CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 224, 21 March 1914, Page 7

CRICKET.

Vi"k': /•.<:.• 'JOAiMIiNTS. ink sr.SHm COMPETITION. Koto- .-mkl comments on the senior eonipelitiiin? The only comments available h::ve .i'l been used up by cricketers ou k»' -abject of last Saturday's weather.. Tin- matches to-day will be those which were set down for lastweek, hi both senior and junior com petitions. During the week much attention has been paid to a pitch on tinsports ground in readiness for the coming matelj with South Taranaki, and should be. in fair order by the day of liie match. The team selected to represent this end of the province is fairly representative pf the. live senior clubs. An attempt to analyse it on the principle of English selection, of course, fails, for as soon as one attempts to select the first four stock bowler anl the next four stock batsmen, quite apart from other qualifications, it become apparent that the team is of an all-round description which precludes this classification. Lash, •Nicoll, Bain and Osborne, for instance, might at first sight be selected as the stock bowlers, but they are also among the vanguard of the batsman. Taken by and large, however, the team should on paper give a good account of itself in all departments. .The four players just mentioned are both batsmen and bowlers of merit, and are capable of some variety in the attack. "cSic 's a good scoring batsman, and can also trundle some. Bewley, when "on it," is a free and forceful siuiter, with a nice style. Monteath's play with the High School team fully justifies lis inclusion, if only on the principle of giving encouragement to young players; and the three Tikorangi men arc good "allround" men from an "all-round" team. The main difference in this team from that which recently defeated the southerners at Hawera is the inclusion of Stainton aB wicket-keper, in place of Ron. Quilliam. Stainton is a new importation, who has very early attracted the eye of. the selector. His work bohind the sticks has shown more finesse than that of Quilliam, who is nevertheless a sound man in that position, with probably a better knowledge of the. vagaries of Taranaki wickets than Stainton. The latter has, however, shown a remarkable aptitude in the study of'this phase of his work, and while the smaller spirits may assert that a new man should not so early have been given the preference, the broad principle of selecting the best team available is indisputably the right one, and Quilliam himself, being a "sjport," would be the last man to question it.

TONGAPORUTU v. AWAKINO. On Saturday last a team of Awakino cricketers journeyed to Tonga.porutuj where a close and exciting game ended in a tie. Following are the scores:— Tongaporutu.— Carson, b Lett, 32; Wcstfield,, c Book, b McCoyvan, 11; Waters, b Mac Cowan, 2; Purdy, b Lett. 3j Wagstaff b Lett 1; Taylor, run out, 0; Rattenbury, 1> Mac Cowan, 0; Sparke. b Lett, 4; ,T. O'Donncll, run out, 2; R. E. O'Donncll, c A. O'Donnell, b Carr, 2; Glentwortb, not out, 0; extras, 12; total, 75. Awakino.—MacCowan b Waters. "; Tukc, c Glentworth, b Taylor, 2: 1). Black, run out, 12; Main, b Taylor, 0; Lett, b Waters, 32; Carr l.b.w. b Carson 0; G. Walsh c Wagstaff, b Westficld, 1; Rook, b Waters, 7; O'Neill 1) Waters, 2: Raven, not out, 8; ,J. Bellshaw, <> Carson, 0; extras, 8; total, 75. The Tongaporutu Club gratefully acknowledges the receipt of a cricket ball, kindly donated by Mr. R. O'Donncll, senr., our veteran umpire. The following team will represent Law against United Service on the Sports Ground to-day:—Lash, Bcwlov, Elliott, Rcid, Ron. Quilliam, Reg. Qnilliam, Billing, Hughes, Johnson, Anderson and Snell.

HIGH SCHOOL v. CENTRAL

In the primary schools' competition yesterday, Central school defeated High School by 71 runs to fid. For the winners Milne (12), F. Shoppan! (33), and W. Penman (12), were the only double-figure scorers, and for the High School, Goss made the fine score 0f.42 not out, Wilson (11), being the only other batsman to reach double figures,

_ For the Central School Shepparrt took fiight wickets for 31 rune, Austin one for 13 anil 'Biillot one for 14; and for the High School Harker took four wickets for 10 runs, Fox four for 20. and (loss two for 23. •