STRATFORD WIN WELL.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 342, 25 January 1937, Page 2

STRATFORD WIN WELL.

MATCH AT KAPONGA. Outstanding Innings By Beere Compiling a solid 170 for the loss of only six wickets Stratford secured a comfortable win oyer Kaponga in the senior cricket match at Kaponga on Saturday, by four wickets and 69 runs. Kaponga were put in when two hours of play remained but at no stage looked like making runs at sufficient speed to secure a victory. Kaponga’s opening batsmen, Court and Barker, although kept very subdued by the fast bowling of Lay and Hunter looked at first like making a stand that would enable their team to play out time to avert defeat. Both came to grief, however, in trying to opem out on McKenzie's slower deliveries and were caught ny Bonner. McKenzie also took the next wicket in quick time, dismissing Foster for one, and from then on the match was virtually over, Gray and Lay dividing the wickets between them. P. Collins, the Stratford wicket-keeper, took the last two, with snap catches off Lay and Gray. When stumps were drawn there was still about 20 minutes of playing time to go.

The feature of the match was the innings of the Stratford captain, M. Beere, who was undefeated with 60 to his credit when the side declared. Going in at a stage when three wickets had been lost in quick succession and a collapse was a possibility, he took immediate charge of the bowling and, with Cruickshank doing good work in partnership, effortlessly piled up runs until his team was in a more than sound position.

Although it was treated with respect by the early Stratford batsmen, the Kaponga attack was not at any stage really severe, consisting largely of medium pace deliveries, none of which should have caused serious trouble to batsmen in good form. In their efforts to hurry the Stratford departure from the wicket, the Kaponga side tried frequent changes of bowling, nine men altogether being given a turn. Foster' bowling mostly off breaks and Hunter were the most formidable Kaponga trundlers but it was not to them that the wickets fell. The bowling honours on the Kaponga side went to Pascoe. His average for the day was three for 26 but at one stage it stood at three for seven. The only remarkable feature of his bowling was the method of delivery which was effected with a kind of double-barrelled action. At the stage when the ball would be expected to be commencing its flight in the air, P'ascoe would have it behind his back half-way through a second gyration.

His first ball skittled the wickets while McKenzie was apparently still looking for it. In following over Law was caught by the wicket-keeper and in quick time Baskin played on before he had opened his account. After that, however, the day of the windmill bowler was over. Beere handled him with ease and Cruickshank, although somewhat uncertain at first, was soon able to score well off him. Pascoe became very expensive and was taken off.

Apart from the final partnership the opening of Gray and Bamford was the chief contribution to the Stratford innings. Of the two, Bamford was the first to attempt liberties with the bowling, but in doing so he was far from reassuring. He hit the first four of the match before Gray had scored but had the field been smarter this stroke would have been his last. Gray played on steadily and when Bamford was dismissed for 14 the innings total was 28. With Adlam he took his score to 20 when he succumbed l.b.w. to Court. Details are:— STRATFORD. Gray, l.b.w. Court 20 Bamford, b Burke 14 Adlam, b Foster 7 Lay, c Busing, b Pascoe 15 McKenzie, b Pascoe 9 Beere, not out 61 Bashin, b Pascoe 0 Cruickshank, not out 29 Extras 16 Total 170 Bowling: Foster took one wicket for 14 runs, Barker none for 28, Harrison none tor 15, Burke one for seven, Court one for six, Pascoe three for 26, Betts none for 10, Albon none' for 27, and Free none for 23. KAPONGA. Court, c Bonner, b McKenzie .. 22 Barker, c Bonner, b McKenzie .. 20 Foster, b McKenzie 1 Betts, b Adlam 9 Busing, b Gray 1 Grace, b Lay 7 Harrison, b Lay 5 Albon, c Hunter, b Gray 15

Burke, c Collins, b Lay 0 Free, not out 7 Pascoe, c Collins, b Gray 4 Extras 10 Total 101 Bowling: Lay took three wickets for 25 runs. Hunter none foi- eight, McKenzie three for 19, Beere none for nine, Adlam one for 12 and Gray three for 22.