Cricket 1913

7 T2 C R I CK E T : A W E E K L Y RECORD OF THE GAME. November 1 5 , 1 91 3 . NEW ZEALAND CRICKET AND CRICKETERS. (C on tin u ed from page 689.) T h e r e w a s no ov ersea s team in N ew Z e alan d in 1897-8 ; bu t as m an y as eleven in terp ro vin cia l gam es w ere p la y ed . C a n te rb u ry w ere con cern ed in five o f these, and won fou r o f th em . T h e y w en t on tou r in D ecem ­ ber, and p la y ed each o f the fou r p ro v in ces in the N o rth Islan d . T h e y defeated H a w k e ’s B a y b y 5 w ick e ts, A u c k la n d b y 125 runs, and T a ra n a k i in an in n in g s, bu t lost to W e llin g to n in an in n in g s. In F e b ru a ry th e y p la y ed and beat b y 4 w ickets their old frien d s and riv a ls o f O ta g o . L . T . C o b c ro ft had jo in ed th e C an te rb u ry ranks, and th e y had a p retty hot side, w ith D an R eese and W . C . P e a rc e as ch ie f b ow lers and p len ty o f b a ttin g . A g a in s t H a w k e ’s B a y A . E . R id le y made 77 fo r once ou t. A g a in s t A u c k la n d W . C . H . W ig le y scored 37 and 73, and there w ere in n in g s o f 6 1* b y C . R . C la r k , the cap ta in , 51 b y A . S im s, and 42 b y A . E . R id le y . T h e veteran W ild in g m ade 60 and W i g le y 55 v . T a ra n a k i. L . T . C o b ­ cro ft (75 and 20), and D . R e e se (44) in the first in n in g s, and C . W . G a rra rd (50*), W ild in g (37), and H . C . R id le y (31) in the second show ed up best in the one lost m atch , th at v . W e llin g to n . A . E . R id le y ’s sp lend id 76*, w h ile o th ers w ere scra tch in g fo r runs, con tribu ted la r g e ly to th e w in o v e r O ta g o at C h ristch u rch . S e v en fo r 74 at N ap ier, 9 fo r 143 at A u c k lan d , 1 1 fo r 95 at H aw e ra , 4 fo r 146 at W e llin g to n , and 1 fo r 81 at C h ristch u rch w ere R e e s e ’s b o w lin g figu re s in these five g am e s— 31 at under 15 each in a ll. H e has n ever bow led better, th o u g h , sixteen y e a rs later, he is still a g re a t asset to h is team at the crease. W . C . P ea rce had 9 fo r 67 at N ap ier, 6 fo r 88 at A u c k la n d , and 6 for 75 at C h ristch u rch . W e llin g to n ’ s 404 v . C a n te rb u ry estab lish ed a new record. T h e score ran thu s :— W E L L IN G T O N . B. A. Weybourne, c Fowke, b Bates .............................................. 10 C. A. Richardson, c Bates, b Cobcroft ...................................... 77 A. B. W illiam s, c Fowke, b Reese ............................................. K .H . Tucker, st Fowke, b Reese .............................................. A. R. H oldship, c Sims, b Reese .............................................. 13 79 C. St. G. Gore, c & b Bates... 17 G. F. Burton, c Sims, b Reese 63 M. Naughton, b Bates .............. 40 F. L. Ashbolt, not out .............. 37 F. C. Stephenson, c G arrard, b Bates ........................................................3 F. Holdsworth, c Sims, b Clark 31 Extras................................ 23 T otal........................ 404 R ich a rd so n w a s the o ld N .S .W . p la y er— a rare d ifficu lt man to s h ift. S tep h en so n h ad p la y ed for S o u th la n d , O ta g o , and C a n te rb u ry , b u t the greater p a rt o f h is cricketw as fo r W e llin g to n . In their o n ly oth er m atch that season W e llin g to n beat H a w k e ’s B a y in an in n in g s at X ap ie r, R ich a rd son m a k in g 73 and A sh b o lt ta k in g 13 w ick e ts fo r 97. A u c k la n d w en t under, a s a lread y m en tioned, to C a n te r b u r y ; b u t three o f th