SPORTS AND SPORTSMEN

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20740, 25 February 1939, Page 8 (Supplement)

SPORTS AND SPORTSMEN

By “ Spectator ”

WAIKATO’S MATCH WITH CRICKET VISITORS Sir J illicit Cohns Batsmen Disappointing i ?So Attempt at Bright Play : Reasons of Tour Sacrificed, for Averages : Home Team Splendid in Field : Faults of Selection : Bowling Not Well Handled The match between Sir Julien Cairn's XL and Waikato last week was disappointing from the spectators’ point of view as there is no doubt that the vast majority went to see attractive cricket comprising sparkling batting but the freest batting of the whole match was provided by the Waikato representative Pat Bright. The visitors played Test match cricket—making every stroke correctly and taking no risks whatsoever, and although their display was a tribute to the Waikato bowling and fielding it did very little to assist cricket in the area—the main object of the team's visit. The persons who fullyappreciated the correct stroke play of the visitors were the keen enthusiasts who do not require any enticing to take any interest in cricket and seeing Sir Julien’s team is in the Dominion for the avowed purpose of further popularising the game the encouraging crowd present could have reasonably expected brighter batting. The attendance was very satisfactory on both days considering it was a midweek match and neither day was ideal for cricket but few converts would have been made to the game of cricket. In view of the Test match against New Zealand on March 10, 11 and 13 the form of the visitors was watched with intense interest. The batting was not overwhelmingly promising when it is considered that the Waikato side was not very well balanced the attack sadly lacking variety, yet five of the leading batsmen were out for under 150 runs on a good wicket. The attack, however, disclosed vast potentialities and if Walsh and Smith catch the New Zealand batsmen on a wicket that assists them the batsmen may not need to make very many runs to gain a comfortable margin.

It was rather unfortunate for Waikato that the full Hawke Cup side could not have taken the field, as the team was not at all well balanced. As It was some phases of the selection were very unsatisfactory and much better results would have accrued to Waikato had some of the colts been included. In the first place, the selection of G. S. Hampton is puzzling. He was last man in the batting order, does not bowl, and never has been a fieldsman. He gave away far more runs than he scored, and W. Higginsoel, the twelfth man, would have been a far better choice. Not only for the value of the experience, but bis batting is no worse than Hampton’s and his fielding is much better. S. A. R. Radelcy's batting this year has hardly warranted him a place above J. Everest, while his unsound leg shonld have nut him out before the match, not after he had batted, and thus lose for Waikato a bowler that they could not afford to miss. Everest bowls a good ball and should have had his place. Then McKenzie bad had only two inninrr-s after leaving hospital before this match, and was in no shape to play in a two days’ match, and he also had to come off the field.

There are several players who oould have been selected In his place, and one that comes to mind is O. Harding. As Harding is also a bowler, and the team was very short of change bowlers, his selection would have been a much better choice. It seems to me that the time has now come for the old players of the Waikato to make way for the younger players, and for the next Hawke Cup game Badeley, Hampton and Lissette (who has not done too well this season) should be dropped for such players as J. Everest, Higginson and Harding. Although the Waikato team did not do justice to itself as the strongest minor association in New’ Zealand at the present time, when they were batting, they deserve every credit for their work in the field, with their limited capabilities. Except for Bright’s stylish and sound batting and Aitken’s stubborn defence there was nothing in Waikato’s innings to enthuse over. The batting order of tbe Waikato team had to be changed, however, owing to the failure of some of the players to obtain leave. Badeley’s defence was much better than In previous representative matches, but he was never free like Bright.

