Cricket.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 275, 14 February 1929, Page 8

Cricket.

ARAPUNI w. WAIPA. The -above game was played at Arapuni and resulted in an easy win for Waipa by an innings and two runs. Following are details of the score:— ARAPUNI.—First Innings.

Bowling.—McNeill 2 for 41. Hjorth 0 for 41. Ackland 3 for 27, Harris 2 for 17, Peacock 2 for 5. CRICKET CHATTER. The Adelaide ground has not been a lucky one so far as English cricket teams,,concerned, and last week’s victory was only their fourth in the history of the game. The first match played there ih 1884 was won by the visitors by eight wickets, as was the second in 1892, when the margin was an innings and 230 runs. Then followed a succession of five wins by the hornet players as follow : 1898, an innings and 13 runs ; 1902, four wickets ; 1904, 216 runs ; 1908, 245 runs. In 1912 England won by seven wickets, but in 1921 and 1925 Australia came out on top by 119 runs and 11 runs respectively. On the same ground the following ' centuries have been scored in previous tours in test matches : England (B),i,W. Barnes 134, L. C. Braund 103, J. B. Hbhbs 119, A. C. MacLaren 124, A. C. Russell 135, A. E. Stoddart 134. Australia (12), W. W. Armstrong 121, H. L. Collins 162, J. Darling 178, S. - E. Gregory 118, R. 3. Hartigan 116, C- Hill 160, F. A. Iredale 140,

C. Kelleway 147, P. S. McDonnell 124, C. E. Pellew 104, V. Trumper 113, J. Ryder 201.

Australian business firms are doing what they can to assist in discoveiing and training young cricketers who show a promise of test form. A leading Sydney newspaper has sent ex-players into the country districts to watch likely youngsters, while Mr. C. Cross, a director of a rubber company, and other leading businessmen, have offered to provide positions for likely players which will give them full si ope to develop their cricket talent. D. Bradman has already secured an engagement with Mach Simmonds Ltd., Sydney, and enters their employ this week. This movement illustrates the hold the national summer game has on sportsmen and indicates the enthusiasm of many businessmen in Australia.

A local discussion on cricket strokes, heard recently, indicates that many players have a very faint idea of the names given to many shots. How many strokes should a complete cricketer have at his command ? Opinions will always vary simply because a forcing batsman of the type of J. Tyldesley (Lancashire), D. Denton (Yorkshire), V. Trumper (Australia) and G. L. Jessop (Gloucester) when set could make with supreme confidence uppish shots which are not regarded as orthodox or as being necessary to the complete batsman. Each of these players was of course a genius at the game and would employ shots to get past a ring of fieldsmen which the novice should never be tempted to play. Starting on the off side, the main orthodox shots are as follow : 1, Late cut (very fine), 2, square cut (past point—not past square leg as some Auckland critics aver), 3, cover drive (past cover-point), 4, off drive (to the left of bowler), 5, straight drive (past bowler), 6, on drive (to right of bowler), 7, the pull (always to the on, bat swung as if driving—George Hirst’s favourite shot), 8, the hook (always to the on, a “ shoulder ” stroke), 9, the glance (at various angles to the leg). There are many other shots but they are mostly variations of the above. There is for instance the cut in the direction of third man and in between a late cut and square cut ; also a lofty hit to the outfield, the snick through slips, and the dog stroke—as practised by Trumper and Ranjitsinghi—glancing a yorker off ’the middle or leg stump to leg. The latter should never be practised by beginners, who should be content to put the weight of the bat firmly down on a “ yorker,”’ which is a ball landing in the block hole.

THE FOURTH TEST. The winning of the toss just gave England the advantage and the victory in the fourth Test. It was a wonderfully close game. The features were the remarkable performrnce of Hammor.d in scoring a double century, the great bowling of White, who was mainly responsible for dismissing the Australians in the second innings; the batting of Ryder, the Australian captain, who has rather a veakness for the Adelaide ground; the successful first appearance of Jackson in Test cricket and the bowling of Grimmett in the first innings of the Englishmen. The success of Jackson should prompt the Australian selectors to choose another colt for the fifth Test. The two colts, Bradman and Jackson, tried this year have both been successful. But it is easier to find batsmen than bowlers, and rt is the trundlers where Australia is generally weak. In view of the approaching trip of the Australians to England it would be worth while trying out a couple of young bowlers in the last Test. i j ”• Uffigtpp

Karris, l.b.w., b Barnett 4 Brown, b Smith 12 McNeill, run out 3 Leo, c .Oram, b Barnett 5 Tarr 19 Dewsfe, b Tarr 3 Peacock, b Martin 1 McKearnan, not out 3 Sorby, c Barnes, b Tarr 0 Hjorth, b Tarr 6 Thatcher, b Spiers . 1 Extras 10 «... — ter; ..Total 67 Bowline.—Smith 1 for 14, Barnett 2 for 26, Martin 1 for 2, Tarr 4 for 13, Spiers 1 for 2. . Second Innings. W Harris, b Martin .' IS Wilkinson, b Martin 13 Brown, run out 0 Leo, b Barnett 0 Ackland, b Martin 0 Hjorth, c Phillips, b Barnett ... 4 McNeill, not out 11 Peacock, run out 11 Dewse, c Martin, b Barnett 2 McKearnan, b Bones 1 Thatcher, b Bones 4 Sorby, c Oram, b Bones 0 Extras 3 — XU “ a Bowling.—Barnett 3 for 39, Martin 3 for 10, Ashton 0 for 9, Bones 3 for 6, Lord 0 for 0. WAIPA. —First Innings. Tarr, c Hjorth, b McNeill ii Armstrong, c Sorby, b McNeill .. 8 Spiers, c Sorby, b Peacock .... 55 Oram, run out 30 Ashton, c Leo, b Acldand 3 Barnett, c Peacock, b Ackland . . 0 Phillips, c Harris, b Ackland .. 0 Smith, b Harris 19 Bones, not out 2 Martin, c Brown, b Peacock .... 0 Lord, b Harris 3 Extras 5 Total '. 136