eir men earned g rea t cred it in the g am e . R . N e ill too k 9 fo r 86— less than h a lf the to tal— in C a n te r b u r y ’s first, and in the last in n in g s o f the g am e G . M ills (80) and W . T . S tem son (73) put on 139 run s to g eth er. T h is stand m ade a go o d fin ish app ear p r o b a b le ; bu t on the last m o rn in g th e o u tsta n d in g 6 w ickets fell for 34 run s. A u c k la n d ’s oth er m atch that season w as w ith H a w k e ’s B a y , and ended in a d raw . H u g h L u s k (50 and 68) w a s a lo n g w a y top scorer in each in n in g s o f the v is itin g sid e ; G . M ills (16 and 54*) and J. A . K a lle n d e r (22 and 35) m ade m ost o f the runs fo r A u c k lan d ; and som e effective b o w lin g w as done b v D . J. L . C la y to n (8 fo r 84) for A u c k la n d , and b y H . A . F an n in (11 for 54) fo r H a w k e ’s B a y . S o u th la n d beat an un rep resen tative O ta g o team at In v e rc a rg ill b y 2 w ickets, J. T a y lo r (39* and 17* in a g am e in w h ich 38 w icke ts o n ly realised 315 runs) and R o b ertso n (12 fo r 72) b e in g the main factors in the v ic to ry . N elson defeated M a rl­ b o ro u gh in an in n in g s at N elson , L . G rah am ta k in g 9 fo r 25 in the lo se rs’ first; and H aw k e ’s B a y de­ feated T a ra n a k i in an in n in g s at N ap ier, J. W o ls - tenholm e sc o rin g 103, F . N elson 49, and G . M ar­ sh all 41 fo r the w inn ers, and F an n in ta k in g 11 for 9 1. M cC a rth y , h igh e st scorer in each in n in g s (2.7 and 52) and most effective b ow ler (5 fo r 109) show ed up w ell for T a ra n a k i. F o r the fou r season s last passed in review it has been po ssib le to deal w ith e v e ry in terp ro vin cial g am e b y m ention at least. F rom 1895 to 1898 an adm irab le New Z ea land C rick e te rs’ A n n u a l ap ­ peared . T h e n it lap sed . T h e d o in g s o f th e m inor p ro vin ces— N elson , M a rlb o ro u gh , and T a ra n a k i— then cefo rw ard are lost in a cloud o f m ist. A t som e fu tu re tim e it m a y b e po ssib le to unearth the scores o f their m atches— N elson and M a rlb o ro u gh have g o n e on m ee tin g an n u a lly , it is b elieved— from the m u sty files o f p ro v in cia l pap ers in w h ich a lo n e th ey can be fo u n d ; it is im possib le ju st now . E v en some o f th e m atch es p la y ed b y th e m a jo r p ro v in ces are d ifficu lt to secure. B u t fo r the gen erou s h elp o f m y friend M r. A . F . W ir e n , o f W e llin g to n , th e y wou ld never h a ve been secu red . H e has labou red w ith such d evotion and p a in s ta k in g care as a re in m y exp erien ce alm o st u n p a ra lleled , and to him I ow e it th at th is sketch— a h isto ry I w ill not ca ll it— is po ssib le. T h e g re a t even t o f the season 1898-9 w a s the sen d in g o f a represen tative N ew Z ealand team to A u s tra lia . M r. A . A sh b o lt, fa th er o f F . L . A s h ­ b o lt, the W e llin g to n b ow ler, w a s appo in ted sole selector, and he d id h is w o rk w e ll. T h e r e were grum b le s, o f c o u rs e ; bu t it is d ifficu lt to see how the team cou ld h a ve been su b stan tia lly im p roved . No doub t in con sequence o f the tou r there were fewer m atch es this season . O ta g o inflicted a h ea v y defeat (b y 261 runs) upon C an te rb u ry at D un ed in , A . H . F ish e r (76 and 44 and 4 fo r 55) and J. H o p e (11 fo r 74) b e in g the ch ief fa cto rs in it. W it h 29 and 18 D an R eese w as top scorer in each in n in g s fo r the beaten side, and a lso took 5 w ick e ts fo r 7 1.