TRIP TO WAITOA AND CRICKET MATCH.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1143, 23 October 1879, Page 2

TRIP TO WAITOA AND CRICKET MATCH.

In response £o a/challenge from Waitoa, a team of memßers of tlie Cambridge Cricket Club arranged' to loavo Cambridge at 5.30 a.m^pn paturd^y^orning t^procjSd to Waitpa: " iThp party^'cohsisted of eleven horsemen, anda bugger] driven .Mr^j. ,P. Camp^ell^with three pthers^ Th'reetqf pSrty'were visiteffs; and MrfGampbeil /wmt>fo/play}Swii;h th^^aitoa^am./S:Th l e jstart^was made from the house/of iSei^fs Stubbing Bros, who had kindly provided breakfast for all who could get up in time 'for it. A ll the party got away at 5.40 am. • your. reporter who_ was a little #niofeyeepyMan;therdst, and^vhofdid iot; start till nearly half -past six. The route taken vras-via Victoria Koad, which is nowin excellent condition, and has stood the winter well ; taking the track" on the right, after leading the swamp road, we go.t.over the hillß'dn to the Swamp^ Company's Fiat, and by following it along we come to ; a road which brings us out upon the main road from Hamilton to Piako, about four miles from, the Nottingham Castle Hotel. It was Lhere that your, correspondent caught up with the party, his game little horse having cantered, all the. way from Cambridge, and was still as. fresh as any of them. .Arriving, at 'the Nottingham Castle Castle shortly after eighi, breakfaßt .was ordered- by Mr. Campbell, for those who had started without any, and tjio3e ! whose appetites were sharp enough for a second. The horses too were riot forgotten. Several of the party however having slower horses rode on. After a rest and refreshment for rather more than half-an-hour, the remainder of the party were on the road again to the Te Aroha Hotel, which was reachod by a good and perfectly level road, in mce than an hour. Here tho horses were taken charge of by Messrs H. & J. P. Campbell^ who, after having fed them, turned them out in a splendid paddock, where in some places the Ryegrass was half-way to the knees. On arriving attheTe Aroha Hotel, most of the- Waitoa team were already on the ground. .By eleven o'clock more had arrived, and the Waitoa settlers held a meeting to form their Cricket (Jlub. Mr Smith was voted to the chair. Mr Parr proposed, ' ' That a . Club be formed to be called the Waitoa Cricket Club, and that the entrance fee be 10s, and the annual subscription be ss. Mr Gould seconded the motion, and it was carried. Messrs Gould. J. JB. Smith and Missen were appointed a Committee, to frame rules and parry on the general business oi the Club. Mr J. : B. Smith was elected Captain,* and Mr Hugh Campbell,, Secretary and Treasurer. Ihere were present : Messrs Siint, Willis, J. B. Smith, W. Smith, J. P. Campbell, Hugh Campbell, Scott, Missen, Parr, Murray and Gould. „. The meeting was over by twelve o'clpck, and the match commenced. The Waitoa men requested the privilege of going first to the wickets, as all their men had not arrived, which was, accordingly, agreed upon. Parr and Hunt took their first . turn at the wickets, against the bowling of. Mackintosh and Stubbing. The former bowled, the first over, and Hunt made seven runs off his last three balla. This seemed a gloomy look out for Cambridge, but, after a maideri over 1 by Stubbing, Mackintosh pulled f himself together, and the wickets fell in rapid succession. Mackintosh took four wickets, and stubbing three, and three men were caught out. The i Waitoas had rather bad luck ; one or ; two- of their best men were not able to play. Their first innings, they ■ made, fourteen. The Cambridge men, now, took their turn with the willow, and were soon all out for forty-six runs, Parr, J. B. Smith and C. Willis taking the bowling. The ; last of these three being dead on the wicket'. ' The