CRICKET.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2712, 18 January 1910, Page 6

CRICKET.

POVERTY BAY CRICKET ASSOCIATION. i Mr. J. B. Hunt presided at the ■weekly meeting of the Management ■Committee of the Poverty Bay Cricket ■Association last night. The draw for wickets at Victoria Domain .-for this week resulted as follows:—Thursday, Y.M.C.A. v. Alhambra, turf; United r. Te Ran, concrete. t 'Saturday (juniors’), Wanderers v. Y.M. C.A., chip; United v. Alhambra, concrete. \ j THURSDAY’S MATCHES. The following players will represent Y.M.C.A. v. Alhambra, at Victoria Domain, on Thursday:—Grant, Webster, Peach. Jacobs, Bullard, Paku, Nelson, Mill, Morgan, McPhail, Bradley emergencies, Johnston and Barker. POSITION OF THE CLUBS. SATURDAY COMPETITION. SENIORS. Club. Played Won Lost Points. Wanderers 5 5 0 13 United 5 2 3 6 Taruheru 5 2 3 6 Y.M.C.A 5 14 2 JUNIORS. Matches. Cluh. Played Won Lost Points. Wanderers 10 7 3 19 Y.M.C.A 9 6 3 16 Alhambra 9 5 4 13 United ...' 10 1 9 3 THURSDAY COMPETITION Matches. Club. Played Won Lost Points. United 4 3 1 S Alhambra 4 22 6 Te Rau 4 22 5 Y.M.C.A 4 13 2 ROUND THE GROUNDS. (Notes by “Short-slip.”) By their substantial victory over United at Victoria Domain last Saturday, the Wanderers eleven placed themselves in such a position as to practically assure tihem of the championship. United were completely outplayed, and at no stage of the game did they look like winning. Wanderers, with a lead of 82 on the first innings, ran up 138 in their second venture, Avhicli left United with 221 to get to win in about two hours and a quarter. United made a poor attempt to accomplish this big order, and instead of going for the bowling resolutely, the men who did make runs played very carefully and slowly, so that it was - early apparent that United had not the remotest chance of pulling the game out the quagmire. L. McMahon, by his doubles of 51 and 25, had a great deal to do with laying the foundation of the scores in both innings of Wanderers. He went _Jn early, when the bowling was at its "best and his sound and resourceful play went a long way to inspire his "men with confidence. A. Commons also batted really well in both innings, scoring 26 and 31. Strangely enough, he was the man to make a stand with McMahon in both innings, and the useful partnerships by this pair gave United a lot of trouble. Commons is a very "useful allround performer. Not only is he a capable batsman, but he also bowls a good ball, is a very smart field, and can keep -wickets well. •Sam McConnell laid the wood on with spirit an smacking up his 31 in the second innings. If Sam could only acquire the art of .playing forward with a straight blade to the good ones, and cultivate defence, he would make a good batsman. If Sam McConnell and Alick Scroggie would only chum up what a revolution there would he in their styles, and what big scores they would run up. Alick could demonstrate to Sam the advantages of staying there, while Sam could give Alick some useful hints on the advisability of making things hum while you are Scroggie played a very sound innings against Wanderers on Saturday for 34, but this innings was valueless to his side owing to the fact that runs were wanted at express speed. To watch the United men batting on Saturday when they wanted a lot of runs in double-ciuick time, one would have thought they were endeavoring to play out time. The essence of the contract was to go fearlessly at the howling, hut instead of doing so they adopted extremely cautious tactics, and J. Lang and Scroggie at the opening of the innings were playing maidens to McMahon’s slows. H. Whyte, Thodey, and Darnell were the only men to have a bang. Thodey hit uo a dozen in about five minutes, sending McMahon twice in succession to the long-on boundary. He was dismissed by a splendid catch at mid-on by Moore, who snapped a smart righthanded catch off McMahon. Daniell made a splendid on-drive off Young, the express bowler, which lifted the hall over the fence and far away into the old golf grounds. Glennie was the best of the Wanderers bowlers in the second innings. He kept a perfect length, and the batsmen treated him with ultra respect. Ho sent, down 60 balls, off which only 19 runs were hit, while three victims fell before his wily deliveries. The Wanderers fielding was keen and smart throughout the match, and strengthened the bowling considerably. Though they have carried all before them this season in town, and have won every match thev have played, the Wanderers (had to strike their colors to the men of Waingake, and the ashes of Poverty Bay cricket lie at present far up the picturesque Te Arai Valley. The Waingake Cluh is a kind of Marylebone of the country lying beyond the skyline as you gaze south-west from Gisborne. A casual visitor looking in this direction from Gisborne might be excused from thinking that civilisation ended with the range of bills that .girts the flats. But let me tell you this is not so. Winding in and out among these hills are some of the loveliest and most fertile valleys the eye of man could •wish, to see. It is here that dwell the sheepfarmers who compose the members of the Waingake Club, and between the seasons of dipping, shearing, and docking, they foregather from far. and near occasionally for a game of cricket. . And it is by no means a weak side - which comes down the bridle-paths and six-foot tracks to the rendezvous when once the fiery cross is lighted on Emer-

aid Hills. wnvback sheep stations number on their staffs many men who have learned their cricket at good English jpublic schools .and New .Zealand colleges. , Woe unto'the town team who journeys out to Waingake fondly imagrn-

ing that they are going to have a pleasant day’s picnic with an easy victory against the bushmen to lend a radiance unto it. Wanderers quickly realised that they had something sterner than United to hump up mgainst when they won the loss, and to-ok strike te the Waingake howlers.

