CRICKET COMMENT

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 429, 13 January 1933, Page 2

CRICKET COMMENT

competitionS" start ' 1NTLRESTINU FEATLRE OF 3RD j TEST MATCH. ■ • "TO-DAY. i • ^ ' • •• HAWKE ! CUP BOSITION. (Notes hy "Cover-point.") After a delay of three weeks oe- j easioned by the intervention of the j Christmas holidays, the Rotorua Cric- j ket Assoeiation's McLean Cup mat- ' ches will be" resulfted to-morrow after- j noon when- the final games of the } first round will be played. To-morrow two games will- be com- j menced on the Government grounds, ! that between Ngongotaha and Old ! Boys being played on No. 1 wicket ! and City and Albion using the No. 2 i wicket. Owing to the Rotorua High Sc-hool being still closed the match between its A and B teams will be played at a date to be arranged, probably on a Wednesday. Hawke Cup. j i ! After holding - the Hawke Cup for two and a half years,. during which time 12 matches were won, South ' A-uckland were recently beaten hy j Nelson in a challenge for the trophy, j and thus the hopes of Bay of Plenty | in ayenging the decisive defeat re- | ceiveci at the hands of the late hold- 1 ers last season will this year not . eventuate. In addition the altered location of the' cup will probahly result in Bay of Plenty foregoing its challenge this season, its- only hope appearing to he for Hawke's Bay to defeat the new holders. Should Hawke's Bay be successful in the challenge match- 'to b'e played shortly, the expense of the Bay team in travelling to Napier' would be little more than to Hamilton, but. Nelson is altogether out ■ of the question. r Third Test Match. With honours all square in the two test matches between England and Australia", the third of the series to he commenced at Adelaide to-day will be full of interest. .The wicket at Adelaide is hard and, fast and although high s.coring may be expected, the bowlers may again gain the upper hand. The team selected to represent Australia is: — W. M. Woodfull (Vic.), captain, Y. Y. -Richardson (S.A.), vice-captain, J. H. Fingleton (N.S.W.), W. H. Ponsford (Vic.), D. C. Bradman (N.S.W.), L. P. O'Brien (Vic.), S. J. McCabe (N.S.W.), W. A. Oldfield (N.S.W.), T. W. Wall (S.), W, J. O'Reilly (N.S.W.)', C. V. Grimmett (SJ.A;.), H. Ironmongeh (Vic.). (One to he omitted.) With the inclusion of Ponsford, it is evident that any doubt degarding the final eleven to take the field is confined to one of the batting places. Woodful, Richardson and Oldfield are already definitely in the team and it is clear that Bradman, Fingleton and McCabe cannot be dropped. Grimmett, Wall and O'Reilly appear to-be secure, and the choice therefore seems to rest between Ponsford and O'Brien. Unless the fact that O'Brien is a lefthand batsman bears much weight with the selectors, Ponsford will probahly be their first choice. Once again the selectors have overlooked the claims, es'pecially as a bowler, of R. K. Oxenham (Queensland) and this player can he counted- as the most unlucky in Australia. Best Averages. A study of the averages for the two tests already played is interesting and disclose the fact that but two or three men on each side have been playing consistently. Extraordinary "tails" are, also revealed, among these •being some of the usually dependable batsmen. The averages for the two tests are as'- follows

In a special article written for the Evening Post hy Arthur Mailey, he says that having surmounted the. most formidahle obstacle ' of the whole series, the Australians may now turn their faces -to Adelaide with much more confidence. Australia should win the Adelaide Test, but we might have, a little trouble with the legthepry men in Brisbane. I expected j;he leg-theory to hreak down sooner oi1 later, - because I had f aith in the Ahstralian batsmen. But we have not heard the last of the leg theory. Far from it. W.e h'aye not ahsolutely qonquered it yet, but ith has received a 1 rude shock. I hope for the ssake of cricket that .the leg theory will fade. bff the* map, not because it is unsp oitsnianlike, but because dt' intepferes seriously with the hrilliapt battihg artist and has a tendency to proftuce batting plodders. ' '

Inn. N.O. f-I.S. Tl. Avg. Sutcliffe .... 4 1 194 2S0 93.33 Hammond 3 - 112 143 47.66 Pataudi .... 3 - 102 122 40.66 Wyatt 4 1 * 3S 76 25.33 Allen ' 3 - 30 72 24.00 Leyiand .... 3 - 22 41 13.66 Jardine .... 3 - 27 28 9.33 Larwood .... 3 - 9 13 4.33 Bowes 2 2 4* 4 Voce 3 1 6.6 3.00 Verity 1 - 2 2 2.00 Ames 3 - 4 6 2.00 ; *Not out.

ENGLAND. BATTING.

Runs Wlcts. Avg. Larwood 226 15 15.06 Hammond 113 6 18.83 Voce 265 11 24.09 Allen 163 5 32.60 BoWes 70 5 70.00 yerity 59 0 —

BOWLING.

Inn'. N.O.' H.S. Tl. Avg. Bradman 2 1' 103* 103 103.00 MeCabe .... 4 1 187* .251 83.66 Pingleton 4 - 83 150 37.50 Richardson 4 - 49 115 28.75 Nagel 2 - 21* 21 21.00 Ponsford' 2-32 34 17.00 Kippax .... 2 19 27 12.50 ' Oldfield ' 4 1 ' 27* 3'S 12.66 Woodful 4 - 26 43 10.75 O'Brien .... 2-11 21 10.50 Wall ' 4 - 20 28 7.00 Grimmett 4 - 19 26 6.50 O'Reilly .... 4 - 15 26 6.50 Ironmonger 2 - 4 4 2.00 *Not out.

AUSTRALIA. BATTTNG

Runs Wkts. Avg. Ironmonger .... 54 4 13.50 O'Reilly 246 13 18.92 Wall 179 8 22.37 McCabe 43 1 43.00 Nagel 110 2 55.00. Grimmett 158 2 79.00 Kippax 3 0 — f

BOWLING.