CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 164, 10 January 1914, Page 7

CRICKET.

Tilt: SATURDAY COMPETITION. NOTES AND COMMENTS. The North Taranaki senior cricket competition will, weather and all other untoward circumstances permitting, lie continued to-day. New Plymouth will [day Tikorangi at Tikorangi, and Lawwill do battle with United Service on the Sports Ground. Batting and bowling averages for each team are given below up to December 22. BATTING. The following table shows the average -cores of the. leading batsmen in each team. Kvery innings played up to the cud of December has been taken into account. | C KITED SERVICE. ,

BOWLIXO. The following table shows the number of wickets taken by the leading boivlc ■s in each team, with the average runs scored per wicket:: XKW PLYMOUTH.

A I.UST oi'i'OßTr.vrrv. There will be no match beiweun the North Taranaki team and the Au-lral-ian team which will tour New Zealand next month. The North Taranaki A»sociation was oll'ered a match, but declined it. This lost opportunity is, in tlie interems ol' cricket, much to be regretted, as a match with iwi Australian team would have been both educational and enjoyable. The chief reasons for the rel'ii-al of the nnittdi were lack of fuiiils and the i!ljr ence of a suitable ground. That is to say thai tin- lack of enthusiasm cminccteil with cricket and tile poor support accorded to the game has brought it to such a low ebb that North Taranaki will soon not be taken into acuonnt at all wkrn big cricket lixturcs are being arranged. There is no doubt that under the present conditions a match with t-hfi Australians is out of the (|iieslion. and I he cricketers who came to this cnneluiioii .without holding a meeting' of tiie Assovial ion. probably acti>d rightlv. The Sport', ('round is undoubtedly no! a lit place to play an Australian team, and a giiartmh-c of £3» with lifty per ci nl. of any gate money over lii.ti amount vur.ild lake some lindiiig as' cricket here stands now. It is, however, a -landing disgrace to the game in North Taranaki that such a condition of a Mails should exist. There are very few cricketers here win) care to take any trouble ; lor the game. and as long as this is so j there will ln> a bad ground, shortage ol 1:11111 -. ami lack of public support as lar a> North Taranaki cricket i- concerned. Till; WANCANU MA'lVll. The following is the leam selected to repro-eiH. North Taranaki against W'anganui at New Plymouth oh .lannary and ii:- Main, Clwillim, MctVie. Marsh, I.ash. Osborne, K'oii. Quillinm, Saricn. ('. Wilson and Nicoll. 'J'his l eain, Oil the whole, i-> fairly re-prc-cniativc, ami should be able togive a £ood aweonnt of itself. If (he \Vangauui team is anything like thai which defeated North Taranaki in l!ll-2. at \Yanganai bv a very substantial margin, and which, by the way, was reputedly not the best tbat Wanganni eoulil produce, the North Taranaki men will have a pretty tough nut to crack. It is unfortunate that in a district like this, where players live in some rises such a distance from New Plymouth, if is not easy to arrange practice matches for ■ the selected team. The best that can 1 be done is for each member to attend i club practices—provided his club favors what is, apparently a dying instilu!lon , iu New Plymouth—as assiduously as !>»* ible.

Tim (cam us selected is fairly strong: in iill-rouiul talent, and certainly has the merit of introducing some young' Wood.

111 tlie batting division, Bain, Lash. Osborne, Nicoil. Wilson, (Iwillim and Marsh can nil be depended upon to give a ffoocl account of themselves.

In addition, each one of these men tan do something with the ball, and they provide among them a fairly good variety of styles. Bain can get in a very effective swerve at times, as well as a break which wants watching. Osborne has been bowling very well of late, and Nieoll and Laih both "use their heads" and want watching. Jlipp and Varten, of tro Tikorangi team, have both been pelting in good work with the ball lately.

| As a wicket-keiper. the team will have Hon. Qui'.liam, who is as gooil an exponent of the art as could be f.mnd ill Taranaki. lie has at times made a brilliant showing behind the sticks. The writer remembers seeing him. when playing for the N"\v Plymouth Club a few seasons ago, demoralise the l.aw batsmen by catching live of them behind the. stumps. The team, in brief, is about as strong as that which faced Wanganui in I;U2. Creatbatch, Dave Clegg, Walter Matthews, Gudgeon, and Soinerville (the YVaitara bowler, and a line trandier) are notable absentees who played on that occasion, but their places will betaken by equally strong men.

5 tn 3 Sg to ° £ S S 3 ■-1 f? & M V, p. « -1 < ilcdie .") ]. 4(1 • !>2 •23 Bain 5 1) ;io !hi 18.4 Stewart 3 i) •20 44 14.(1 Osborne 5 I) 41 (l.i 13 l[llcl,'UV ii 0 •2,i (ill 12 Diimiss 5 1 IS 44 11 Hrabant r> ■> •21 •25 8.3 m '2 (1 8 13 0.5 NEW PLY .MOUTH. llwillini 4 I 37 18 3!).3 K. Hard in- ... r. 0 « 148 2i).li .Marsh 5 0 27 !12 18.4 Anlcn ........ •2 0 -22 23 11.5 .Wilson 5 0 1.) 28 5.(i LAW. Ii 1 73 1(1!) •21.S Hewlev (i 0 i;-2 125 211.8 lle K . Onilli.un .. 4 0 32 lil) 15 Little (i 0 ■21 SO 13.3 HiltiuII •2 1.1 •17 11.2 T!on. Ouilliani , (i 0 IS :« 0.3 'lnbiixiii 0 ]• 1EI •28 5.11 iiron school. Monteatli 4 •2 43 Hi 411.0 Omirl '2 J IS '21 •2I.U Cols,in 4 0 17 3li !).() Oiim|>bell 4 1 21 2.5 8-3 (!o*s 4 0 •22 32 S.O Moves 1 () 7 7 7.0 KvillT 1 (1 7 7 7.0 TIKOKAM'II. 0. Wilson ■i 1 '27 SC. '21.5 Siirteu ii 0 ii!) lir> 21 Soil',. :> ■2 1!) 44 14.(i llul> •i I 31 72 13 - Tll i'I» .-> 0 •20 113 12.ll 0. Foreman .. 2 1) 18 •24 12 '('. Foreman .. ii 0 23 52 1(U Lve ,i 0 •12 48 0.0

42 ' 3o •M s= .u c is a Miisnn .. 18 20.-1 ii :i (Jwillini . 11 lflli 14 1 0'I)().IINCI1 7 111 i .>.<! Mn rsh . (i LAW. 11 IS IS ll Kllinil .. 111) 7.S Kuril ... !l« ll.H Lush ... •27:;. 111.11 i;.\itko servo. liilill . . . :.. l.'i !I2 0.1 OsboriH! 15 !>4 (i.2 Diniiis-. 1-2 TIKOliANOl. ] 1!1 !).!) •'"ff ■■■ l(i 11."I 7.1 Siirli'ii .. l(i 117 7.:i SollV ... « ns !).(! C. n 6 incur school !lli Hi ) Culson .. 12 l i:t s..-i | C.implirll 4 . r> i i,!.r> | Monti'iitii 7 1 Hi 20.S