CRICKET.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2690, 21 December 1909, Page 6

CRICKET.

? POVERTY BAY ASSOCIATION. I; ' The usual weekly meeting of the 1; Management Committee of the Povery . Bav Cricket Association was held last ||j evening at the Alhambra Club looms, , Mr. P. Allen presiding. , v tei A letter was received from Mr. . V\. I Oates, senr., of Tokomaru, enclosing fe the affiliation fee of the Tokomaru HClub, and a donation to the funds or the Association. The letter also = quired whether the Association was "sending, a team to Tokomaru at Christmast'tune. ! \ The delegates present reported that V it was impossible to get a team away at . Christmas time, but it was considered possible to send a team m February. The secretary was instructed to advise U Mr. Oates to that effect. , . It was decided to telegraph to tlie Hawke’s Bay Association asking w hell ther their representative team would |S visit Gisborne on the 29tb for certain. The senior and junior competitions were postponed on account of the holit days. The Thursday competition will be resumed on January 6t-h, and the S Saturday competitions on. January Stn.

POSITION OF THE CLUBS. SATURDAY COMPETITION.

ROUND THE GROUNDS

.{Notes by “Short-Slip.”) LEONARD McMA-HON. —We must all take our hats off to this gentleman • this week in recognition of his splendid achievement in scoring 122, not out, for Wanderers against Taruheru on the Taruheru ground last Saturday. \\ hen recording the first part of bis innings last week I stated in my last notes triat 1 should not be at all surprised to see him run into three figures on the .second day. In making this prognostication. I bad two potent factors to guide mc M-the excellence of tlie wicket and a knowledge of McMahon’s capabilities •as a batsman. The ex-North Sydney man’s batting on Saturday was a treat to watoh. He bandied his bat as if it were a pliable whip, and scored off balls that most batsmen . would have found difficulty in -nlaying. Each ball landed on- the very centre of the Tull v face of the blade, and the clever manner in ’which he used his feet in getting out to drive Davies’ slows was an education to voung players. He kept th£ ball on the carpet throughout lus long innings, and his drives were so excellently timed that the leather was sent speedng past the fieldsmen at a pace which gave them very little chance of intercepting its flight. Tlie Taruheru bowlers can console themselves with the fact that they are not the only trundlers against whom McMahon has hit a century. The season before last saw him hoist no less than six three-figure innings for North Sydney m the second grade competition. Let us nope the popular and unassuming captain of the Wanderers will often delight Gis"borne spectators and players with many similar exhilarating batting displays as that "f Saturday last. , , Sam McConnell broke the run of bad luck which has pursued him for the past couple of seasons, and hit with all his old-time confidence and_ power for Wanderers against Taruneru on Saturday. He joined McMahon when the total stood at 153 for five wickets, and so well did the pair perform that the score was taken to 261 without either man over looking like getting out. It was a distinctly bright batting performance, and heaven alone knows to what heights the total would hai e soared had not the closure been applied. Sam’s contribution was 49. W e hope this success will give the Wan■derers stumper heart to show his true form in future matches. I cannot altogether congratulatte General Sharpies on the manner in which he handled his bowling while Wanderers were amassing their big score on Saturday. He tried no fewer than nine bowlers. Sixty-two overs- were sent down by the Taruheru trundlers, and out of these I, contend, that Charles, Sharpies, and Monk were hot given enough. Such steady bowlers and rerecognised triers should have been persevered with more. Charles only sent down 14 overs, Sharpies 9, and Monk 7. How is it that Hodge - was hot tried ? I have seen Hodge put up some good bowling performances in* competition matches, and lie is quite good enough to have been given a trial on Saturday. The Taruheru men appeared to lose heart as the Wanderers score mounted. I • When things are going against you, that is the time to buck up, boys. Anyone can play a winning game, but the real triers are unearhed by an up-hill fight. I Hodge (32) and Monk (29) batted well in Taruheru’s second innings. Monk scored exactly the same mumber of runs against on Thursday, so he put in a good week’s work. The senior game at Victoria Domain only lasted about an hour on Saturday.' Only one innings remained to be •played, Y.M.C.A. requiring to make 118* to defeat United. Rewai, Ellison, Muir, and Chirnside were absent from Y.M.C.A.’s ranks, while United were -without Hallamoro and Jeffreys. Hunt and Miller opened to the bowling of Grenfell and Farrell. After scoring If. a single, Hunt went forward to Farrell and was completely beaten by tihe leg-break, the off-pin being dislodged. % Barker and) Miller then made a stand, and aided by faulty catching by the United fieldsmen, ran the score to 40. Grenfell gave place to A. Lang, and If Barker was caught straightaway off the new; bowler. He opened out at a 111 slow' off-break, and was finely /•taken by Grenfell, who, running in from longon, took a clever catch close to- the •ground. -■ Miller was completely 1 beaten } -by Farrell, who was bowling splendidly, if Sam Mill, the stonewaller. came in, but Fred Farrell was irresistible; I and poor f Samlmade ho stroke at'call at a. slow hanging ball that lifted the bails. Pa- • ku' and Dudfield were caughtatthe || wicke*- by ’“Tiny’’' Olseii, - off successive balls from Farrell, arid - -the innings .was over, for 46. Considering the wicket was passable, and th'ev haj a good battino - side, .Y.M.C.A. .should have made a better fight.

