CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 166, 13 January 1914, Page 7

CRICKET.

NEW PLYMOUTH v. WILLIAMSON'S. (In the Sports (iround yesterday, a most enjoyable match wus played b.'- ] tween a team of New Plymouth cricketers and a team representing the ,)/. L'. Williamson Operatic Company. New Plymouth went lirat to ihe wickets, and succeeded in knocking up 12;) I runs, of which Lush contributed '2),Sivcll I :i!>, Legg 12, Harding 13 not oat, and I 'extra-' 1 13. The Williamson men replied wiih "It, of wdiich the only doublc-figur' ..-cores were contributed by liuriktl (2U) and KatcliiVe (:!.->). ; Following are the scores:— ' NEW PLYMOUTH. f La.-h, c Ashbrooke b Sullivan .... 21 Snell, b Ratcliti'e 3!) Nii-o!l, b Meitam 7 V. liobertson, b Bartlett S 11. I!. lie-id, -b P.aiilelt ...,, 'I Legg, b llatclille 12 Douglas, b Mettam S llardin'i, not on' 13 T. Kirkbv, b Mettam 0 C-oss, e Robert- b liaicliile 2 Sole, run out 0 Extras 13 ' Total 123 j liowling analysis: RatcliH'e took three wickets for 3!) runs, Outrun none for 1!), Mettam three for IS, Sullivan one for 2li, ami liartlett two for 8. WILLIAMSON COMPANY. P.artlelt, e NicoH b Lash 20 Curling, b Lash ; 5 Mettam, I. Lash 0 ' Outrun, c Nieoll b Lash 4 ■ liatciille. b Lash 3"> Solomon, c sub b Nieoll 0 Shortland, <b liobertson ..,' 3 Roberts, not, out 2 Lashbrook. b Robertson ', ... 0 TSuiTcir. b Robertson , 0 ) l!ou.-,her. b lioberls.nn H I K\l ras 4

Total ■';( Bowling inmlysis: Liuli took five wickets for 21! runs. Nieoll one for 32, ami liohertson four for 11. .ir.ViOK COMPETITION'. Saturday's matches in tin- .I'unior Com])"UUnn have not been definitely nrram.'ed, lint it \< probable tint Warehouses will play Technical College, niivl that I'nited Scrvj:-e Juniors will travel to TikoranjM to piay the rikoran:,'i -Junior tram. Till-: WAXIiANI'I MATCH. DKCLAHED 01-T. The proposed cricket match ln'twera Waiifyiuui and North Taranaki on .T;i-li-i----ary 21 and 22 lias been declared oil' by the Waiifraiuii Association, who «ive i 3 a reason tlie fact Hint their team lias to play Marlborough for the llauke Cup mid cannot therefore piay a match in Taranaki on the dates mentioned. Considerable disappointment, and not a little annoyance, is felt anion;;' cricketers at this eleventh-hour cancellation. \Viin»an:u agreed to p'ay the match a week jij»», and even' preparation vras made for it in North Taranaki. It is possible that a. match may lie arranged with South Taranaki. a:; it is full thai at least one representative match should be played in North Taranaki this season. NEW ZKAI.AND-KHS IN \K\V SOUTH WALKS.

Tims the U't'lliiifi'tou l'lvi'iiinj" 'Post':) Sydney correspondent:---(liccrod liy their clean sheet, thrcc-nin record, the Xew Zcnlandci's. wlio are professedly seeking' of tin; hifjier cricket, (need their re;i! problem of Hie tour, the match New Soul!. Wales, with keenness and a (crtiiin amount (if hopefulness [hat fhev would «'l len«t make their redi;iil.tiil)le opponents travel all the way, anil at (he same time ;;iiin some real t-rcdil for fhciii.sflvr.i. What a vain hope! From the moment Unit Kev,\ (danding liaek. snapped up tlosiius for o,'and Turkv.cll a minute Inter placed unp from Kelleway on to his wirket-lwo for tl—they were overwhelmed and hnpelc-sly oni-classcd. They were in another cricket atinosphurc, in fat't.