A'lymer Rattray had them all thinking, ' and the longer lie bowled ■ the more serious became their meditations, and the majority of the crack town eleven only woke from their reveries to find themselves sitting on a stump and wondering wliat manner of man this was who could make the hall talk like that. . .

Had it not been for a characteristic display of sound batting by the Wanderers" captain, Len McMahon, the score would have been very small indeed. McMahon scored 31 (not out) out of tllie 72 made by the town team.

Rattray howled 16 overs, and captured six wickets for 24 runs. He employed a medium-pace right-handed delivery, and occasionally made them come across from leg. ' A. Rattray and Bernard (Stewart, were the heroes in Waingake’s innings. The former played capital cricket, watching the ball carefully, while he made a number of magnificent drives which sent the ball soaring among the tops of the trees a couple of hundred yards from the wicket. Stewart gave one of the finest exhibitions of clean hitting I have seen for a long tbue. Some idea of the distance his hits travelled may be gauged when I tell you that it took a couple of men to return the ball to the wicket. Jim Moore was on outpost duty about 300 yards away in the long-field. Along would come one of Stewart’s mighty drives. Jim would career round" among the stumps in a valiant effort to make a catch, but the hall would land half-way up the hillside. The procedure adopted was this: Jim threw the leather to Len McMahon, who had a Cossack post about 100 yards nearer the wicket, and Len sent it back to the bowler. Everyone present, including the Wanderers, thoroughly enjoyed the really fine exhibition of hitting given by Rattray and Stewart. Though beaten so soundly, the Wanderers men thoroughly enjoyed the trip. The hospitality of Mr. Geo. Coop, the Waingake captain, and many other Waingake residents, was ■unbounded. Luncheon and afternoon tea was provided, and nothing was wanting to complete the perfect enjoyment of tihe day. Mr. Dan Barry, before the town player s left for home, conveyed the thanks of his team to the Wamgake Club for their hospitality that day. He complimented the Waingake eleven on their performance in defeating the Wanderers, and stated it was the first occasion this season on which they had to submit to defeat. He honed to see a return match played in town at an early date. _ Mr. Geo. Coop, in replying, said it had given the Waingake players great pleasure to entertain and defeat such good sportsmen as the Wanderers, and hoped a return game would be played this reason. Cheers were then given for the Waingake Club and the ladies, and the return journey to town was commenced at about 5.30, town being reached after a most enjoyable outing at 8 p.m. There was no more dejected man in town on Saturday night than Peter Sim, the captain of the Alhambra junior team. Peter was the man who, after being in an unassailable position, came down the hill like Leslie and was defeated. Alhambra scored 120, and got rid of their opponents for 64. Then Peter’s thinking-box went out of order, and he declared (his second innings closed with four wickets down for 9 runs. This left Wanderers with 66 to get to win. They seized the opportunity, and by bright- and breezy hatting turned defeat into victory. Peter was paralysed with the shock, and it is said that he had to take refuge from his own team on Saturday night, as they wanted to tar and feather him. There was an unassuming little gentleman in a grey suit and straw boater ‘hat standing umpire in the Wanderers V. United senior match at Victoria Domain on Saturday last. • There was nothing particularly remarkable about his physique, but nevertheless he iwas one of the most prominent first grade ftricketers of the Dominion. This was none other than Dan Reese, the captain of tflie Canterbury representative 'team, who called in at Gisborne for a short’ stay on his way hack from Auckland, where he led his men in an unavailing effort to win back the Plunket 'Shield, which was wrested from his ‘province by the northerners a couple of seasons ago. Dan Reese made a first appearance for Canterbury in 1896, at the tender ago of 16. and first distinguished himself by hitting •up a brilliant century against the Australians. Since that time the brilliant little left-handed batsman and bowler has played in many lands. For a season he played for the Melbourne Club, “and 'later Avent Horne to finish his profession as an engineer. He found ‘time during h’s frequent trips round .the AA’orld on the boats to which lie was attached to qualify for Essex 'County, and played one season m the ■English County championship. Dan says these three months were the most enjoyable he - ' ever spent. Dan Reese has relinquished the engineering profession noAV. and has entered into partnership Avith his brother Tom inChrist’church as timber merchants. Tom Reese is also a capable cricketer, and has often (played for Canterbury, and some'people saA’. that the only thing that keeps Tom" out of the Canterbury reps, now is that Dan is sole selector. While in Gisborne the Canterbury captain roneAved acquaintance with several 'local players Avhom he had met on ‘various playing fields in divers parts of 'the Dominion. It is a pity that the Gisborne men could: riot have kidnapped their distinguished visitor. But the good old press-gang methods are 'not permitted iiOAvadays, worse luck.