With Bat and Ball

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 191, 2 November 1927, Page 11

With Bat and Ball

A Cricket Causerie

P've Hours* Cricket , The next series of matches will Pjayad under Summer Time conditions, the new law coming £ to force next Sunday. While Sommer Time is in force, matches "■« be played till 7.15 p.m. * u «by Reps, at Cricket Hook and Jeffries, who top - scored Shore, arc twofor Eden senior Us on Saturday against Shore, are two well-known Rugby players. Hook, who got 34 not out by spirited batting, is the Auckland rep. three-quarter, and Jeffries, who made 32. is the Marist and ex-Taranaki rep. player. • * • * *'"« Catch WetheriH. the Auckland footballer, and Suburbs Club keeper, had his career a nipped in the bud on Satura! J y one or' the smartest catches of «y. “Gig’* failed to get properly tie hii? ne Smith’s slow ones, and Mi tip in the air, seemingly youn~ Ut -° f t!le reach of Langridge, the Sussex professional. Langhowever, turned like lightning, h* the ball so quickly that fthpl i 'he ca * c h a “sitter.” Most : ayers have been lucky ** e sot their hands to it at all. Mother Matheson? igj' Weir, who took five for 54 Sir; s «ore on Saturday, looks like Eden’s best bowler. He -paced ball, and s* tUr f ettl og pace off the pitch on lot # aay * swinging in quite a ifo... ttie at times. He is only du or 19. and last year was at ** oun t Albert Grammar. for Bowley B °od e ft^? e * n C,ub has always had a -Uh. P *t; a draw from in the Mount ’on? l an<l Eden Park district, and as the Mount Eden eyfeL. Wa * the champion school at •>n, j UH \ "as some fine players coming v* n sF 'he centuries scored by kJ. y hlan, and Hetherington on W h looks as if J'owley will here 11 * 5 hrat-ciass material to work i UnUBUaI Position was disNln*** * ast night’s meeting of the m committee of the A.C.A. W Shore were drawn to play port in the second grade, hut,

inadvertently, an official of the North Shore Club gave Varsity the impression that it was a scratch game, the team to represent North Shore being picked on the ground- Varsity did not take the game too seriously, and was well behind 6n the first day’s play. The North Shore Club’s delegate reported to last night’s meeting that his club did not wish to take advantage of the position, and it was decided to replay the match, and make a one-day game next Sfiturdav. * » * The Secretary Takes Charge Warneford, the newly-promoted Ponsonby batsman, was seen in a newlight on Saturday, when he went out and smote the Suburbs bowling like a Jessop. The gloom that had descended on the “Ponies” lifted when the club’s energetic secretary sent one ball crashing over the stone wall on the far side of the ground. There was no stopping him once he got his eye in. Roy, too. held the fort at the other end in fine style, and the team has a lot to thank the two colts for. Had the earlier batsmen followed the same policy of going for the bowling, Ponsonby would have been in a much better position, but as it is. Suburbs may find it hard to overtake Ponsonby’s score, although if Eeckis gets going next Saturday it may be another story. Out at Papatoetoe Parnell senior B put up a good performance in getting 195 at Papatoetoe on Saturday, and that in spite of the fact that the local bowling was very solid, and the ground fielding especially very fine Dr. Valentine was outstanding in the field. Papatoetoe was unlucky to lose its skipper, Burnside, in the last over of the day, Johnson getting him caught at slip with 10 runs on the score sheet. The wicket at Papatoetoe was good for so early in the season, and certainly much better than last year. Playing to a Timetable As a result of a decision reached at last week’s meeting of the Auckland Cricket Association, all competition matches this season will be played to a definite timetable. This means that all matches must be finalised on the dates set down for them. For instance, if it is wet the first Saturday in a two-day match, and no play is possible, then the points must bo awarded on the result of the second day’s play. Even if there is no play at all on both of the days allotted, the match must be recorded as abandoned —it cannot be replayed. The idea xs that it will enable a definite programme to be mapped out for the season, and prevent a lot of the difficulties arising out of matches being postponed or completed later in the season when it is difficult to find suitable days for them. The same method is pursued in connection with county cricket in England.

Coaching All clubs are requested by the A.C.A. to send in names of players whom they desire should be coached by the associations coaches, Bowley and Langridge. Will Gerrard Regain Form? Bis things. were expected of Peter Gerrard last year, but the Shore colt did not quite realise his early promise. A couple of years ago he made his debut in Plunket Shield cricket, and if memory serves aright made 75 and 2o not out in his first rep. game. His many good friends at Devonport are hoping to see him back in the picture again this year. Ide has the physique _ and stamina for a cricketer, for, apart from cricket, he is a pretty good Soccer player, and has represented ms province at both games.^ Parnell Senior B s Strong Maclaren, the West Christchurch player, who joined Parnell, lias not had a game so far in Auckland, owing to a poisoned foot. In the next series of matches, however, he will Probably get a game with the senior B Parnell’s B team is a strong one, as can be realised when the A team has to leave out a player of J. M. Smiths calibre, who should make his presence felt In the B team’s next match. Kissling has done so already, o ettm = a good half-century week-end. Was He Out? A little bird whispers that Ernie Horspool had a large slice of luck ai King’s on Saturday, but that it was the old story of the bowler obstructin'- the umpire’s view when a catch at the wickets was claimed. In a case like this, of eourse. an umpire has no option but to give the decision in favour of the batsman. In any ease, while it mav have been bad luck for Parnell, few would begrudge the veteran his fine score. Horspool was _ far from well at times last season, with the result that he did not figure in the seasons’ averages as high up as usual. Horspool showed more restraint than customary in the early stages of his innings on Saturday, and his batting was quite up to Ins best form. Can Keep Wickets, Too It mav be that the veteran will be behind the sticks next Sa*nrday. In a match in which he deputised for Rountree last year, Horspool created a mild sensation by stumping three or four men off Taylor’s bowling, and he has also kept for Auckland This, however, is not the end of his versatility, and what with Grafton being without two of last year’s stock bowlers in Allcott and Wilson, Horspool mav be needed at the bowling crease, in whieh case the gloves and pads may be allotted to Pope, who batted so well last week Still Going Strong One doesn’t know just exactly howold Anthony Is, but he seems to have found the secret of keeping perpetu-

ally young - in cricket. There . were strenuous protests last March v%en he was pulled into the Auckland team that played the final game for th£ Plunket Shield, but he justified his selection in a game where, with so much at stake a younger player might have failed. His bowling against Grafton on Saturday showed that he is still a big force to be reckoned with in club cricket, even if it turns out to be better policy to bring some of the younger brigade out in rep. games later on in the season. But there is no saying—Anthony is far from being a back number yet. Well Deserved Recognition A pleasant interlude to the ShoreEden match on Saturday was the presentation of the Vercoe Cup by the Mayor of Devonport to Dick Coates for the best bowling record in 4 the Shore Club last season. Nobody has worked harder for the old club than Dick, and it was pleasing to find him back in the firing line again on Saturday, especially as it had been reported that his recent illness might prevent him from taking the field again for some time. In addition to having possession of the cup for a year, Dick also gets a handsome miniature as a permanent tribute to the value of his work as a bowler for the Shore.