Fii>( their 'baitin.'l-.'-'iiv;' for some plucky. lirij-'M adventurous wnr.k by Sandman, aided by liokiii.-'m. and a steady display 'liy'Sneddon, who hrra and tiiurw «avo a. lilcau of promise with his strokes' -failed' dismally. Thcd the/v howlim;. whieh had bcirun to asiiuire (|iiili> a reputation liy its mastery over tile country teams and a representative <.,'neenslaii(l tide. wa* without Klin,sr, rufour..e. and efUict. Sandman, who wss I lie ontsiaiidinc; hero of a fallen fide, bowled as pluckily as he had batted, nlthoii'jli his fiiyircs wcru not so Rood «s l!obiir*»Ts. iti lirddim,' only did the Dominion men present any claim to elass. They .stuck te an uphill tusk in a granite turf, under a broiling sun. with gameiiess and spirit to the eiid, lml that is all the laurels they c-.in j»et mil of flic •a ramble. 'Rut even in this department the Island students must have not.-d (liat there is much to learn in regard lo correct placing. The same men In bettor positions would have snvud "'any runs.

The, were jrivfii every opportunity. In ihe first, pla'ee the lioni'i' side won the loss, and eHrourayiiujly ]iut I lie Xew Zcalamlors 'm. It was obriotis. too, from the way Trumper handled his bowling in Hie s'eeond innings thai he was sportsinan onousii te uive I lie k'nnrilaiidcrs even- chance lo'do something All in vain'. Vf!iV! llfeause Xew' Zealand cricketers on these fast wiekefs and in tin' ejarc and heat haze of a !K),i nuii are hopeless \vhi»i brought' face to fcicc. willi plavcr.s who am in the highest grades of the «ame. Sympathetically it really means the menial elVeet of facing such stars, ami the pace of the ball from tke piich limit tbi' bdtsiiicn, and the un-Vi<-fciftrtir character of tile concrete iarf jsavo thfrir bowlers o„ Imp-, lieallv there is nothing -in the New South Wales atlack to causa disma.v (o any lirstcln.s bal.-inen.

Kithor (he standard cf New Zeal i«d kiltiu" Ins not improv.d a! all or flic nciv and totally strange eoudiuon-i positively paralysed them. With another try 'thev'miyht do better, but vet it. is to be rniiembered that their failure was ;;reater in the second 'miliums that in the lirsl. In (he past Xew Zealand ha.s eraer.illv lievn able to produce one or perhaps' two sterliiu; batsmen who could ejvc a foueli of i|iiali(v and real life to i. side, but where iire (hey ill this Irani! The. pluck of Sandman alone is reinemlierud ill the two days' disaster. The liri<;ht. darim; Canterbury player quite impressed one notable player, who said if they-had him in Xew South Wales for a few seasons tliev would make n fine player of him. This criticism, iiy the way, applies to scores of Xew Zenlandcrs. Tliev are made of the material to

become fnii', if nn( great, cricketer-., but what they lack is the right kitul of education. There can lie only one conclusion on tin' all-round form in this mutch. New Zealand lias not iiii|trovc<l, ami at proscut is in quite another class a lower one -to the 'best Australian teams. Anil it is reallv questionable, whether a twodays' slaughter of this kind ha- any real practical value educationally for the keen, willing-to-learn. but mediocre- islanders. It is true they had the advantage of seeing .Macartney, who is display ing astonishing form, at his best, and they may take heart from the consolation that the nippy, nonchalant bundle of batting tricks, known as the "go-vernor-general." would in his present brilliant mood have probably banged the best of trundlers in the same way. Hut, is there iinv real value to the student in these llashlighl performances? What is wanted is lime to .study method- ami versatility in strokes, Cntil New Zealand can cultivate a sounder type of batsman and more resourceful bowlers who •can only be tested on concrete pitches, it. must lie conleiit to remain where it is in the cricket line. That is the les.-on of this match.