r.iu* i'. rst ir...;n.v\ Still -there is i tacks of r=-on_ for improvement. Alpe. 'should see himself as others see him,. -and perhaps he would do awar,with the posing tactics, 'and attend more to cricket. - Hit the ball, hit it hard, place it H*iicri> fieldsmen are not, there's rto urns m slashing chunks out of the >-ir, and cutting figures representing ihe third position of collar and ei•_o.v.- wrestling, or some other posi« ion not appertaining to King Wilow. His 15 should have heen v.ihled. , '--ov.-ever, the showing was, taking • . -11 round., better than on the pre- ■■ = «>us Saiv.rdiW, but there's plenty ' room left for improvement if the -_>?.. are thinking of winning a ■ :-'t,ch. •. r Newto -.•■.?! v.?ere only so-so, then Boys '<cti j m comparison 50 per nx.. worse. they were last >-;go.i ! £ cho.ni {■•ions. Monaghan didn't ;• 'vickeT . *. vas o> '--."cause of the butter.i' .of Newtown that al- .-,.. \\-> ■..-,._■ .o score what they v. . CV'-1 . ; ! ierchey and Mbnajgihan •>: ;-.... tlu.nt one-handed' eatch- '.:_■■ the sl s. and there their bril- >••<■■ --nii' ;! out. Chance after vi-: • .was missed, and the Boys' v. fort" anc*\ taking it full and by, vts nutrid. v Overthrows, misfielding, chances irori><*<- bad wicket-keeping, general uiathv deserved a loss instead of a .vin. Old Boys will have to wake un or their names will be mud this season for sure. T don't know when Blacklock has been so groggy behind the sticks. All the bowlers (barring Tucker, six for 34) were having a day off, and it is possible they were not facing' a strong batting side. Tucker's average would have been much imnroved with even fair fielding. Claude Hickson got Midland out of ••-rouble by heaping up a nice century md six, and over-reached to Hill, ho got him with a bailer. He batted more vigorously than he •;er has before. Some of his drives vere real clinkers, and this is the ■ort of thine that fits his size and '■".leases spectators. It was- a treat 'o wat<*h his changed tactics. * Yountr Murphy (22) stood up well 'o the fast stuff, although" he had several narrow escapes. Some ol •-■is lee glances were very pretty. Williams dealt out stouoh to the Mine of 41 quick and lively, and was

good to watch. Barron's 25 was pleasing. It was a big up-hill pull to top Gasworks score, and a good deal of excitement prevailed as the Midland score approached the 200, then gradi ually crept up to within touching distance of their opponent's score. When Hickson was dismissed the talk was "Can they do it ?" They did. Tabby Winyard (40, not out) and Upham (32) put all dot*\hls to one side, and what looked like a win for Gas was a win for the older team. Gasworks fielding was poor to bad. Gourlay pounded away without avail trying to 9hift Hickson, but he might as well have tried to shift a brick wall. Claude enjoys himself with a fast bowler. Dick Burke wouldn't rock 'em up at Hickson, and sent* him up the stuff that Hiokson never thoroughly appreciated— something slow. Gourlay, one for 100 m 27 overs, was bowled too long, and it didn't show muoh generalship on his skipper's part. When 76 overs had been bowled Waugh was given a trial, and bowled three balls for one run and two wickets. He was worth a trial long before this, especially as things were going. The fielding of the Gasworkers was rotten, and their placing showed execrable judgment on the part of the skipper. "Phoenix passed the "dose" it received from Petone on to Wellington. When the first day's play ceased Phoenix was m a good position, but few imagined that it would wallop its opponents by an innings and 23. but it did it, and did it well. Petone should congratulate itself uooi meeting the Phoenix boys "ofi color." - Phoenix made 183 m its only innings, and when play commenced last week Wellington had lost 4 wickets for 23, Martin Luckie and Willis being the not out men. "Lucky Martin" was soon disposed of, being nonplussed by a "puzzler" from Laws. Mahoney came and went out for a blob*— caught by Crewes behind the wicket, off a ball going away from the wicket, which Jack just touched. Stan Hickson tried to stop thc "rot," and was partially successful, carrying his bat for 18. He was not well on the previous Saturday, and although on the Basin did not field or bat, being content to have another week to recuperate. Quinn. Hales and Fisher were all quickly disposed of by Hickev for 8 cuns between them, the innings closing for the modest total of 56. Laws (4 for 21) and Hickev (6 for 2b ) bowled unchanged throughout the innings, both -bowlers giving us their best so far this season. ' A glance at their figures will show that they were "on the job." Laws was coming across and completely "fooling?' the batsmen at times, some desperate attempts being made by Hjckson and others to "get at him." . Moore made a nice running catch out amongst the numerous "urchin matches," which disposed of Fisher, he judged it nicely and made no error. Wellington followed on, and although it did a little better m Us second knock, it was not good enough to save the innings defeat. Quinn and Mahoney were sent m evidently determined to "do or die.j' They made a rotten start, Quinn being stumped by Crewes, off one of Hickey's "tempting" ones m the first over. Stan Hickson joined Mahony and the Wellin&tonians on the bank settled themselves down to see those two pull the game out of the "mud." But disaster followed. Hickson played the first or second ball he received to Waters, at "Cover," and Mahony backed up, and foolishly called Hickson, but Stan saw how things were going and stayed where he was. Waters returned . the ball to Hickey, who whipped the bails oft, with Mahony half-way up the wicket after a run. Jack was rather sore and roared a bit, but he only had himself to blame. It is not the first time I have seen him m the same predicament, and it makes a chap look so silly, too. Hickson and Richardson put on a few— the latter being dropped by Hickey m the slips off the third ball he received from Laws. Hickson also gave an easy chance to Willis (who was fielding substitute for George Burton), also off Laws, but the fieldsman declined it. Gibbies, who a few seasons ago played for the Wellingtons, was tried m place of Hickey. Richardson had been "scratching" for some time at him. Gibbes's first ball beat the batsman, wicket, and wicket-keeper, the second one did the same. Off the third Riohardson was missed m the slips, and "Ehe fourth clean bowled him. NaUghton was again snapped up by Crewes behind the wicket— this time off Gibbes for a f'duck." O'Sullivan (0) and Nash (5) were bowled by the same Mowler, who at this stage had collared 5 wickets for 6 runs. Willis and Fisher put on between 30 and 40, the latter being nicely caueht by H. Burton off a lofty hit, having made 19 m fair style. Hickson finished up with 25 (topscorer m both innings), Hales was out for a single, and Luckie carried his bat for 7, including a four«sto leg off Gibbes. Gibbes bowled beautifully, turning the ball nicely, kept a splendid length, finishing up with' 8 for 34. which against a team like Wellington is something to be proud of. This bowler is not made enough use of, and it is to he. honed now that, he has struck form that he will b!e given an opportunity to "pass the dose" on to some others.