' i • . j. However, it must bo admitted that Farrell is a most difficult bowler to play. He is bowling remarkably well this season, and changes his pace in a most perplexing fashion. Those who saw him clean-bowl Len McMahon neck and crop for a “duck” on the hard concrete pitch in the last United-Wand-erers match- admitted that Farrell is capable of sending dowiv-a ball every now and then which will beat the very best of batsmen. The - , left-hander secured five wickets for 18, on Saturday, off 48 balls, and has rarely bowled hotter. •’ ■ • 1 ; '. _ ■ On Thursday last, at Victoria Do' main, the secoiiu round of the Thursday competition was commenced. United overlielmed Y.M.C.A. on a matting over turf wicket. Batting nine men, Y.M.C.A. could only total 25 runs in their first innings. Hunt, the captain, claimed 12 of the total, and proved that it was possible to get runs against the bowling. Manning and Farrell bowled four overs each, the former securing four wickets for 11 runs, and the lefthander three for 14. Both bowled really well, and provided a useful contrast. On the United men going to the wickets they proved that it was not the fault of the wicket that had caused Y.M.C.A. to eollapse. Runs came freely from the start, Hallamoro (13) and Armstrong (18) nutting on 24 for the first wicket before Hallamoro was caught. Manning was yorked -by Hunt, for 8, with the score at 39. W. Gibson then joined) Armstrong, but with, two runs added the latter was bowled off his pads bv Grant. A Lang partnered Gibson, and the pair ran the total along to 80, .where Lang made a weak stroke at a short-pitched one from Nelson and retired for 19. Ted Austin then joined Gibson, who was by this time well set, and a useful collaboration took the score at a rapid rate to 124, where Austin was cauglit by McPhail at mid-off after scoring 19. Paku bowled Roderick for a “duck,” and Dr. Collins, who made a re-appearance after a long absence from active participation in regular matches, was caught off the same bowler without opening an account. A nameless knigrht, with closed vizor, then assisted to * take the score to 155, where Gibson’s innings was brought to a termination by Barker making a splendid catch in the slips. Barker threw himself full length for the catch, and took the hall with the back of. his hand on the turf, while lying on hi s side. Gibson put his 64 together in sound style, and never gave a chance. Fred F ai ' re U and the black knight then ran the total to 177, where the armor of the latter was pierced by cover-point, and the innings terminated. Grant (four for 32, and Paku (three for 2o), were the best of the half-dozen bowlers tried by Y.M.C.A. Y.M.C.A. scored 67 for four wickets in their second innings before stumps were drawn. Hunt'played a good innings for 27, not out, and Ralph Grant hit a couple of fours in running up 14 before being well-taken in the country by Armstrong, off Farrell. At the conclusion of the day’s play, the Y.M.C.A.’s captain notified that Y.MiC.A. would forfeit the game to United as they were in a hopeless position and several of their team would be unable to continue the innings . On the concrete pitch, last Thursday, Alhambra and Tc Rau fought a stub-bornly-contested game. Alhambra opened in great style, the veteran Jim Lang dealing out severe punishment to Monk, and hitting 11 off one over. Harry Wack was bowling steadily and soon got a good one past Hary Babb’s stonewall. The colt. Tom Atkinson, relished Joe Monk’s “leg-theory,” and banged three boundaries in quick succession. But the good start was not maintained. Jim Lang was caught bv Seymour. off Monk, after getting 26. and Wally Scholium snapped up Tom Atkinson off the wily Joe, when the colt had hit a baker’s dozen. No one else made a stand, and the innings closed for 84. Harry Wack howled steadily for Te Ran: He sent down twelve overs, and captured five wickets for 15 runs. Joe Monk sent down ten overs, but- was somewhat expensive, his four victims' costing 58 runs. Wally Scholium was only given one over, and captured one wicket for 1 ran. _lt was bad generalship on the Te RatFcaptain’s part not to hare put Scholium on at Monk’s end much earlier.

