EDEN TURNS TABLES ON PONSONBY XI.

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 253, 16 January 1928, Page 7

EDEN TURNS TABLES ON PONSONBY XI.

A LOST OPPORTUNITY Ponsonby missed the chance of a lifetime on Saturday when it succeeded in dismissing the champion club side of Auckland for 132 runs, only to crash so badly itself that Eden got away with a handy first innings lead. There was little to enthuse about in the batting at any stage, but the fielding was something to write home about. Both sides gave a brilliant display of catching. Warneford’s ratch. which dismissed Cooper, was a riassic in its way, and Langridge and Whelan each collected a couple of beauties in the slips. Still more spectacular was Bennett’s ore-handed effort in dismissing S. G. Smith off a lofty shot on the leg side. Running side on to the ball, the nuggety Eden fieldsman jumped for it at the last fraction of a second, and held a clinker. It was even better than the one Dick Rowntree took in much the same place a month ago. CONSISTENT COOPER Ivan Cooper secured the biggest individual tally with the bat, the blond Kdenite contributing a well-played 40 at a stage when his side was scratching for runs. Jack Mills had an artistic 20 to his credit when he chopped one on to his wickets. Quite the best feature of his display was his quick-

ness between the wickets, in company with Gillespie, who appeared to have been brilliantly caught at the wickets h v Wheeler before he had scored. How* ever , the umpire decided that the evidence was not sufficient to justify a verdict of guilty, and it was left for opposing counsel, IN’. C. Snedden, to s *® cur © the necessary conviction. NOT “TOO OLD AT FORTY” . s - Smith ran into a purple patch, with five for 56 with the ball, and a flight and breezy* 25 with the bat. By this excellent double “S.G.” started a wearied stand into a mild ferment over the much-debated question of w hat might have been” in the Canterbury match had the vetei'an been there. “Smithie” celebrates a birthday this month, and as a Wisden is easily procurable, no prize is offered 'or a correct guess of the age of a much-travelled cricketer, who ranked one of the finest amateur cricketers m England in his day. Ponsonby sprang its surprise packet on Saturday, Roy coming light as the likeliest representative proposition there is among the younger brigade of medium-paced trundlers, with height, and nip ®ff the pitch, as the essential recommendations. Ponsonby lost a golden opportunity of providing a mild sensation by failing to top Eden’s anaemic first inn!n^s - It wanted only a bit of fiery hitting of the Warneford-Roy order to do the trick, but for once this pair proved two of the stodgiest run-getters °n the side. •t is always sound policy, when slow bowlers are tangling up a side, to put in somebody who can hit. Commons was evidently sent ‘ n with this purpose in view, but he wasted valuable time and opportunity by pottering about in **c • xa *P« r *ting role of batting until A. F. Weir mere!ully got one past him, and wrecked hi, wicket. CHRISTCHURCH MAN’S DEBUT Had not the exuberant Bennett put p s P°ke in Smith’s wheel when he did. onsonby might have done the trick, ut the remaining hour of play was eariness and dreariness. Charlie juiney showed a glimpse of his old i-nristchurch form, and when he gets * 1)11 °* practice he ought to score wore runs than most. At one stage A. F. Weir had an , , ei TS e of three for five, and he fln,ned U P with the flattering figures of ri!5 e€ f or 14 Advanced to the posion of stock bowler on the side. Jack *uilß showed how deadly, sublte iliv 8 in P ace » flight, and direction •an be even in bowling of a rather ordinary type. There was nothing much else to rite about except to suggest that a nian named Philpotts might be ry ance< * a, place or so in the batting der next Saturday, just to see what can do with a bat. lie handles * 18 if he knew what it was for, and