CRICKET NOTES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3470, 9 March 1912, Page 3

CRICKET NOTES.

A WONDERFUL RECORD

(By “Short-slip.”)

Leonard McMahon, the cricketer whom the Gisborne bowlers cannot get out t*.is season, is only 23 years of age, having been born at N.- rt:i Syncley oa October 9th, 1889. Like the average Australian youth, lie took to cricket as a duckling to water, , and first learned tc> swing a bat at St. Mary’s School. At lo years of age he was promoted to cim junior ranks”, a nd captained the fe't. Leonard’s team and North Sydney juniors, averaging 76 for the former and , c for the latter. In 1904 lie was moved up into the North Sydney third g: ade team, and averaged 93 for the

s. Tln> same year he was given a t. ml in the Club’s” second team, aud came fourth in the batting averages with 38, t.;t-n-lmg 176 runs, with a highest score of 103 not out. The names above him that season on the hatting list were C. G. Macartney, A. B. S. White, a ud Gordon Black. Roy Mm nett and hi. Y. Hordern were also members of the eleven at the same lane. McMahon also did a little with the ball, securing two wickets ror •!{». The year 1905-6 saw him given a tr with the North Sydney first g'initeam. "A ith them lie played four innings, scoring 71, 0, 8 and 101, not thus averaging 60. On the return of B. A. Duff and A. J. Hopkins from England w-itlv the Australian eleven the colt once more dropped back to the second team. That year McMahon captained a- combined Sydney junior team against tile Petersham senior team, and the youngsters won easily, the youthful captain scoring an even hundred. In 190 S McMahon migrated to New Zealand, throwing in his lot with the North Shore (Auckland) eleven. He secured a place in the Auckland representative eleven that season, and scored 14 and 1 ;\.kl took two wickets for 40 runs in the Pluiiket Shield match against Canterbury. In 1909 he visited Gisborne with a touring North Shore team, and was induced by AY. Gibson, the well-known Gisborne enthusiast, to take up his residence in Gisborne, an appointment being secured for him at Air D. J. Barry's Gisborne Brewery. Since his arrival on the East Coast, McMahon has captained the Wanderers’ Club, a team composed almost exclusively cf employees from the Gisborne Brewery. The Chib has had a phenomenally- successful career under his generalship, having only lost senior competili. mutch during Du? past three seasons. The success of the Club, is largely due to McMahon's prowess, as in addition to being a brilnit batsman lie is a clever slow legfreak bowler, aud has taken a lot of wickets during the past three seasons, "'bile performing com.stently with both bat and ball since his arrival in Gisborne, his success this season has 'been simply astounding. His scores to date a re as follows: —30 not out, 2 (bowled), 85 not out, 108 not out, 131 not out. 135 not out, 161 not out, aggregate and average 652. There in no question hut that he is one of the finest batsmen in the Dominion at the present time. The secret of his success is that lie watches every hall right on to the hat, and rarely makes an uppish stroke. He is a smart field in any position, and has the keenness of the true cricket enthusiast-. He is quiet and unassuming in. iivT'-'cr, and is <1 rv-edly popular with all classes.

ROUND THE GROI'aDS The phenomenally succw . :ul set which has !,-.en expernnc.d tints far in Gisborne wiil ft. fittingly terminated by the "t. t" match w;th Hawk's Bay to be played here e;; March 22 and 23. The sensational doings with both &«■<• and hail by some of the local crocus have < a used a few people not in close touch with the game to ask what kind of bowling it must bo to permit batsmen putting up century after century, arm what class of batsmen obtains locally to permit Harry Jones, Wenzl Scholium. Athol Young and' others coming out with such startling bowling figures. Those who follow the game closely here know that cricket is strong in Poverty Bay at present. a nd the batting and bowling is very much the. same os to be found in other centres. Each club has about four good players to stiffen the teams, and the remainder are fair average club men. With the exception of the four centres, in no other dist < c at the present time in the .Dominion is the game in .such a flourishing state a s it is just now in Gisbc-rre. or can a better side he got together. This may sound a somewhat optimistic utterance, but the best proof of .its truth will he to see how the local men shape against the chosen cf Hawke’s Bav this month.

Hawke's Bay have a -trong side this year, and in the rep. match against Wellington in the Empire 'City at Christmas time, had quite outclassed the southerners when rein caused the match to lie abandoned. Mr. 0. R. Olson, the sole selector, has done well with his initial selection, and from the seventeen lie lias chosen to go into practice in view of the filial selection next week, a strong combination should be available. Practices are to be held at 5 o’clock on Monday. Tuesday, and Friday evenings, and it is to be hoped that ais many as can will roll up regularly, so that they will meet Jack Board and the rest of the Hawke’s Bay cracks at the top of form. I should like' to see a certain amount of time devoted to fielding practice. A • E. Rolf, the Sussex pro., while coaching in Auckland, used to make the representative eleven put in a good deal of .time brushing up the important department of fielding, with excellent results.

A common practice of Relfh was to marshall the men round the roller and throw the ball hard at its shiny surface. The leather, of eoqrse, came fast and at all conceivable angles to the fieldsmen, who thus got excellent practice in snap catching. The former is the only reliable lefthanded bowler in the district. He trundled very ably for Motu when in Gisborne .last month, and had all the batsmen• feeling for that swinging hail of his which goes away with Clark is also a useful free scoring batsman.

Iho Toko mar u man is a howler of a different kind from dark. He sends down a nasty fast leg-break, and can also turn them from the off, while his straight fast one is- a good delivery. Oates is one of the smartest fieldsman in the district, and can also handle his bat to„some purpose.

The inclusion -of Percy Clark, of Motu, and Billy Oates, tli-e Tokoma.ru captain, in those to go into practice, .will meet with general approval. It is certain 1 .at- both the country representatives will be well up in the

„ ,al running. Harry Jones, the Y.M.C.A. captain, is without question one of the best bowlers Gisborne has ever possessed, and lie is in rare trim this season. On the hard concrete pitch on Thursday last, he segur-ccl -even for 35 .against the Alhambra eleven. Among Jus victims was Tiny Olson, who was clean bowled with ”>a beautiful off-break second ball/ It takes a good delivery to get past “Tiny’s’ 3 bat, too. Up the Coast the cricketers regarded Harry Jones as- a species of Indian fakir” and were incredulous when told l that he was a. member ai d captain of the Y.M.C.A. team in Gisborne.

TJie Coast men went out frequently to cut balls from Jones well outside the off stick, and found that it was the onside of the wicket which required guarding. At times lie was turning tiro- ball with Iris fast deliveries more than the width of the wicket-. The tug-qf-\v>a<r between Alhambra and Y.M.C.A. for pride of pleace in the Thursday competition at Victoria Domain on Thursday last was a most disappointin-g display. The howlers were on top. all day, and the scoring certainly did not reflect credit on the strong batting sides taking part. Admitting that Jones howled remarkably well for Y.M.C.A., and that W. Atkinson and Scholium, were in good form for Alhambra, the men should have shown more enterprise. The captains here also show a weakness in generalship by writing out the ■order of going in and strictly adhering to it no matter bow t-he fortunes of the side are going. It- would -often pay u a: resolute hitter were sent in. with instructions to try and ;bit a good bowler who was slaughtering the side off his length. But the order is usually set. and is rarely altered.