CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 145, 14 November 1914, Page 7

CRICKET.

TO-DAVS MATCHES. Inglcwood v. Tikorangi, at Tikorangi; -?,'ew Plymouth v. Albion, at the lleucatiou (irouiid; United Service v. ■i aw, at Western Talk.

sATI"K:DAY .COMPETITION. POSITION OK TOE TEAMS.

THURSDAY COMPETIT lON'.

On account, of the. annual sports 01 tiiu 2\V\v Mymouth Il.gJi .Schotd taking place on Thursday next, the match set down for decision on that day between di.-gicwocd and Jiigh School will be played on a later date.

The second round oi the Saturday companion, wii-oh was concluded on Saturday la-t, provided close finishes in all tnree matclies, tiius bearing out tne contentien made alter the opening matches tuat the competition would prove interesting. At the present stage it would k praetica.ly impossible to forecast the Ultimate winner with any degree ofcertainty. This is due to the calibre of the teams, and not to the Wcil-known glorious uncertainty ol cricket.

' All the old teams appear to bo j stronger than was the ease last year, and with tae addition of Jnglewood and ! ( i.»\l.i{on, cricket snoiiiu mid will be much brighter. It only needs the ex- | citement of close iinislics, or the pros- ! ]>cct that there will be something do- ! ing, to attract spectators to the cricket i matches, and once there it should be possible to hold their attention, as is the case in Australia. The Cricket Council has a lot to do jet to get the grounds .in order, but it must not be forgotten that the means at the Council's disposal are vei§« limited, and' that they have only been in existence a vtry little while. The council cannot perform wonders all at once, but already it has justified its existence.

Albion must be congratulated on securing u win last Saturday. The inclusion of Bevan in the team has greatly its attack. The left jiander was m fine form in the first innings when he captuied nine haw wickets for 30 runs. In the second innings be was not so deadly, but Clark, the fast bowler, came off here, securing four for 20 runs. Clark is a

useful all-round man. His batting promises to be the mainstay of his team, and it was his score of 55 that was mainly responsible for Albion's lead in the first innings. Law batsmen have not yet got going. This team has been narrowly beaten in its two matches. But for time being called their two-point loss would probably have been turned into a threepoint win, as only u runs were required to secure this, with five wickets to fall. New Plymouth made their debut by securing a three-point win against Tikolangi, who must be commended for the sportsmanlike way in which they played the game. In the second innings, when it would have been advantageous to them to have played out time, tlry caused no unnecessary delay between the fall of the wickets, but, on the other hand, each man was ready to go to the crease when his predecessor was bowled, and in most instances the men

met half way. Iloskett, a new player, who hails from Melbourne, ia a decided acquisition to tho ranks of the Sew Plymouth club, and to Taranaki cricket generally. He plays a very pretty bat, and seems to know just when to force the pace and 1 when to steady down. He opened very I cautiously, but later gave a Fine display I for his 60 runs. He should be heard from frequently during the Beason. Richards, the plodder, proved a difficult man to shift, and carried his bat from the start for 34. When the score had passed the eighties for the loss of one wicket, New Plymouth, with the idea of going for a three-point win, started to hit out, but could not collar the bowling, and declared after losing three more wickets for 110 runs. .Sarten, who bowled with hard luck, had 18 runs hit off him, for no wickets. Of his first seven overs, five were maidens.

Sarten was the only Tikorangi batsman who could do anything against the bowling of Nicoll, Chappell, and Mason in the first innings. His score of 22 (not out) out of a total of 50 was a meritorious performance. Nicoll came out with the fine figures of five for 25. In the second innings Tikorangi looked like saving a three-point defeat, as, with seven wickets to fall, they only required 11 runs. At this stage a High School boy named Hughes (late of Manaia), who was unknown in local cricket circles, but who, it is safe to say, will long be remembered by Tikorangi, was given a trial with the ball, and that was the end of it. Bowling round the wicket with a good-length, medium-paced ball, in less than three overs he had secured six wickets at a total cost of one run, and the innings had closed for 50. Jt was a great performance, and one that will take some beating. Jupp 2G, and Sarten 11 were the biggest scorers, but the former was bowled by Hughes' second ball, whilst the latter did not have to face him. Jn each of two overs 'he took two wickets with successive | halls. United Service gained their second win by defeating Inglcwood in a high-scoring match. Inglcwood compiled the respectable total of 169 runs, Eggleton, a hard hitter, knocking up 53 very quickly. Matthews, contrary to his usual custom, played quietly, anil was not out for 24. These two put on 80 for the ninth wicket. Rain was again in tine form, and scored 75, though he had two lives before being finally caught, and with MeGie's 35 to assist, Service were able to got the necessary runs with four wickets to spare. The Thursday competition opened last week, and a feature was the form shown by old-timers with both the bat and the ball. Fred. Robertson put up the highest score so far this season, and got within three of the coveted century, when Monteath gut him as he was trying to drive a ball to the boundary. Robertson's exhibition was delightfully crisp and sparkling. Braund's bowling was also of a high order. This player ha 3 not participated in the game for six years, but when opening the bawling he j got four wickets for 5 runs in eight j overs. He also scored .16 runs, New TO i—i"' iiliitoV niihiiiiiiiitirMilifiSriMrßi

