CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 227, 30 October 1909, Page 6

CRICKET.

The following team will represent the United S'srvice B team in its match against the Fire Brigade to-day, play commencing at '2,30 sharp: M'Cord, l'reshaw, Osborne, Napier, Trcssider, Siimnonds Bollinger, W'iggs, Lewis, Uea, Wuliivan. Emergencies: Barry, Brabant, Kennedy, Crone, Chamberlain. Tile following will represent the l'ire l'.rii'ade in their luateh against United Service 11, 011 the South ltoad ground to-day: Danks, Billings, 14ardwiek,Ui.rHiil, Claike, Mason, Coleman, Best, o'llalloran. Kdgeconibe, Priar, Gunson, iiccli, Wigley and l'ellew. jlly ''Third .Slip.") The North' Taranaki season opened very successfully on Thursday last, the lour playing teams being favored with splendid weather.

Xew Plymouth liovers journeyed to luglewood and started in the season in a highly creditable manner, thanks mainlv to a masterlv not-out innings by llasell.

As a matter of fact, all the other batsmen except one got going in good style, particularly for an opening match and on account of shortage of practice, but liase'l's innings *tood out on its own. lie very wisely waited patiently for a few overs to gauge the bowling, and after giving a chance at 47, opened out and batted very freely, giving no semblance of a chance from then on. The Inglewood stock bowlers have evidently not got into their stride yet, and suffered severely. The Rovers have proved themselves a v"- v strong batting side, but it appears to me somewhat weak in bowling, and 'With such a strong batting side as Inglewood they cannot all'ord to take risks, for in my opinion the latter are just aiikely to make 300 runs as the liovers. Ou the whole, the odds, I should say, are slightly in favor of Hovers, but the continuation of the game on Thursday next should prove highly interesting. Carringtoii lioad obtained a good i'H ovi r \Va : (ara at Waitara. and should have the game well in hand.

Waitara won the toss and elected to bat. Fuller and Sarten opened to the bowling of Sonthall and (Iwillen, and were both playing very confidently until Fuller put one of Xouthall's leg breaks up in tilt slips. Bond helped Sarten to carry the total to 37, but a rot then set in—Southall proving somewhat unplayable—and the whole side was out for 48. Tile latter bowler finished up witli a very good average of eight wickets for 16 runs, and accomplished the hat-trick, getting W. Skelton, P. Skelton, and IJroeklehurst with three successive balU.

The (ieldinir of the Carringtou Road team was excellent, and had a groat den', to do with the small total of Waitara. ■ l'erham and Gwillcn opened for the visitors, the latter getting out from a mis-hit with the total at 4.

However, on Fred Lash .joining hits skipper the complexion of the game was completely altered, both batsmen playing very confidently and making tile bowling 'oo|; easy. These two carriul the total to 31, when Lash was given oil! leg-before. Fred Robertson then joined I'erliam, and both made tilings livly from a spectator'* point of view. ' Nouthall and Greene carried the total to 103 for six wickets, but the Tenia'ning batsmen failed to add materially to the score, as Bond and W. .Skelton had struck a good leugtii—and a failing light —and the innings closed for 116, giving Carringtou Road a substantial lead of 08 rune. The fielding of the. Waitara team was only fair as compared with that of their opponents Bond and W. Skelton bota bowled well, but their bowling averag.-s suffered rather severely owing to faulty fielding. The umpiring on tlio. whole was very fair and impartial, but exception was taken to some of the l.b.w. decision--. However, that i* a matter that must be left entirely to an umpire's discretion, Slid we ail know that there are some batsmen who will never concur with a l.lcw. decision again l ! themselves. At the request of the Australians the Lancashire County committee forwarded the stumps and bails used ill the Test Hatch at Old TralTord to Mr. Fran!; l.aver, the manager of (he team. The following appeal's in "The Fieid" nncnt the last, malcli the Ausiraliai's I'iayed against. Kent; "The Australians have several times thrown away a fair jc'.ianoo of victory because. although they v'ould have been running no risks, they did not think it worth while to trv to

win. It was impossible to explain the Methods of some of their batsmen las! S'aturdav at Canterbury, except on the i!i<ory that they were frankly playing fo' their averages. When the game -was 'e-nnieil. ihi- Australians in their fi-st ulnars were leading by about a dozen i'His. and had seven wickets in hand, while les- than two hours and three- ! quarters remained for play. It is easy t'j imagine what Kent would have done [ if the positions had been reversed, but most, of the Australians batted as if l!,ev were playing desperately hard for a draw. When they were leading In about, seventy runs, and there was not lunch more than an hour and a-half reU'.aining, ?\ohle spent about an hour in making eleven runs, while Armstrong to the last was slowness itself, taking 25 minutes to score his last seven runs aft"i- he had completed his hundred." 11l strong contrast to this appears a "nnrt article in •'Cricket" referring to the Australian return match with Fs-cx:—"Tin. innings plaved in t.le match was undoubtedly the 71 |>v I lumper. who gave, a really brilliant dis|»:.i.\. Me not only appeared thoroughly :Il home with-all the bowling brought against him, but made lii s runs bv a great variety of strokes. His driviii" «a- pel lection, and lie did some wonderful thirnjs oil the leg side. For an lour sum n-imlf he was the Trumper of oM. ;iu<! lie -ffnnd set for at least a hnnj.ie'l a catch at slip .sent him

Y li-' <■ i) 11 uit I meeting of (lie Xo« ,< v !,i'i, t-IK-Ivcl Council Mil m Christ 'V'l. uwl< il Ilia I l.leie U';|S eiciy reason [(, believe tllllt an Austral,an li-.nn. including t h ( . l.'fl -landers Iktnlslrv . ln ,| Rnnsfonl. vi'»W arrive \, w Zeiih.n.l earlv in ret-niary next.