The major Interest in Waikato’s tanfmrs, apart from the display of Bright, was the bowling and fielding of the visiting players. The fast attack, entrusted to Phillipson and Lush, was tried first of all. but the wicket was rather lifeless and they were not particularly dangerous. Roth were yards faster than either J. Cowie (Auckland) or T. Pritchard fMana-wat-u), and their free action was most Impressive. Lush appeared t.hc faster of the tw’O, but he sent down some wild balls, at times landing them halfway down the pitch. Both were difficult to score from, Phillipson’s nine overs costing only 2i runs and Lush's 10.4 overs having only 15 runs knocked from them. The most impressive attack, however, was in the hands of the slow spin exponents. Walsh was particularly impressive, breaking both ways, flighting the ball well and varying his pace with clever judgment. The ball he bowled with a leg-break action but which came straight through caused the batsmen most trouble, and he dismissed both Clough and Everest with this ball. In hardly one over did he send down two balls alike. With only 52 runs from 14 overs for a slow bowler speaks for itself. Peter Smith, the Essex le<r-break bowler (a right-hand slow, with Walsh a left-hand slow) also bowled well. 27 runs coming from 11 overs. He kept an excellent length end both were assisted by the keen fielding. As very often happens, the team that required all the breaks with the weather failed to eel R. Waikato—undoubtedly the weaker side —had to b at. on a very dull day, with the outfield very slow’, while Sir Julien Cahn’s team experienced bright sunshine and a fast outfield, though the strong cross wind was disconcerting. It speaks volumes for the Waikato attack and fielding that five of the best batsmen were dismissed for 144 runs, this total taking well over three hours to make. To my mind one of the features of the second dav was the excellent fielding of the Waikato players, their display being a vast improvement on their recent Hawke Cup performances. This helped materially to keep the runs down, .r. Aitken. w. Higginson, A. Lissette and P. Bright being the most consistent and safest of them. Th.‘ display of R. Pkeet behind the wickets was also satisfactory, as 14 of the extras were leg byes, while the one chance he dropped was a very awkward catch and he could not get behind it.. Going’s catch in the slips to dismiss Dyson, and Bright’s backward of point, to dismiss Hardstaff, were good efforts, and

probably saved Waikato a lot of leather-hunting. The visitors' batting was correct rather than bright and attractive, and as the players are on a goodwill tour to popularise cricket a more forceful

exhibition could have been expected. One important point that was very noticeable, and one Waikato cricketers should take to heart, was the running between the wickets. The first run was always accomplished very fast and twos were often run where Waikato players would hesitate about a single, and threes where local players would be hard pressed to get a brace were also numerous. The shori singles with the ball just placed out of reach of a fieldsman and the batsmen racing straight through livened up the play and added to the score in unbelievable fashion. These were points that Waikato players needed tuition in and it is to be hoped that they learned their lesson well. Dempster was solid, getting well on ; top of every ball, but he was not a I pretty batsman to watch. Easily the most stylish was the diminutive Oldfield, whose wristy back cuts were a delight to watch. Dempster, of course, was troubled with his thumb, and gave only one or two glimpses of the form that places him in the leading three amateurs of England, bul he kept every shot right along the carpet except the one he hit out of the ground. • • • • Except for the last hour and a hal; the bowling and fielding of the Waikato side were really above expectations. The attack sadly lacked variety but the bowlers stuck to their task well and made the visitors fight for every run until the 200 mark was well eclipsed. At one time it appeared likely that Waikato would have the

side all out for less than 200 runs and the bowlers certainly deserved to accomplish this. Although there was little balance in the attack, more capably handled, it would have proved even more dangerous. There is no doubt that the most successful and essive trundler was lteg (Hough, who was swinging with the assistance of the wind and who was coming from the pitch with unexpected nip. After he had bowled eight overs or so, during which he had taken two wickets ; repliced as Goins was on at the other end and a

slow bowler like Lissette should have been given an over or two for variety, and then Clough brought back again. As it was. Clough, Going and Ted Everest, all bowling a ball of about the same pace, were kept on for verylong spells without any variation in the attack. Clough was bowled for about an hour and a half, taken off and apparently forgotten, as it was nearly two hours before he was called upon again, and by this time he- was oold. Going was also kept on far too long and, with the proof of the value of the bowling change when Clough dismissed Dyson, it is surprising that more frequent changes were not made. Going bowled 23 overs, Everest 20 and Clough 19, while Bright had 11 overs. Lissette only had four at the end of the day when the batsmen

were well set, and he never looked like getting a wicket then, while Aitken only had two overs, also at the end of the day. Both of these bowlers are capable of taking good wickets, and had they been used judiciously for two or three overs while the others w’ere being spelled for ten minutes, far better results would probably have accrued. In clean bowling Dempster and having Dy-son and Hardstaff caught off him, Clough can feel very satisflel with his performance. He really howled well, and Dempster told “Spectator” after the match that if the bowler pitched the ball up a little more he would be a first-class bowler capable of taking the wickets of any cricketer. Going and Everest were also very steady and reliable, and had they been spelled more frequent!) would have had even better figures.

