CRICKET IN WAIRARAPA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 February 1939, Page 9

CRICKET IN WAIRARAPA

BIDWILL CUP FINAL

Some Sensational Features

BRILLIANT WICKET-KEEPING BY CLARKE

(By

“Blue & Gold.")

Fine weather greeted the Wairarapa Cricket Association for its senior and junior contests on Saturday last. The scoring was mostly on the low side, and the outstanding batting feature was a fine display by Stewart Hatch, who notched 126 in a .junior game.

A Dour Struggle. The final for the Bidwill Cup has developed into a dour struggle between Red Star and Lansdowne in which the latter has a nine-run advantage on the first innings. Lansdowne had first use of the wicket but found the going hard with Newman Hoar, Frank Pool and Frank Hoar bowling well. Added to this the fielding of the Red Star team was very keen. The Best Strike. The best display of batting in the Lansdowne team was given by Vern. Greer, who was well set when he had the unfortunate experience of being run out. He played a pretty bat all round the wicket, and some of his leg shots were very neatly executed. He found the boundary three times in his total of 28. Greer has.been batting especially well this season. His last few innings have produced scores of 34, 40, 22 not out and 28. Valuable Asset to Team. Bill Whiteman was going along nicely until he sent one into the safe hands of Frank Hoar off Pool. He found the boundary twice. As an opening batsman he plays a very substantial part in taking the sting out of the bowling. Consequently he is a very valuable asset to his team. Too Patient. Stubbings played a patient innings for 17 not out; it was altogether too patient, for with a bit of enterprise he should have doubled his score. The scoring strokes he made were nicely played. Bowled With a “Hot ’Un.” B. Jenkins was coming along nicely and playing with confidence when Newman Hoar got a hot one past him. N. Hoar Bowls Well. Newman Hoar again bowled well. He sent down nine overs, taking five wickets for 42 runs. For a youth he bowls with a good length and can put on the pace. Wisely he does not bowl flat out, knowing well that time and practice will give him the ability to clap on the pace without sacrificing length. In another season Newman will be a . stiff bowling problem for the best of batsmen. Frank Hoar and Frank Pool were able to keep the batsmen quiet.

A Brilliant Wicketkeeper. The Red Star innings was noticeable for more than one outstanding feature. Perhaps the high light of the innings was the splendid work of Clarke behind the wickets. He took two exceptionally brilliant catches off Whiteman’s bowling and .stumped two off E. Jenkins—a very fine performance indeed. Without Clarke behind the wickets Lansdowne would certainly find much larger totals put up against them than is usually the case. Certainly Clarke is the best wicketkeeper seen in Wairarapa for many years. A quick eye, sure hands and a keen sense of anticipation, few better wicketkeepers have ever stood behind the sticks in the Wairarapa during the past fifty years. The exceptions are probably Harry Ogier (who kept wickets for Canterbury and New Zealand on many occasions and who next to Johnny Fowke, of Auckland, was the best wicketkeeper the Dominion has had, and who. at one time played for Carterton and the Carlton Club in Masterton), “Dolly” Esson (the brilliant Master Club wicketkeeper of thirty years ago), and Tom Voyce (one time of Canterbury and later of the Carlton Club, Masterton). Certainly Clarke’s performances behind the wickets in the Wairarapa during the past season or two has entitled him to a place higher up than a Wairarapa representative team; but then Wairarapa players have never had anything approaching a fair deal when it was a matter of selection for a country team or a combination representative of the province.

Sensational Bowling. The second feature of the match was the sensational early-stage bowling of Arthur Whiteman who was practically unplayable for some four overs, bagging 4 wickets for 11 runs, including those of W. Peterson, Lambourne, and N. Hoar. This was an exceptionally fine performance. The Red Star batsmen were well “in the cart,” having lost 5 wickets for 21.

Good Looking. Sternchase added two minor placings to his record at Trentham, but was not produced on the final day. This good-looking Lord Quex colt was rather above himself in condition and the racing would do him a lot of good.

