Cricket.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 4, 9 April 1920, Page 10

Cricket.

FINAL MATCH FOR CLUB PREMIERSHIP OF 1919—20. Wyndham 220 v. I.C.C. 24 for one Wicket. — Drawn. THE COUNTRY TEAM WIN THE PREMIERSHIP. I.C.C. travelled to Wyndliam on Wednesday and took out a fair team on paper, but practice had not been keen after the representative match with Qtago, the holiday spirit invading even attendance at the park nets. The wicket supplied by the Wyndham Club wTas matting, and the change coupled with the lack of steady practice, told severelv 011 the visiting side. Their fieldsmen, too, were not at home on the tree-surrounded ovel, catches being dropped, and the bowlers and the outfield tiring visibly through shortage of exercise. The sporting public of Wyndham turned out to an urchin, the applause being frequent and encouraging the home men, who were not all disposed of until there were left only between 20 and 25 minutes for the visiting team to bat. The game was very enjoyable, especially for the batting side and for their supporters. The general opinion of cricketers in town is that if ever a club deserved premiership the Wyndham Cricket Club deserves its proud position this season ; for the country -town club has sent in its chosen ones faithfully at great inconvenience to meet engagements on Rugby Park. The team has done consistently well, though its gaining of club points were not so meteorie as was that of the I.C.C. , which bounded from four club points to twelve in three games, throngh having secured two three-point wins. I.C.C. now hold equal second place with Union, which did so well in the beginning of the season. Wyndham finisb ihe season with 6 wins and 4 draws out of 12 games played. Wyndham won the toss and sent in IL McBeath and C. Bogue to bat., the latter falling to Doig, caugbt Camm, for 2. D. McBeath replacing him. The batting was very steady, II. McBeath and his brother taking no risks, especially with the frequent bumpy ones at the pavilion end. The light was good; but the batsmen found the bowlers hard to play whfle ■muscles and condition held. With the score under 50, A. McBeath took strike and, after he had been missed a few times, he took heart of grace and smashed the tired bowlers as he liked, his efforts resnlting in 111 runs to his credit,

and a not-out to his average. Before five p.m. t-he match was out of doubt; there could be no hope of finishing it; but Wyndham stuck in grimly and played for every run and every minute. The four McBeaths made one short of 180 runs between them, and, if they'd been playing more tban eleven men, the one hundred and eleven might have made his second century off the bowling. Two otliers tlian tlie McBeath boys made double figures — Barrett 11 and "extras" 19, the latter the fourth highest marker on the scoriDg board. When I.F.C. presented Handford and Flinton t-o the Wyndham attack, the result of the game was a foregone conclusion — no team can make 220 runs in prac-tica-lly 20 minutes — but the pair gave a good account of themselves, playing regular cricket. Handford at his decade was beaten by the redoubtakle D. McBeath, Hinton was playing with care, and he and Gleeson were in when the stumps were drawn, the former having to his account 12, Gleeson 2. Had I.C.C. won the toss, , the end of the contest would have come with a drawn game. At 4.30 p.m. the Wyndham ground appeared to be encircled in deep dusk, so a good sight of Dan's left-handers is hard to get. I.C.C. were unlucky only in having a long fielding afternoon against a man to whom the ball must have looked like a balloon. Congratulations to Wyndham Cricket Club from "The Digger" sporting circle.