CRICKET IN WAIRARAPA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 December 1938, Page 5

CRICKET IN WAIRARAPA

CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY REVIEWED

Notes and Comments

(By

“Blue & Gold.")

The senior games at Masterton on Saturday produced for the most part only moderate scores. The Red StarCollege match is at an interesting stage, while in the Lansdowne-Old Boys game the former has a substantial advantage. The scoring on Saturday was on the slow side, though the wicket at the Masterton Park was easy enough. '

Tier’s Splendid Display.. The best knock on the College side against Red Star was that of Tier who played forceful cricket. He drove splendily and on tne leg side scored many pretty shots. He steadied up the Star bowling just at a time when the collapse of the College team seemed imminent, with 4 good wickets down for 41, following on 3 for 15. His effort was a particularly good one in the circumstances, and though the partnership between Tier and Hibbs may have been assisted by the poor fielding of some of the Star team, yet it was an association which enabled College to put up a respectable total. The partnership produced 131 runs. Tier found the boundary eight times arid had a six to his credit, four of them being from an overthrow. The College team, with a rallying point in

Tier, should be capable of putting up some good scores in the competition. He is certainly holding the team together and he set an example in sneaking runs that could very well be copied. These efforts, were always safe. Excellent Shots by Hibbs.

Hibbs registered top score for the College (80) but he may be said to have had quite his share of luck. He made many excellent shots in his display, and found the boundary eleven times, as well as hitting a 3 and six 2’s. He registered several nice legside boundary shots, and to the on he showed neat batting. Hibbs was at the wickets while 180 out of the 228 runs put up by College were scored. Correct Cricket.

Patrick played correct cricket for his 22 runs, which included four 4’s. He seemed to be on his way to a substantial score when Newman Hoar bowled him with a beauty. A Good Knock.

Prior played good cricket for his twenty runs and connected very forcibly, with the ball at times/his score including three 4’s, a 3 and a 2. Prior and Hibbs added 43 runs to the score.

Improved Fielding Needed. The Star bowling was very good at the start but sagged a bit during the Tier-Hibbs partnership, reviving later. The fielding of some of the team contributed in no small measure’to College’s good score. Frank Hoar bowled best for the Stars, though some of the other trundlers would have had better averages had there been more safeness and quickness in the field, and less wild throwing in.

W. Peterson’s Faultless Display. When stumps were drawn Stars were 131 runs behind College with three wickets down. Wally Peterson is still in with a faultless 52 to his 'credit, including seven 4’s, four 2’s and a 3. He drove very cleanly and scored from neat shots on both sides of the wicket.

Two Good Innings. Gordon Peterson (19) and Graham Lambourne (17) each played a good innings, both hitting two boundaries.

A Debacle Stopped. The Old Boys made a poor showing in uie first innings against Lansdowne. At one stage 6 wickets were down for 22, but Hatton and Alexander added 48 runs to the score during their partnership. Alexander played sound cricket for his 27 runs which included a 6 and three 4’s. Hatton was going well when he had the- misfortune to be run out. He had a couple of boundaries to his credit. Good Bowling by Groves.

Groves bowled well for Lansdowne and at one position of the game had taken 4 wickets for 12 runs. He finally finished up with 4 for 34, sending down seven overs. Arthur Whiteman and Sid Jenkins also kept the batsmen very quiet. Greer Again.

Lansdowne did not open much better than Old Boys, 2 wickets being down for 14 and 6 for 89. However, Greer again demonstrated that he is a dependable batsman when things are going wrong, and with Groves and E. Jenkins he helped to smash the Old Boys attack, with the result that at the close of the day’s play Lansdowne led their opponents by 110 runs on the first innings. Greer made nice shots all round the wicket and found the boundary five times, as well as having four 2’s to his credit. Glimpse of Best Form. Groves gave a glimpse of his real batting self in putting 32 together, his knock including a couple of sixers and a similar number of 4’s. E. Jenkins Bats Well. E. Jenkins played exceptionally nice cricket for 32, produced at a time when Lansdowne sadly needed runs. He seems to have the happy knack of

coming to light for his side when runs are urgently required. He hit four 4’s and three 2’s.

Attractive Batting. Stubbings played attractively for 24, which included five very fine boundaries.

Hatton’s Outstanding Bowling

The outstanding bowler in the match so far has been Hatton, who bowled exceptionally well. He sent down 15 overs, three of which were maidens, for 8 wickets and 51 runs—a very fine performance indeed. At one stage of the game he had taken 7 wickets for 30 runs.

Some Old Time Bowling Records.