On Te Rau taking strike they fared badly for a while. That bulwark of the side, Harry Wack, had tit-for-tat meted out to him by Harry Babbs, who bowled the long-scorer for a single. Arthur Seymour was run out for “nowt.” Scholium was cleverly stumped by Robb off Babbs, and three good wickets were down without double figured beinjr on the board. Jack Wack and Joe Monk then became associated, and altered the complexion of. the game. By lively cricket, they rattled on the runs in good style, and the half-century was quickly hoisted. Lawrence, the express bowler, , got rid of both . batsmen through catches. J. Waffle again showed capital form in running up 37, while Monk showed he is a . greatly improved batsman by the style in ; which lie scored his ciuota of 29. The innings closed for 89, just five runs ahead of Alhambra. Babbs was the best trund. ler for Alhambra, capturing four wickets for 16 runs, off 78 halls—a distinctly good performance.. -• "| ’ v ' Alhambra made a good start with their second innings, and at call of time, had 32 on the board for the loss of one. wicket. Olsen (13) and Babbs (8) were the not out men. The finish of this match should furnish some excitement, as honors are even on firsts hands. Harry Jones put up a remarkable performance for Y. M, C. A. against Wanderers at Victoria Domain onSaturday ■ afternoon. In the first innings he sent along 56 balls, .and captured nine wickets for 10 runs 1 Shades of -Spofforth, Peel,. Trumble and Lohmann! In the second . : innings he howled 54 balls, and bagged seven wickets for 17 runs. He thus secured 17 wickets for ' 27 runs during the afternoon. This is enough to make Laver arid Warwick- Armstrong turn green with envy. Jones bowls a phenomenal off-break, and I should like to see him perform- on turf against senior batsmen. The juniors declare that A.lick Downes and “Kay” Oliff are /fools to 1. • • .; ' ■

Gallop, one of the United juniors, .proved that ho is a. natural hitter of great possibilities'/oniSaturday, in \the game against Alhambra at Victoria Domain. He is a left-hander; and made a tremendous on drive, in each innings for 5 all run. Let us hope we have an embryo Joe Darling coming along .

Club. SENIORS. Matches. . Played Won Lost Points. Wanderers 4 4 0 10 4 2 2 6 4 1 3 -v 3 "United Taruheru. Y.M.C.A. 4 13 2 JUNIORS. Club. Matches. ' Played VVon Lost Points. Wanderers S 5 3 13 Y.M.C.A. 7 5 2 13 Alhambra 7 4 3 10 "United 8 17 3 THURSDAY COMPETITION .Club. Matches. . Played Won Lost Points. "United 4 3 18 Alhambra 3 2 16 Te Rau 3 12 2 Y.M.C.A. 4 13 2