play of Pearson deserves special mention, as he saw seven wickets down, and took off the edge of the bowling, making a nice little score of fourteen, till a ball struck the handle of the bat, run up his arm, and was well caught by Hunt. Jelling also made some good play. Before 1 the Waitoas went again to the wickets, we adjourned for half-an-hour, to partake of an excellent lunch, prepared by Host Miseen, to which all did full justice. ■ : At three o'clock, the Waitoa team went in again, against the bowling of Hitchman and Pellew. Against these bowlers had the Waitoas only practised a little, they could have made a big score. The latter bowler took four wickets, with under hand full pitchers. In the second over, J. B, mith made a pretty hit for two, and in reaching his wicket, at the second run, he turned his ankle, and sprained it badly, so that he was quite unable to put his + oot to the ground. Much sympathy was felt for this untoward accident to the Captain of the team. Hunt took his place at the wickets, and after some hard hitting, the Waitoas were all out for fifty-nine runs. The Cambridge men, therefore, wanted to make twenty-eight tb win, and twenty-seven to tie. Mackintosh and Jellings, accordingly, went the wickets, and knocked about the bowling of Hunt and Willis, till they made twenty-nine runs, when the stumps were drawn, the match having been won by the Cambridge team, by two runs arid ten wickets to spare. The following are the scores : —

WAITOA ELEVEN. FIBST INNINGS. Parr, Reuben b Mackintosh . . . . 0 Hunt, jtficholaa c Stubbing, b Mackintosh . . 7 Gould, Charles b Stubbing . . . . 1 Smith, J. B. c Mackintosh, b Stubbing 1 Willis, C. b Mackintosh ... .. 2 Campbell, J. P. b Mackintosh „ 1 Missen,E. b Stubbing.. „ „ 0 Smith, W. c and b Mackintosh . . 0 Murray, E. b Mackintosh . . . . . 0 Charlstpn, b Stubbing „ . . „ 0 McMiniman, not out ... „ „ 0 Byes .... „ „ „ . 2 Total .. .. 14 SEDOND INNINGS. Parr, Reuben b Pellew „ „ 2 Hunt, Nicholas c Earkwood, b Pellew 7 Gould, Charles b Pellew . . . . 5 Smith, J. B. (Hunt as substitute)'b Pellew . . ,-, „ 13 Willis, C. run put 3 Campbell, J. P. b Pellew .. .'. 1 Missen, E. b Pellew „ „ 3 Smith, W. b Pellew 2 Murray, E. b Pellew „ . . . . 0 Charlston, not ont . . „ . . 8 McMiniman, run out . . „ . . 6 Byes . . . . . . . . „ 9 Total . . . . .. . . . . . 59" CAMBRIDGE ELEVEN. FIKST INNINGS. Pearson.H. M. D. c Hunt, b Willis . . 14 i Smith, Walter b Smith . . . . 4 Mackintosk, C. D. b Parr .. .. 0 Camp, J. T. b Smith 0 Hitchman, run out . . . . . . 3 Jellings, b Willis . . . . '.'ll Stubbing, A. B. b Willis . . . . 0 Stubbing, M. b Hunt 2 Kirkwood, R,. b Willis.. 0 Pellew, b vvillis 4 Ashwell, C. J. not out . . „ . . 0 Byes . t „ 5 Wides . . . . 1 1 < ( 3 Total 40 SECOND INNI-NGS, Mackintosh, (;. I), not out .. .. 11 Jellings, not out . . . . . . 9 Byes . . . . . „ , t 1 1 7 Wides ... 2 ' Total „ „ „ „ „2a

Tho match over, after the usual oheoring on both sides, the cricketers and their friends amused themselves as they felt inclined. _ Running, wreSQing and jumping||W&rei the .order 'of day fo' the yojujge'r |mon:v Hitchman:-pulled off the running, j BnE; Hunt | tho\ jumping. Mr, J-t^.j CampbelUtook /a3pa;t;y over his f a^^ iwhioh-ponajsts, 'of rabqu't: 1000 acies ofi^at.4»y|;laWra|4 th|&ame bf swamp. THl'lslvvamp^ has; lieon^piined/and sown, and:; the *y%ras^gT9wnWw ; is not to bo surpassed! uny^ where |iu t^oo'lony . It has been sbwnsfbar6iy^aiytfar:^T^io dry land is also of excellent quality, suitable for either pasturage or cropping. The whole surrounding country and' landscape" -can' scarcely be rivalled. An oxtensivo plain of' -fertile 'soil and swamp easily drained meets the eye, with patches of totora and andi-kahikatea" bush here and there, : Vand bounded, on. the east .by the magnificent mountain Te Aroha, towering above the. range of Thames hills, and wooded fromthe summit half-way, down ; to the west lie the Taupiri hills and the Mangakawa range ou the south side, with Pukemoremore. To the north may. be seen Tararu Point in the distance. 