Cricket.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 274, 7 February 1929, Page 8

Cricket.

PUTARURU REPS v. HAMILTON. The Putaruru representative team ( played Hamilton at Arapuni, the vis- ] itors winning by the large margin of six wickets. PUTARURU. —First Innings.

Total 108 Bowling.—First innings: Going 1 for 11, Badeley 0 for 20, McGrath 2 for 3, Dufty 1 for 12, L. Johnson 1 for 6, Western 0 for 10, Timms 2 for 6, Johnson 1 for 3, Sceats 2 for 5. Second innings: Dufty 0 for 5, Badeley 2 for 31, L. Johnson 2 for 15, Johnson 1 for 1, McGrath 2 for 10, Allen 1 for 10, Sceats 1 for 8, Timms l .for 13, Western 0 for 8. HAMILTON.—First Innings.

Bowling.—First innings: McDonald 4 for 18, Roberts 1 for 32, Bethell 0 for 29, Hjorth 2 for 51, Harris 1 for 16. Second innings: McDonald 0 for 45, Bethell 0 for 22.

TEST CRICKET.

Looking to Future. Australia’s New Talent. Mailey’s Opinions.

Among those who anticipated the casting aside of some of 'the older players and the bringing forward of young talent likely to be of value to England next year was A. A. Mailey, the ex-international player. In his opinion the following team should have been selected for the test at Adelaide : Woodfull (captain), Jackson, Bradman, Kippax, Richardson, Oldfield, Nicholls, Hooker, Bettington, Wall and Hornibrook. This, he pointed out, was not Australia’s best team at the present moment, “ but,” he said, “ we have two test matches left, and we might as well use them for experimental purposes, just as England did when she sent teams to South Africa, the West Indies, New Zealand and goodness knows where.”

Men to be Dropped. Interesting comment on Australian players who are ranked among the probables for the next tour to England is made by A. A. Mailey. “We have heard a good deal about the wisdom of choosing young players,” he states, “ but while Australia had a chance of regaining the ashes it was the selectors’ place to choose the best possible team, irrespective of age. I think the selectors did their job fairly well, and no serious objection could be taken to the players chosen in the previous tests. They may have made mistakes, but Solomon himself might be forgiven for having erred when it came to picking cricket teams.” .

Of the new players who have been given a trial in test cricket this season Bradman has been far and away the most successful, but in Mailey’s opinion it cannot be said that Nothling, a'Beckett and Oxenham were successful in the department for which they were primarily chosen. The two latter batted well, but their

great value to the team was their ability to get wickets. They bowled well, but they did not come up to expectations in the matter of getting wickets. Praise is meted out by Mailey to Ryder for his part in the tests. “ Ryder did remarkably well in handling probably the worstlooking fielding team that Australia has possessed for years,’ 1 he states. “ We expected the side to crumple up in the field on more occasions than one, hut Ryder seemed to have the knack of holding his men together under very trying circumstances. He also batted like a

champion on occasions when the side looked very miserable.” While Mailey cannot find much fault with the bighearted Victorian’s captaincy he is very doubtful whether he should have been included in the fourth test team, in view of next year’s tour. Blackie and Ironmonger, he considers, must make way for players of promise. Close association with these men, Mailey points out, makes the. task of scrapping them a very unhappy one, but the game is the thing and new players must be found for the sake of Australian pricket. Players of Promise.

A line on likely new players is 1 given by Mailey as follows : “ Fore- j most among them is Jackson, the young New South "Wales batsman, who promises to be one of Australia’s brightest stars in the near future. Then the names of Wall, Nicholls, Homibrook, Whitfield, Bettington, M'Coombe, Harris, Ebeling, Hack and Hooker occur to me haphazardly. I would like to mention Wardlaw, from Launceston, and James, of Hobart, in this list, but the former is not yet up to the standard of Wall or Nicholls. I have heard that he is a medium-pace bowler of distinct possibilities. M'Combe, whom I saw against England at Warwick, Queensland, played excellent cricket, and his :.fine scores in the southern capitals against Victoria and South Australia suggest that his Warwick performance was no fluke. This player is going to be a tower of strength to Queensland cricket if he is able to devote sufficient attention

to the game. The fast bowlers, Wall, Nicholls and Ebeling, are better known, but I would prefer Nicholls because of his slip fielding. “ Harris, of South Australia, is a} "ood o"ening batsman, but Jackson would be my choice to open the in-

pings with Woodfull. Some inter- | national cricket law may affect Bettington’s selection, but if he were available I would certainly try him out in preference to Grimmett. This may he a very drastic step, hut Australia is in such a position that it must make a courageous move to build up a team. Hack, the South Australian wicketkeeper, is well in the running for the position of second wicketkeeper, hut he is not yet near Oldfield’s standard. Owing to Oldfield’s value to his skipper it would be unwise to experiment with Hack for the time being. Hooker appears to be the most promising medium-pace bowler in Australia, and if he continues to experiment with the spinning ball he would be of great value in England.”

Inman, b Going’ 1 Harris, c Western, b Dufty 24 Grev, b Timms 25 Brown, b Johnson 6 McDonald, b Sceats 5 McNeill, b Sceats 0 Lieo, not out 10 Bethel, b Timms 0 Roberts, b McGrath 3 Dewse, b McGratb 0 Yorth, b Johnson 2 11 Total Second Innings. 87 McDonald, c McGrath, b Johnson C Harris, l.b.w., b Allen .......... S Leo, c Johnson, b Timms 6 Brown, b Sceats 22 Grey, c Allen, b McGrath 18 Bethel, b McGrath , 0 Hjorth, b Johnson e Inman, b Badeley 19 McNeill, c Allen, b Badeley 3 Roberts, c Sceats, b Johnson . . 4 8 7

L. Johnson, b Kobcrts ■ Dufty, c and b McDonald Timms, b Harris - Johnson, b Kjorth Going, c Brown, b Hjorth Seeats, c and b McDonald McGrath, run out - - • Johnson, not out Allen, b McDonald Extras 20 6 47 14 5 31 22 1 0 0 . 0 .. 3 . .140 I Second innings. I Badeley, not out . 68