Rakahanga. The winner of the Telegraph Handicap, Rakahanga. is a chestnut daughter of the King John horse Gascony, by the Tea Tray—Hula Girl mare Mori. Mori is also the dam of Cockpit, who was ultimately a winner of the Gold Cup in Malaya, and of the useful hack Airing. Tea Bell, a full-sister to Mori, was a good winner in the North Island and later in Australia, and another full-sister is Refresher, one of the most solid of the Tea Tray stock. Gay Sonnet, Elocution, Night Recital, Gay Parade, and Kamehameha are other useful members of this family. Rakahanga is raced by her breeder. Mr J. D. Todd, Waijukurau, for whom she is trained by J. H. Jefferd, Ngatarawa. She has won more than £l3OO in stakes for six firsts, six seconds, and two thirds, in 20 starts—a first-class record.

Upston’s Splendid Strike. The havoc played by Whiteman among the Red Star batsmen had little effect on Upston who calmly and confidently faced all the varieties of bowling which Lansdowne produced, and whose splendid "batting display, together .with that of Gordon Peterson, saved the Stars from a debacle. Showing plenty of versatile batting Upston reached 35 before Clarke bagged him behind the wickets. He hit four boundaries and three 2’s in one of his best strikes to date in senior cricket. No Terrors for Gordon. The Lansdowne bowling had no terrors either for Gordon Peterson, who played correct and forceful cricket for 37, which included four boundaries, and he seemed set for a much higher score When Clarke also bagged him behind the wickets.

AMONG THE JUNIORS The Red Star-Masterton match was noticeable for the score of over a century put up by a very popular player, Stewart (“Dick”) Hatch. He played many splendid strokes in his score, which included twenty-three 4 s, thus demonstrating that he laid the wood on. He scored 20 in one over and 16 in another. Hatch and Wellington added 99 to the Star score, taking the total from 5 for 29 to 6 for 128. Hatch and Wickens added 77 to the score. Dug Wellington hit hard and often for 36, which included two 6’s and five 4’s. Wickens gathered in a couple of boundaries in his neatly compiled 24. Two old veterans in the Odd Fellows saved that team from something approaching a debacle— Percy Smith and Andy Torrance. They added 75 to the score when the run of play was going against the Odd Fellows. Andy Torrance gave a glimpse of his form of other days when he made some big scores. He hit two 6’s and six 4’s. Percy Smith hit a 6 and found the boundary four times in an excellent strike. Percy has been playing cricket in the Wairarapa over a period covering more than 36 years, and can still score runs and take wickets. The writer played for Carlton seniors against Percy, who was then a member of the old Star seniors, some 35 years ago. Welch and Groube both played nice bats for their runs. The former hit four 6’s and two 4’s and the latter a 5 and two 4’s.

The Masterton juniors gave the redoubtable Carterton team a good go for it on the College ground, the latter only winning by 31 runs —a small margin compared with the severe drubbings Carterton has generally inflicted on teams in the competition. Brice made the best knock for Masterton, his 23 including a couple of boundaries. Longworth, Griffen and Heath all played well for their runs. Berry and Ewing bowled throughout and both returned good averages. Carterton's innings was chiefly noticeable for a splendidly compiled 58 by Ewing, which included half a dozen boundaries. He played pretty cricket all round the wicket. Thompson put together a vigorous 24 runs, among which were seven 2’s and a 4. Reid bowled exceptionally well for Masterton, and kept the batsmen, generally, quiet. Among the wickets he captured was that of Byers—a very fine effort.

The St Patrick’s Old Boys-Old Boys game at the College ground produced a great fighting effort by Old Boys. St Pat’s had' put up 196 runs, of which Brice, Hart, Patrick, Donnelly, Green all showed good form for their runs. The former in his splendid 75 ,’iij. eight 4’s and a 6. Hart gave a glimpse of his good form of a few seasons ago, scoring six 4’s in a neatly compiled 35. Donnelly’s 27 included five 4’s. Patrick hit two 4’s and a 5. At one stage of the game St Patrick’s had 150 up for 3, but Kemnitz and McPhee, bowling excellently, changed the face of things. Old Boys did not commence too promisingly but they stuck to their guns, and dogged and excellent displays by Dixon (six 4’s), Kemnitz (five 4’s), Payne (five 4 ! s) and Wilson (three 4’s) resulted in the Old Boys being still at the wickets when time was called. The game was played in a very enjoyable spirit as was to be expected when two such sporting teams meet. This is the second match in succession in which the St Pat’s have played a draw—the other being again Masterton on the previous Saturday.