CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 170, 17 January 1914, Page 7

CRICKET.

THE SATURDAY COMPETITION. NOTES AND COMMKNTS. The surprise, of the. past cricketing .week was the defeat, of Tikorangi bV Xew Plymouth on the country team's own ground. It is yet another instance of what the cricketing scribes arc. fond of calling "the glorious uncertainty of cricket," though whether cricket is more uncertain than any oilier game in which the vagaries of human nature and an element, of chance both enter is rather a moot point. However. New Plymouth won the ■match by a narrow margin on the ninth wicket, and United iscrvice, as a consequence, is now leading in the competition. Mason and V.cull were responsible for the Kinallness of Tikorangi's score. Mason was bowling extremely well, and annexed seven wickets for ,'iS runs, whereas Nieoll only took two, but the latter aided .Mason in his average by taking three line catches in the slip's oil' Mason's bowling, so that the honors were just about even. In the batting department, Marsh, Sheppard and Mason won the match for Xcw Plymouth, while O'Donnell kept his end up for Xcw Plymouth at a critical moment.

Mason played bis 'best inning's this season. The New Plymouth team has looked upon him lately as something of a fallen leader, but on Saturday be made good his reputation and pulled bis team out of a hole.

The partnership of the day was that between Marsh and Sheppard. Marsh is already well known as a steady and forceful 'batsman, with some very nice oll'-strokes, and his play on Saturday was ho exception to this rule. Shcppard, on the other hand, is a hit of a ''dark horse" in the 'halting- line. lie has often disheartened bowlers by his patient and pctisislcnt stonewalling, hut the writer has never before seen him in such :>. run-getting mood. His twentyfive runs were well deserved. Sheppard has one startling stroke in his box (they say Trumper uses it, too!) which lie. did not bring out on Saturday. He sometimes plays a leg ball by swinging' completely round and hitting it, apparently, (between his log's. It's electrifying!

Xew Plymouth lias a tale as long as a. kite's, and as negligible as a Manx cat's. It doesn't wag, .because it has no practice. Lye was the only man of the Tikorangi team to do any good with the bat on Saturday. He made !10 runs in nice style. Mason and X"ieoll were -howling too.well for most of the other batsmen.

Sartcn had the best bowling average for Tikorangi. lie and Jupp are a good pair of bowlers. Soll'e bowled very ■well, but took only one wicket.

Tikorangi'* fielding is belter than X'ew Plymouth's—but Unit's not saying much.

The New Plymouth team travelled to Tikorangi oh Saturday -by many and various means. Five men went out in •a motor car, two on motor cycles, one cm a horse, two in a gig, and one on a cycle. One man took the wrong road, but he got there just the same.

Low scoring seems to have been the order of the week; also close finishes. The Service team beat Law- 'by 12, runs, and then their total was only 84. The trundlers, however, had a good timeLash took five wickets for 41 runs «nd Elliott four for 39. The Service howling was fairly equally divided among four trundlers l , so that the avarages are not so good, but it was a bowler's day. In the second innings for Service Metlie had a fair rim for his money and knocked np 21).

Elliott, of the Law team, seems to he taking seriously to batting again. He made '2O runs on Saturday before hewas rim out, through the agency of Osborne, who is a smart man in the field. Norman Little was the other scoring .man for Law. He has a very nice style and is a good all-roumli cricketer. "Dave" Clegg, the well-known lnglewood cricketer, who captained the North 'Paranaki team against Wangiinui in 11112, was in town the other day. Dave says that he. has a bowler, one Smith, -from Ratapiko, who is (he "best yet," with Tom Southnll given in. He bowls like a hurricane and breaks both ways. At Strafford lie is reported to have taken seven wickets for four runs. Also, "Dave" says, lie can pick a team to heat the team picked to play Wanganui. It seems a pity that the Thursday competition .should have died out. but perhaps it will be revived before long- The Te Haei'eere men seem to be able to raise p Thursday team, as apparently lean Tikorangi , audi Tnglewood. It should not take uiiieli effort to reinstate the Thursday competition, The Te ITaereere team, by the way, may challenge the winners of the Saturday competition. The match should prove very interesting. If, however, these Thurs-day-teams can be raised, they should join the Association and make the cricket more interesting for all. The customary match with the J. ("'.- Williamson men on Monday made a very enjoyable afternoon. There is some very good materia! in the theatrical team. As for the Xew Plymouth men. t-hev nearly all bad a good "smite." Snell especially had ;> day out. ami "pasted" the howling well.

