NEW MILESTONE IN CRICKET

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 40, 17 February 1939, Page 4

NEW MILESTONE IN CRICKET

VISIT OF SIR JULIEN CAHN’S TEAM MATCH WITH WANGANUI TO-MORROW REVIEW OF PAST 20 YEARS

A new milestone will be reached in Wanganui cricket history to-morrow with the arrival of Sir Julien Cahn’s side, which will mark the third visit of an English eleven to Wanganui in the last 20 years. The first post-war visit took place in 1922, when an M.C.C. team, led by A. C. McLaren, a former captain of England, defeated a Minor Associations’ eleven, comprised of Wanganui, Taranaki and Waikato players, on Cook’s Gardens by 10 wickets. A second M.C.C. team, captained by E. R. T. Holmes, visited Wanganui in 1936, and defeated the local representatives also by 10 wickets. In addition to McLaren, the M.C.C. team which played the Minor Associations’ representatives at Wanganui on December 19 and 20, 1922, included Chapman, the brilliant test match batsman, and Freeman, who was regarded at that time as the best exponent of googly bowling England had.

The M.C.C. team was McLaren i (capt.), Hartley, Calthorpe, Brand] Wilson, Gibson, Chapman, Hill, Wood, McLean, Wilkinson, Lowry. Minor Associations.—Orton (capt.), Orr, London, Holland, Wood, Williams, Lambert, Clark, Hughes, Gilmour, Blamires. The Wanganui members of the team were: Orton, a stylish bat and safe field; Orr, a firstclass fieldsman and batsman; Williams, the most promising colt, a forcing bat and brilliant field; Holland, the best all-rounder, and L. A. Wood, a good all-rounder. The weather was fine and the attendance satisfactory on the opening day. The home side won the toss and batted first on a fast wicket, but were out for the mediocre score of 129. Lambert was the only batsman to rise to the occasion, although Holland played soundly and patiently, and Gilmour also shaped\well. The M.C.C. bowling was not impressive, the best of the trundlers tried being Brand and Gibson. The former bowled cleverly, and mixed his pace, while Gibson got more pace off the wicket than the batsmen were accustomed to. The tourists’ fielding was clean, Chapman, Wilkinson and Hartley, standing out. ♦Chapman had a holiday at cover, but on the three or four occasions that the bail came his way he delighted the spectators with his clean pick-up and fast and accurate return. London and Orr opened the Minor Associations’ innings, the former being bowled in Calthorpe’s first over. Another two wickets fell in quick succession, Orr and Blamires being beaten all the way, and three were down for 21. Lambert’s Fine Innings. Lambert who had been first wicket down, found a steady partner in Holland, and began putting more power into his strokes, scoring some beautiful fours. He reached 50 in 42 minutes, including a terrific six. After scoring two quick fours he spooned a ball from Brand, and was out for 66. Of the remaining batsmen, only Holland (16) and Gilmour (14) broke double figures, the innings closing for 129. Bowling for M.C.C., Gibson took three for 39, Brand, three for 30, Calthorpe three for 42, and Hartley, one for nil. j Bright Batting. The visitors gave a bright display of batting, and but for the fact that each batsman played a brisk sporting innings the score of 296 would have been larger. Calthorpe gave a fine display of aggressive hitting, good timing and finishing strokes all round the wicket, to top-score with 112. Wilkinson (35), Gibson (33) and Brand (30) also played good cricket. The feature of the innings was the magnificent right-hand catch on the boundary by Orr which dismissed Wilkinson. Home Side Better. With 167 runs required to avert an innings rlefeat the home side rose to the occasions, and compiled a second innings total of 200. Lambert again won the honours with a score of 63, which included eight beautiful fours and a six. Other good scores were made by Wood (37 not out), Blamires (31) and Williams (24). The English bowling averages were headed by Gibson. who took five for 72. England secured the necessary 34 runs to win without the loss of a wicket.

14 Years After. Containing nd less than four players who had represented England in Test matches, the M.C.C. team which played Wanganui on January 24 and 25, 1936, was one of the strongest combinations seen on Cook's Gardens in local cricket history. The teams were:—M.C.C.—C. J. Lyttelton (capt.), N. S. Mitchell Innes, J. H. Human, A. G. Powell, S. C. Griffiths, A. L. Baxter, J. Langridge, J. M. Sims, J. Hardstaff, J. Hardstaff, J. H. Parks, W. Barber. Wanganui.—L. A. Wood, E. C. Gee, L. R. Wilson, R. Spurdle, A. Billlock Douglas, F. Warnes, J. Oliver, R. I. Sewell, A. G. Davidson, R. E. Thomas, H. Whiting. Fine weather and a good wicket and outfield, made conditions ideal on the opening day, and although the M.C.C. team was at the crease only for two hours, 202 runs were compiled for the loss of but two wickets. In reply, Wanganui could muster only 74 for the loss of eight wickets. First-Wicket Stand

Parks and Barber opened the M.C.C. innings and 10 runs were on the board in half as many minutes. The half century was hoisted in 30 minutes, and the batsmen looked well ! set. Parkes was particularly aggressive and played havoc with the Wanganui bowling with well-placed shots. He reached his 50 in 61 minutes, and two balls later placed his second six in the stand to bring up 90. Barber was beaten by a rising bal’. from slow-bowler Warnes, when he had made 37. Hardstaff joined Parks, but had only scored two runs when he was well caught by Spurdie off Warnes, whose average was then two wickets for 18.

Parks reached his century after 113 minutes’ batting, and when the tea adjournment was held at 4 p.m. M.C.C'., with 202 on the board, Parks 113 not out and Mitchell Innes 44 not out, decided to declare. Poor Scoring. Wood and Thomas opened for Wanganui, and batting cautiously carried the score to 20, before the latter was bowled. In the next over Wood was given out lbw, without the addition of one run. The M.C.C. spin bowler, Sims was troubling the batsmen and scoring was at a very slow rate. He had Gee and Whiting caught in quick succession, and Wanganui had four wickets down 38. After scoring 12, Spurdle was caught off Langridge. Bullock-Doug-las and Warnes provided the only bright spot of the innings, scoring 14 and 10 respectively. Following their dismissal another wicket fell cheaply, and at stumps eight were down for 74. The Second Day. The match concluded on the second day with a win for the visitors by a margin of 195 runs. Wanganui made a better showing in the latter part of the first innings, carrying the score to 130, but after dismissing eight M.C.C. batsmen for 198, they could only compile 75 in the second strike. Sewell and Oliver were responsible for carrying the Wanganui score to 13, being associated in a fine stand ot 146. Sewell top-scored with 37 while Oliver made an equally good 17. The English bowler, Sims finished with an average ot four for 23. Warnes’ Fine Bowling. Against the fine spin bowling of Warnes, whose final average read five for 71, M.C.C. were held to a moderate score. Four of the first batsmen failed to reach double figures, and but for the efforts of Hardstaff (60) and Barber (41 not out), they might not have been able to afford to declare. Batting Collapse. Faced with the formidable task of making 271 for a win, Wanganui opened its innings with a bright partnership of 33 between Wood and Thomas. However, after Thomas (13) and Wood were dismissed, a rot set in and Davidson (19) was the only remaining batsman to score more than six runs. Responsible for the damage were Parks, who took four for 11, and Sims, who took five for 40.