This was another feature of the visitors' innings that should impress itself on the minds of local players. Dyson. Hardstaff and Maxwell, all well up in the county averages in England °very season, failed to get going, Dyson being at the wickets for 25 minutes before he opened his account .ind then being dismissed for 11. Heane, the captain, was the onlv lefthander who batted, lie stood” very straight at t-hc wickets—his stance being not unlike Hardstaffs—and he was even more partial to on-side strokes than most left-handers. He hit the ball very hard and true on ■ •pensions and had he remained for .mother half-hour lie might have provided come of the best batting of Die match. Mudge gave some indication of his worth as a batsman, but perhaps the most surprising part of the! afternoon’s play was the displav of Phillipson. Smith and Lush. ‘ All I three are recognised as bowlers of j the highest class, but after the lead- j mg batsmen had been dismissed so well the tail was not expected to put'] up such stern opposition. The three ; bowlers played very orthodox and ) careful cricket, not taking the slightest ; risks and not chasing the runs, but I the manner in which they also kept i all their shots right along the grass seemed to indicate that the team lias n«d much of a batting tail. After hev b'd passed Waikato’s score, at least, they could quite profitably have ! opened out more, but appeared to be j thinking of their averages.

New Zealand Team The following 12 players were chosen by the selector* Mr T. C. Lowry, to represent New Zealand against Sir Julien Cahn's team in Wellington on March 10, 11 and 13. Thd twelfth man will be decided on the. mornifig of March 10: D. A. R. Moloney 'Otago, captain). J. G. Ashenden (Wellington;. W. N. Carson (Auckland;. J. Cowie (Auckland). M. P. Donnelly .Canterbury). R. E. J. Menzies Canterbury). J. A. Ongley Wellington . T. L. Pritchard Wellington). E. W. Tindill Wellington). H. G. Vivian (Auckland). W. M. Wallace (Auckland). P. E. Whitelaw (Auckland). Since the selection Vivian announced that he could not play and W. G. Rainbird was selected in his place. * • » • There are several features of the selection that are very surprising, in the original team selected, although the selector has given a number of voung players an opportunity, it is hard to understand why V. j. Scott, of Auckland, was not chosen. The colt has had nine innings this season, with a tally of 711 runs, his five times undefeated and highest score of 235 not out giving him an average of 177.75. Last season he scored 1100 "uns in club cricket. 377 in the provincial tourney, and 208 in two Plunket Shield games, his average being over 100 per innings. lie may prove another Don Bradman, and ‘ Here seems no doubt that he. fully de-serve-s the experience of batting Against Mr Julien Cahn's bowlers in a test. With Vivian's withdrawal the ■elector added the Wellington colt, Bain bird’s name to the list. Why a batsman should have been chosen when a left-hand spin howler drops out is hard to understand, but why M-ott was again overlooked, seeing a batsman was chosen, is more difficult still to fathom. Member of Famous Team The death has occurred of Mr F. T. Glasgow, manager of the Te Aro branch of the Bank of New Zealand. He was 58 years of age. A member of the 1905 All Blacks, which won 32 matches out of 33 in the United Kingdom and France and scored 868 noints to 47, Frank Glasgow played in the pack In all five international matches. In all the games of that tour, including some in America, he scored eight tries and six goals. His final game in the New Zealand jersey was at Auckland on July 25, 1908. '\hen he went down in front of the crum with W. Ready on the occasion \hen the All Blacks won the rubber cainst the Anglo-Welsh fifteen by -*9 points to 0. He represented Wellington from 1899 to 1900. and afterwards Taranaki, Hawke's Ray and Southland. When his playing days were over he gave fine service as an official of clubs and unions, and for man) years he was the King Country Union delegate to the New Zealand Rugby Union. In 1931 Mr Glasgow was elected to a seat on the New Zealand Rugby Union, and since then he has been actively connected with the administration of the game in New Zealand. He piloted the Springbok team on the greater part of the 1937 tour of New Zealand. B • * • Don Bradman’s Tas,k Don Bradman has failed to reach an aggregate of 1000 runs in a firstclass season only once. It was on his first appearance for New South Wales in 1927-28. He did not play in 1934-35, but in each of the other nine seasons his total advanced Into four figures, the . highest number being 1690, and the highest average

132.44. His phenomenal run of centuries notwithstanding this season, Bradman is still 86 runs short of the 1000, with only one match to play—that with Victoria at the end of this month. As Don—for the time being—has eliminated fireworks from his batting, scoring with the brake on as any Tom Hayward or M. A. Noble might have done, once upon a time, he may steer unerringly to the goal, with the pitch protected before and after play starts. It would be ironical were he to miss four figures in the season of his freakish centuries succession. ; Even Walter Lindrum might not feel j sure of breaks such as the following: i 1 18, 143, 225, 107, 186, and 135 not out. When the Australians visit New j Zealand next season we will all hope j to see or hear of Don letting the painter go. Here we will compare his j with Victor Trumper’j phenomenal flair for brilliancy and high-scoring. | Victor was younger than Don is when j he first turned on fireworks in the Dominion. 1