Cricket 1913

A p r i l 19, 1913 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. I l l average 40-20), G. McMullen (21-33), ar,d R- H._Blake (21-00) were Zingari’s principal scorers; and,B lake (17 at 12-76) and F. Caulfield (18 at 14-72) shared the bowling honours. Only two centuries— by Ormerod Pearse and Arbuthnot— were scored in the eight matches. Fifty-three players in all took part, the premier club calling upon as many as 22, while 15 represented Standard, and 16 Zingari. E. Saville did the hat trick for Maritzburg in one match. ---------- — Greyville are safe at the head of the Durban Senior League again, though there is another round of matches to ; be played. This last round should have started yesterday, to I be continued on the 29th ; but yesterday no play was possible. Lord’s was a perfect swamp, and the outlook for the Currie Cup matches, unless the weather changes J completely— but there is time for that— is not too hopeful. Every one is keen about these games, and they ought to draw good crowds. Western Province are bringing a strong batting side ; but their bowling does not cause much apprehension. The Eastern Province match is looked upon as a gift for N a ta l; but the proverbial uncertainty of cricket may come in here. ------------ Herbert Taylor will again captain our team, and Ormerod Pearse is included, which should please every one: We have no fast bowler on the side ; but Nourse, Carter, Cox, and Tuckett, with the Taylor brothers, look quite good enough for the task set them. We can count seven ; fine batsmen in Nourse, H. W. and D. Taylor, C. O. C. and D. K. Pearse, Chapman and Beningfield ; Cox and Car­ ter are smiters not to be despised ; Tuckett is safe and reliable in an emergency, and Nicol can p la y" barn-door ” a bit if needful. Rupert Blake, of Maritzburg, the twelfth : man, is a very useful all-rounder, and will not weaken the team if he has to be called upon. C. D. Saville made 103* for Wanderers v. Wanderers II. on March 1, and A. J. Risley 100* for Queen’s Park v. Escombes on the same date. Other good scores recorded in matches since my last have been P. de Gersigny’s 55 and M. C. Jacobs’s 54 (Casuals v. Wanderers), J. W. Easterbrook’s 49 (Wanderers v. Casuals) and 55 (Wanderers v. Wanderers II.). But on the whole bowlers have had somewhat the best of matters in the matches played, though honours have been shared so evenly that it is difficult to pick out special performances. A. D. Nourse has taken 3 for 16 and 2 for 2 ; L. R. Tuckett 3 for 21 and 3 for 12 in one match, when Greyville beat Wanderers II. by an innings and 8 runs— 131 to 81 and 42 ; and P. Beningfield 5 for 24. THE YOUNGEST CRICKETER IN SOUTH AFRICA. (Monty Gardner, aged 4, son of Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Gardner, of King Williamstown, and nephew of Mr. W. T. Gardner, who has recently played for Transvaa1.) Queen’s Park v. Escombes was a rare good match. At the end of the first day’s play Q.P. were 43 behind with only two wickets to fall in their first innings. But the not outs, Risley and W. F. Easterbrook (40) gave a fine display, putting their side 42 ahead ; after which the Escombes were skittled for 81, and Q.P., with only about half-an-hour to go, knocked off the 40 required for an outright victory and full points for the loss of 4 wickets, Herbert Taylor’s forcing 22* being the main factor in the argument. W. F. Easter­ brook is a brother of the three Easterbrooks who play for the Wanderers, and this was his first senior match. He fairly won his spurs, helping Risley to add nearly 100, and taking 7 wickets for 54. George Cox holds a high opinion of Kenneth Logan’s bowling, and thinks him decidedly superior to Davison, whom some consider our one and only express merchant. But Logan’s fast bowling is a recent development. He keeps a better length than Davison, tires less quickly, and is more on the wicket. Their bowling has put Greyville ahead of the other clubs. King, Nourse, Tuckett, Cox, Davison, and Morley have so far taken among them 145 wickets, and the most expensive of them has not cost 14 runs per wicket. In batting the Casuals and Queen’s Park both show up ahead of the champions. P. de Gersigny (Casuals) has an average of 43-50, and for the same club C. C. Acutt (31-30), V. E. Deane (28-87), M. C. Jacobs (26-60), H. V. L. Collins (24 00), and J. Beningfield (23-90) all show up well ; while for Q.P. the best have been H. W. Taylor (40-77), H. W. Chapman (34-35), A. J. Risley (22-40), and M. D. Millar (21-25). At the top of the Greyville list is A. D. Nourse (27-00) ; but these are poor figures for him, and only A. C. King (26-55) and L. R. Tuckett (21-37) average over 20 besides Nourse. Cox has been hitting sixes lately ; but one does not expect a big batting average in his case. Wanderers (the old club of that name) have given some wretched expositions of the bowling art. J. W. Easter­ brook, while improving in batting, has spoiled his bowling by the cultivation of a slower delivery in which his arm appears to push instead of to swing the ball ; and C. A. Smith seems to have lost all his keenness for work at the crease. There are 18 bowlers who have taken 10 or more wickets with an average of under 15 in Senior League matches this season ; but the Wanderers have no name in the list. ------------ George Cox is leaving on the 20th in the “ Edinburgh Castle.” His batting average for Escombes is 16-30; he has taken 38 wicketsfor 12-57 each, but should have had better figures, for luck has not been with him, as he has time after time beaten the batsmen and just missed the wicket. F r e d e r i c k S e t a v .