A reference to Wairarapa bowlers of thirty years or so ago made in my notes recently led to turning up some of my old records. Those were the days when Frank Hoar and George Barr, were just beginning to , enter the cricket, picture. I find in one match played 31 years ago in the Wairarapa senior championship that the late Bob Moss for the Carlton team took ten wickets for 10 runs in one innings, the last nine wickets without a run being scored off him —a record that will take some beating. He bowled seven overs. Twice in the sixth over and once in the seventh over he took two wickets with successive balls.' In the first innings of thd same match Ted Welch, captain of the Carlton team, who died recently in Masterton, took 9 wickets for 26. Bob Moss did not bowl in tnis innings. The opposing team scored 57 and 30. In a senior competition match in 1909 Carlton disposed of United for 13 runs in one innings, Bob Moss taking 5 wickets for 4 runs in 5 overs (four peing maidens) and the late Tom Hoar 5 wickets for 8 runs in 4.2 overs. Playing in the same season for' Carterton against Carlton T. E. Maunsell (nowadays a magistrate in the South Island) took 9 wickets for 20 runs in one innings, Carlton scoring 42, of which Tom Voyce (who still resides in Masterton and was a noted wicket-keeper in those days) made 12 not out, and Arthur Styles (another resident of Mastejrton today) 11. Carterton, by the way, only made 68 in their first innings, Styles taking 5 wickets for 25. In March, 1906, the Carlton A’ team disposed of the W.F.C.A. team in a Wairarapa Thursday senior championship match for 18 runs, Alf Congdon taking 5 wickets for 4 runs. Playing for Carlton A against Carlton B in 1907, the late Tom Hoar in the first

innings took 10 wickets for 22 runs, and 6 wickets for 14 in the second innings.

Old Eketahuna Teams.

Now that there has been a discussion in some cricket circles as to whether Eketahuna should play in the Wairarapa competition or in the Bush districts contests as is the case at present, it is interesting to recall the fact that Eketahuna teams at one time often played games in Masterton, and that Eketahuna footballers were once drawn upon to fill places in the Wairarapa representative- football team. Thirty-two years ago an Eketahuna senior team which played in Masterton consisted of Oldridge, Lee, Wright, Bradstock, Leversedge, Priest, Stonehouse, Griffith, Prendeville, Bright and Nelson. It was in a match between the Masterion seniors and Eketahuna seniors on November 24, 1906, that Fish, a member of the Masterton eleven, put up a very fine bowling performance, taking 9 wickets, all clean bowled, for 19 runs, the other batsmen being run out. Eketahuna’s total was 48. and of these Bradstock and Priest contributed 13 each.

Bowling in a senior championship match foi- the Masterton seniors at Masterton in 1907 Mackellar took 9 wickets for 15 runs in an innings, sending down 8.4 overs.

An Eketahuna team which used to come to play in Masterton 34 years ago had in its ranks J. S. Tripe, M. Priest, H. Cowlam, F. Wright, T. Page, P. Passau, J. Prendeville, W. Bright, J. Bright, H. M. Wills.

CRICKET OVER 30 YEARS AGO.

HAPPY CAREFREE SPIRIT. In the days of cricket in the Wairarapa thirty odd years ago there was a happy carefree spirit about the game. For instance, there was a Thursday Cricket Association and a Wairarapa Saturday Cricket Association in existence then, with half holidays on Thursdays or Saturdays as best suited those concerned, and players were allowed to play in both competitions. Mackellar, “Dolly” Esson, Fish and Perry played 'for the Masterton Club (their “mother club”) on a Saturday, and for the Stars on a Thursday.. Harry Swan, Tommy Prow, Bill Redmond, Alan Bewley, Bill Igguldeh,- and Tommy Rawson played for Carlton on Thursdays, and against Carlton on Saturdays for the Masterton team. Carlton ran both Thursday and Saturday senior elevens, most of whom were members of the Red Star Football Club. T. E. Maunsell, H. E. Hart, H. Beechey, C. Williams, Tunnicliffe, Fairbrother and Phelps would be seen out for Carterton on both Thursdays and Saturdays, and the most extraordinary thing about the cricket was that while the players mentioned would make big scores in Saturday cricket their contributions on Thursdays would often be moderate, and yet there were practically the same' players engaged and the same playing grounds in use. Though rivalry was keen there was a carefree spirit displayed with committees of ladies providing afternoon tea on the Park —especially was this so as far as the Carlton Club was concerned —and large crowds of barrackers being present. And how these old timers enjoyed themselves —travelling to Greytown, Carterton, or Featherston in four-horse drags—jolly bands of sports many of whom have passed to the Great Beyond. Of those alive few, reside in Masterton nbw, being scattered in all directions, but Charlie Perry, Harry Hall, Arthur Chapman, “Ab” Welch and a few of the other old players still here can relate many pleasant incidents of the days when Wairarapa was truly on the cricket map. One wonders when Wairarapa will see again such a strong, all-round team as Masterton once possessed —every man a batsman and a bowler, and when to miss a catch or misfield a ball was looked upon as a disgrace—players like Charlie Perry, Bill Redmond, Tommy Prow, Colin MacKellar, Harry Swan, Alf Ibbetson, Harry Moorhouse, A. Bewley, Dave Parton, Dave Logan, and “Dolly” Esson. This is probably the greatest senior team Wairarapa has ever produced. Carlton had outstanding players in those days who won the senior championship many times for their club —Bert Waugh (the first “googly” bowler in the Wairarapa), the late Tom Hoar, tne late Fred Welch, the late Ted Welch, the late Harry Welch, the late Bob Moss, Hickson, the late Arthur Hoar, G. Isaacs, Arthur Styles, Tom Voyce, Les Boyd,. Noel Boyd, the late Harry Ogier (many times wicket keeper in the New Zealand team before he came to Masterton), Bert Welch, Jim Waters, Joe O’Leary (the All Black footballer), Neil Madsen, Charlie Mascelles, Wally Barlow, and the late Frank Richards, in addition to those Masterton Club players who played with the Thursday senior ‘eleven.