The High School team will not this year have the assistance of any of \'<umasters. With coaching and an experienced skipper, the bovs should make a good showing. They need not feel rli,couraged at the defeat they expericncci on Thursday, as Kobertson, in form, would set the best howlers thinking, and liraund would bother the best batsmen. A mistake was made in keeping Hmrhes on too long. This lad, save for an' over's spell, when he chained ends, bowled throughout, and this change proved disastrous to his average, as 24 runs were scored off him by liubertson in live hits. He had. lii hit off him in the first two overs before he got his length, but thereafter he proved more difficult, and at one stage his figures read four wickets for 25.

The ground holding of the School was, on the whole, very clean, in marked contrast to that of some of their opponents, f-iwillitn appeared to he very slack in this respect. Inglcwood Club has no less than four of its members playing on both Thursday and Saturday. Smith and Fgglcton, who did not bowl with much success on Saturday, struck form on Thursday, tho former in the first innings securing four wickets for 33 runs, and Smith, in both innings, nine for 2d. It was mainly to this that Inglcwood owe their threepoint win. A. Smith (20) was the highest scorer of the day. . Fgglcton, the bighitter, and Matthews were captured by Foreman before they got going. -Foreman was bowling well', as his figures (six for .If) show. Three of men were ah-ent in the second innings, hut as there ..as over half-nn-hour to go it might have made no ilill'erence. Still, one never knows. Cricket is an uncertain game, and they may have played out time. A point saved in cricket scores is really two points gained, because it counts both for the winner and against the 10-er. Players should he prepared to stay to the end, and so possibly avoid letting down their team.

In the centre- this season there lias been some lli; ; h scoring. At Auckland, m the Craft,,n v. Darnell match, out of ■272 scored by llie former team. LMcCormiek carried his bat right through the piece for 122 not out, and J), liny scored !>l. In the Ponsonby-Waitc-mata, match Wilson scored 12!) (not out) out of the total of 331 for eight wickets compiled by the former team. Grammar School players were very prominent. Competing in the second grade the school scored 278 (Wilson 07, Garrard O.'S not out) against Ponsonby A. Tn tile third grade, against Waitemata. the school scored 413 for the loss of nine wickets, and t\pt t!!).i|-! rioM Goodwin contributed 208. Playing for Grammar School A in the secondary schools competition, McArthur scored 12!) not out.

North beat Central at Wellington in a high-scoring match, each team having an afternoon at the wickets. Central had the previous Saturday knocked together 303, but North went 38 betten, scoring 341. Quinn scored 71, Watson 55, Bray 48, Hiddlestone 43. Wilkinson 27, Crombie (formerly of Tnglewood) 2G. Sonthall was run out for 6. Extras added more than the usual quota, viz., 31. The only century in the competition was scored by Tucker, who got 102 for O'd Boys against Varsity,, the i former winning by 55 rims. Petone accounted for East by 71 runs on the first innings.

,Low scoring was the order of the day at Ihincdin. The Colts scored 130 against Albion. Crawford went first ball after mtting his pads with his l bat. He made up in his howling, however, as Albion were disposed of for 101. Crawford's figures were: 108 balls, 11 maidens, 11 runs, 7 wickets. At Christchurch a match was commenced between the representatives and fifteen colts. '1 ne latter batted first for 220 runs, Grant 43, Conradi 35, Evans 32. Smith 20. Beal took four wickets for 31 runs, Bennett two for 32, SEfickmott three for 72. and Patterson two j for 38. The representatives had lost no wickets for 27 runs.

I'niteil . Ser vice ... "3 ■ cS a a i if O 0 i-l o .Ww i >lym< sutli ... .... 1 1 — 3 Albion 2 1 1 -1 'i'ikora ngi 2 1 1 —1 Uuglew 00(1 1 — 1 —2 .... 2 — 2 —4

higlcwood 1 1 — 3 l'hoenix 1 I — 3 Tikorangi 1 — 1 —3 iligli School 1 — 1 —3