-So tho AYsuifpirmi match has been declared oir-for tin- present at. .I]] events —and it is highly improbable Unit there will lit' ;niv match with Wan»:imii (his reason. Tin l Waimauui Association h:is not acted onito fnirlv over this matchA Xorth Tamiiiiki team travelled jo Waniranui in 1012, lint the Association announced' that 'it <-ould not send :i. team to Taranalci this Christmas, but would send 0110 in .lamtnrv. Dates were arninsed. and n work later Wniiftamii eaneolled tho match. Thrannki has <■. right to feel injured. It is to ha hoped' that ,1 match will ho arranged with South Tarannki. . The junior competition will star: again to-day.

Clem Hill is one whose deeds would (ill a volume of "memories." liighl friuii the ilav on which lie completed hi-' wonderful' 300 for 'Prince .Alfred College against St. Peter's School Collegiate, in lSD.'i, his mime lias been the harbinger of bright tilings in (Ticket. Prolmhlv his greatest ell'ort on his home ground was while still a youth, his ISO not out in the final match of Stoddard's team. When the Englishmen made the colossal score of (il)!l against South Australia. Hill made. !">(> in" the second innings. In being made nt sucli an early singe of nig career his "century and a half" was probably of even greater moment, than his Bfis not out against N T cw South Walei in !!)(!(). and his famous stand with 1!. .T. Ilartigan in the second innings of the third Test against A. 0. Jones's ic.iin, which |si» Australia the victory. His doings in Shedickl Shield matches have provided a long succession of pleasant recollections, while in yet another Test at .Adelaide (against McLaren's team in 1302) he. contributed, with V. T. Trumpcr, one of the. finest second-wicket

I partnerships ever seen there. Joe Darling had gone early, for one. and Clem's first ball (from ' Blylhe) was banged away past cover to the fence. In 01 minutes this iiicomparaule pair put on DiT, and in doing so .showed an absolute mastery of every bowling device pitted against them, meanwhile scoring with such briskness and elegance as has probably never been excelled before or since at Adelaide. Trumper was run out for (15, but Clem continued till caught, oil' J»rauuJ (who had played an invaluable if somewhat lucky, innings of 1:11) not out) for !)S, this being one of his remarkable series of innings when he just failed to reach the century on three occasions. From international to club contests is a far cry, but there are, Clem Hill items indelibly marked in all grades. One of his most striking performances in club games was before the district scheme came into vogue, and when he played for North Adelaide, lie was playing against llitnimarsh, at Kensington Oval (long since out of use for lirst grade games), and after making about a dozen, in playing back to Fred, .larvis snicked the ball into the hands of wic-ket-keeper A. 11. .larvis. It was patent to all who could sec, and even to those in the pavilion, and great was the amazement of the spectators when Clem stayed at the wicket, .larvis had, it appears, got right in the line of sight, and the umpire could not decide in favor 6'f his appeal. The misfortune for llindmarsli, and the good fortune for the onlookers, came in the fact that the left-hander then set a merry pace, and got 210 without the semblance of a chance. Not even the dogged attack of Fred. Jan-is, nor the wiles of hard-head "Jack" Noel, and others, could dislodge the young stalwart. It is appropriate that the'iathcr of Clem Hill should be associated with the liright memories of Adelaide cricket. The fact thai, besides Clem, he gave Arthur, Peter, Frank, Harry, Roy, and "Solly" to the game is enough in itself; but in making the first century on lac Adelaide Oval (George Grill'cn had made f>B the week before) be achieved fame for 'himself. 1

The following is (lie amended team to represent Xew Plymouth against United Service on the High School ground today, ;it 2 p.m..'—.Mason, Xicoll, Sheppcrd. Owillim, A. Harding, O'Donncll, Lawrence, Marsh, Buy Icy, Baily and N. C. Harding. The following will represent Warehousemen against Technical College, on the. Racecourse to-day at 2 o'clock:— Stohr, Green, McAllu'm, Douglas, Hawkins, , Richards, Wilson '"Shepperd, Hooker, Okey and another. The following will play for United Service juniors at Tikorangi to-tlav.: Girling, ISoswell, Wagstull'. T. S. Sheppard, P. Sheppard, Herbert, Rust, Cnrline, Autridge. Prior, fioss. Emergencies: Kinsella, Sturmey.