CRICKET COMMENTS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 63, 5 November 1931, Page 4

CRICKET COMMENTS

"Cover-noint").

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Considering that the cricket season has but run into 'the third playing Saturday, some fine performances have so far been witnessed with both bat and ball and these feats give promise of a successful season. Ryder batted well for High School against Albion and with beautiful shots all round the wicket scored S7 runs, the highest individual score so far this season. Beale scored 20 runs for High School in the same match and followed it up with a bright 22 in the match against Te Puke on Labour Day. Burton (Albion) was another batsman to start the season well and at the end of his team's innings was unbeaten with 81 runs to his credit. A good partnership was witnessed between him and Hinton, whose seore totalled 67 runs. Nankervis (Mamaku), who hails from Australia, made a quiet start against Ngongotaha, but came to light with a good 69 runs, before being run out, in the match against City last Saturday. His aggressiveness is proved by the fact that he scored no less than 13 boundaries. In the second innings against Old Boys, Harding knocked up 53 runs not out for City. Some equally good performances have been made by bowlers and in some cases very consistent form has been displayed in the matches to date. In Ngongotaha's first innings against Mamaku, which producedsonly 21 runs, F. Reed took five wickets for six runs, and followed this up with another five wickets for 41 runs in the second innings. On Labour Day he maintained his form by takin'g f our Te Puke wickets for 19 runs. The first "hat trick" this season was secured by Lenihan (Albion) against Te Puke when he took six wickets for eight runs. . Last Saturday he took five Ngongotaha wickets for eight runs in six overs. It will be seen that Rotorua has some good cricket material to choose representative teams from this season, in regard to both battlng and bowling, but as is usual, flelding will need to be sharpened up to avoid undoing good performances with the bat and ball. It would greatly assist score-keep-ers if umpires would at all times use the recognised signals provided in cricket rules, as the slope of the ground often malces the scorer lose sight of the ball, and the necessity of ealling for the number of runs scored is both crude and upsetting to the players. Dissatisfaction was recently expressed by the Wellington Cricket Association at the lack of information in regard to control of the game, advanced by the New Zealand Cricket Council. It is a pity that associations are not kept more in touch with happenings, as only by this means can the game advance, and the players' interest be kept alive. The sympathy of "Cover-point" and all cricket followers is expressed to Mrs. McCardell in the sudden death of her husband this week.