IN THE LIGHT

NZ Truth, Issue 1146, 17 November 1927, Page 14

IN THE LIGHT

The Snail Game

Sideytime Shows 'Em Up

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Auckland Rep.) Cricket may be said to have entered upon a new era last Saturday when play for the first time took place under the rules of summertime, starting at 2.15 and continuing for five hours.

THE weather was ideally summery. . too, giving wickets which were undoubtedly all m favor of the batsmen.

One game was decided just on time by the narrow margin of a dozen runs; m another, 26 runs divided the teams at stumps while m the third, a decision was arrived at by 162 runs m a match m which nearly 400 runs were scored m the five hours.

A striking contrast was the opening of the A.C.A. fixture; Ponsonby v. Parnell m which Taylor and McLieod, the opening pair, got their backs ; to the wall right at the start and after 60 minutes' solid poking, only 36 runs were on the board.

The Ponsonby men certainly had to contend with steady, consistent, goodlength, trundling, but the play was certainly wearisome to watch.

Ponsonby's dreary batting was slightly varied when Smith and Langridge, the pro., got together, but even then' it was slowed up by Smith's funereal gait between the sticks and his very frequent stoppages after a short run, to recover his breath. After nearly four hours' batting, the Ponsonby innings wound up with 223 on the cards, the Innings halving been : brightened, towards the end by one , or two colts going In and smiting with refreshing vigor wh,er,e some of, their more •experienced 'clubmates were content to stonewall: Though the wicket was decidedly a batsman's, the efficacy of good-length trundling was demonstrated m the Varsity v. Eden match, where Alison and Lindsay Weir got the students on the run and the innings, closed at 156. North Shore had a great afternoon's batting practice at the expense of Grafton, whose eight bowlers could not keep down the vigorous scoring of the Devdnport men, and V.M.C.A., without Bowley, made a poor stand against United Suburbs, who dismissed' the side for 96. The Auckland Association is not too well served with umpires or pitches, unfortunately, and until- these two essentials are remedied, progress will -be retarded. , ■ •