CRICKET COMMENT

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 401, 9 December 1932, Page 7

CRICKET COMMENT

ROTORUA GAMES LITTLE IMPROVEMENT IN PLAY SINCE FIRST MATCHES. AUSTRALIAN DEFEAT. (Notes by "Cover-point.") Disappointing performances were made by a number of teams in the series of McLean Gup competition matches which concluded last Saturday afternoon. The inconsisbency of players displayed so far this .season is surprising and does not augur well for a suceessful season. After nearly two months of play one might Yeasonably expect to see some improvement in the performances registered, but so far on only a very fev/ oecasions have innings totals exceeded the second century and ■ " the general rule has heen that teams have "seratehed" about in an endeayour to reaeli one hundred runs for an innings. Last week, two teams, Ngongotaha and High Sehool B were heaten hy over an innings and in the firstnamed instance this was against the very low score of 199 runs made hy City in the first innings. Ngongotaha appear likely to have a very lean year this season, hut nevertheiess credit for their dismal display must go to F. Reid, who, in howling for City, struck some of his true form and had the batsmen well puzzled. He is undoubtedly a great lacquisition to the City team and if he retains his form other teams are also in for trouhle. After making a fine hatting recovery toward. the end of their first innings against Alhion, High Sehool failed badly in their second effort alid gave their opponents an easy win hy an innings and 29 runs. Ewert (21) and L. Brooker (17) were the only batsmen to make any sort of a stand and after they had gone the balance of the wiekets fell like ninepins before the trundling of Burton and Wallis. Burton's bag of seven wiekets, for 22 runs off nine overs was ai exeeeding'ly fine performance and hy it he demonstrated that hei can still he as dangerous a bowler as any in the competition.

The High Sehool A versus Old Boys game was the most interesting of the series and until the time for stumps ihe ultimats result was alwasy in doubt. The position was made more interesting hy the action of the Old Boys eaptain, Matthews, in declaring witli six! down for 143 in the second innings in an endeavour to convert a deficit on the first innings into an outright win. In reply to these taeties Iligh Sehool rose to the oceasion nohly and at stumps had secured 137 runs in 9 minutes, giving them a four-pointer. Spedding again batted well for Old Boys and scored a valuabTe contrihution of 60 runs in the second innings. This boy seems to have struck consistent form with the hat early and should he well up in the competition averages at the end of the season. Ilampson (High Sehool) is another who is eoming along well and during the match fie scored a useful douhle of 34 and 46. The best performance made with the bat hy a High Sehool hoy during the match was that of Alexander, who followed up his 51 in his first strike with an undefeated 40 in the second. On present form tljis hoy will cause bowlers many a headaehe. At a meeting of the Bay of Plenty Crieket Association held last weekend, it warf again decided to issue a challenge for the Hawke Cup. This is, in the writer's opinion, quite a wise move, as it will keep the interest of likely representatives ijn '.the Bay (alive. Despite the ideas of some who cannot overlook the poor .showing of last year's team, Bay of Plenty should be capable of making a reasonable stand, and at all events. the experi•ence gained is well worth the effort. Unless the loeal standard improves considerahly in the immediate future, it seems, however, that the Rotorua | representation in the side will he | mueh less than on the previous occaI sion. | First Test Match. I The erushing defeat received by I Australia in the first test match | against England is probably the most j convincing for years and again empbasises the effectiveness of aecurate I fast howling. During the last few I years, when spin howling has receivI ed the greater degree of popularity, the art of playing the speed mer- | chant has heen lost with the result | that a bowler of this type now has no diffieulty in striking fear into the i hc-arts of their opponents.

With the unprecedented hatting debacle of the Australtan .side, it is evident that for the second test many ehanges are desirable and necessary, and it seems that the real woakness appears to rest with the inclusion of the "veterans," who, desfpite their one-time undouhted ahility, have, in the writefs' opinion, definitely lost any elaim to reeognition as test match players. The time when Woodfull and Ponsford were considered ias the hest opeing pair in the country is now definitely gone and as a bowler Grimmett seems to have slumped badly, and in any case will never again prove the suecess on Australian v/ickets which he has in the ptast, particularly on English fields. However, it cannot be taken from the result of the first match that Engand wi,ll p-rove superijor over the series and I am still of the opinion ; that many titanic struggles are to j come and that -at the end of the series | the "Ashes" will not have gone eheaply. «