1 The Wailiou, 6. Thames river, flows at the foot of Te , .-\roha, and is navigable- for mawy miles beyond. Both the Waitoa and Hako are also navigable, or could be easily made so by icmoving a few snags. >lissen's hotel is in the centre of the township, the allotments of which are offered for sale on Thursday next. The Te Aroha ttail way citation on the Thames and Waikato Railway will be within five minutes walk of .the hotel. The hotel has 1 excillerit accdinodation and is well Kept. Indeed, such an hotel would be a credit to. any town. Close to the township the Government have a large block of excellent land for sale under the defbrred payment system. There is no district in the province more promising to settlers, and there is plenty of land to be taken up. The party of .visitors expressed their admiration of the district and of the fertility of the soil, the beauty of the laudscape, and of the g eat adadvantages of the district for settlemcet. Our pa. ty returned to the hotel shortly after six, just in time to set down to the sumptuous dinner, provided by the.hospitality of the settlers, for the Canibridge Cricket Club and visitors. . ' Mr .Reuben Parr took the chair, with Mr Mackintosh, captain of the Cambridge team on his right, and Mr Hugh Campbell on his loft Mr Chas. Gould occupied the vice- chair. The dinner prepared by tLost Missel, consisted of turkeys, fowls, ham, beef and mutton and vegetables, ,wMch were arz-anged in excellent taste, and cooked to satisfy the most fastidious ; these dishes were 'followed by plum pudding, jam and mince tarts. . Such a spread has not been surpassed in any country hotel, the host having spared no expense or trouble to do credit to the table. After our voracious appetites had been appeased, and the dishes removed, the chairman proposed the usual loyal toasts which were enthusiastically drunk. Mr .Gould proposed the " .Yrmy, Navy and Volunteers" ,and 'Mr Kirk'wood responded. ■'. Mr Chas. Gould proposed the "Cambridge Cricket Club" insome well-chosen remarks coupled with the name of Captain Mackintosh.'" • ; ' ' • Mr Mackintosh .responded in suitable terms, and proposed the ■'" Waitoa Crickets and Captain Smith," regretting at tho same time the accident which pi-evented him from being present. Mr Hugh Campbell proposed' the "Visitors". ' : ' Messrs Leslie, Jas. Hally and ffaiman responded, and expressed their admiration of the district, lhe "Ladies,'' and the (t Presss," were also proposed and responded to. Some songs were then sung and recitations given, and ths chairman rose about ten q'olock after we had all passed a convivial meeting. At nine o'clock next morning, Mr Pavr and Mr Campbell brought thoir vehicles and conveyed the party to" the crossing place at the hot springs; we here crossed in a canoe, walked up to the springs which are close to the river. Several had a bath, and all tasted the mineral soda water. These springs could be made an excellent sanitorinm for convalescent invalids with very little trouble. On our way back several of us put our clothes in the cance and swam the river. We reached the Te Aroha Hotel again at 1 o'clock, and found another sumptuous dinner waiting for us. *fter we had partaken, we got our horses which had been as well treated as ourselves and made a final start at a quarter to four for home, which we reached about a quarter to eight, in a little less than four hours. We had a most enjoyable trip, having been indebted to the hospitality of the Waitoa settlors for our accomodation, good cheer and kind entertainment. — COBRESPONDENT.