Cricket 1913

734 CR I C K E T : A W E E K L Y RECORD OF THE GAME. December 1 7 , 1913 . D o ig 6 fo r 49 (S o u th la n d v . O ta g o , first inn ing s), W . P . R e d g r a v e 5 fo r 37 (W e llin g to n v . H a w k e ’s B a y ), and K . M . O lliv ie r 4 fo r 7 (C an te rb u ry v . A u c k la n d , second in n in g s). T h e M elb ou rn e C lu b sid e w a s a s tr o n g one. It in clud ed W a rw ic k A rm s tr o n g , V e rn o n R a n sfo rd , C h a rle s M cL e o d , F . V a u g h a n , and D . M a iler, w ith o th er cap ab le p la y e rs . A u c k la n d w ere first met, and beaten b y 9 w ick e ts, R a n s fo rd s c o r in g a cen ­ tu ry , and A rm s tr o n g and M c L e o d b o w lin g w ith effect. A fte r m a tch es w ith W a n g a n u i and W e s t C o a st ( X I .) and M an aw atu ( X V I I I .) , the visito rs met and defeated (b y 7 w ickets) W e llin g o n . A rm ­ s tr o n g scored 175 an d 66*, and took 10 fo r 143— a g ia n t ’s sh a re o f the w o rk . C a n te rb u ry , w ithou t C a lla w a y , w en t under b y 9 w icke ts. L ittle S o u th ­ land su ccum b ed b y an in n in g s and e v er so m an y , A rm str o n g (who m ig h t h a v e been stum p ed before sc o rin g ) h it up 335 in three h ou rs. T h e M elbou rne total w as 536. O ta g o , d e c la r in g th eir second in ­ n in g s , set the A u stra lian sid e 110 to g e t in 90 m inu tes. O n ly R a n s fo r d ’s p lu ck a n d coolness averted d efeat, and at the clo se the sco re w as 59 fo r 8. T h e N .Z . sid e a g a in s t the tou rists at C h ris t­ chu rch con sisted o f th ree C a n te rb u ry m en (O lliv ie r, B o x sh a ll, M alone), fo u r from W e llin g to n (H ick son , T u c k e r, R e d g r a v e , M o n a gh a n ), tw o from A u c k ­ lan d (H a ro ld L u s k and B ro o k -Sm ith ), and tw o from O ta g o (G rah am and D ow n es). T h e y o n ly averted d efeat th ro u g h the fa ct that stum p s w ere d raw n at 4.30 on th e th ird d a y to en ab le the- N o rth Islan d p la y e rs to catch th eir boat. M elbou rne, w ith ten w ickets o u tsta n d in g , then needed o n ly 17 runs for v ic to r y . T u c k e r (43*) w as th e h igh est sco rer fo r N .Z .; b u t M a lo n e ’s b o w lin g (7 for 64) w a s the b est feature o f their p la y . S in c e 1905-6 N ew Z ealand cricket h a s a lw a y s been fu lly reported in this p ap er. T o the best o f m y b elief not a m atch betw een a n y o f the m ajo r p ro v in ces h a s been m issed ; and as th ese articles canno t w ell be con tinu ed in qu ite the sam e form in T h e W o r l d o f C r i c k e t (w ith w h ich C r i c k e t is b e in g am algam a ted ), th is fa ct m a y serve a s an ade­ quate ex cu se for the ru n n in g th rou gh v e r y b riefly the ch ief even ts o f th e last sev en sea so n s. It m a y b e c a n d id ly adm itted that in other circum stan ces th e y m ig h t h ave b een dealt w ith at g re a te r len gth , and it is m y hop e to return to the su b je c t before lo n g in th e new p ap e r and to m ake g o o d use o f a m ass o f m atter co n c e rn in g in d iv id u a l p la y e rs w h ich I h a ve accum u lated , and also to g iv e tab le s o f the resu lts o f in terp ro vin cia l, etc., m atches. In 1906-7, ow in g to the v isit o f the E n g lis h T eam , o n ly th ree in terp ro vin cia l g am e s in w h ich the m ore im portan t p ro v in ces were con cern ed to o k p lace. O ta g o b eat C a n te rb u ry at D u n e d in b y 139 runs and d rew w ith S o u th la n d at In v e rc a rg ill, an d C an ter­ b u ry beat W e llin g to n at C h ristch u rch b y 5 w ickets. A le x a n d e r D ow n es h ad 11 fo r 126 v . C an te rb u ry , fo r whom A rth u r S im s (59* and 38) w a s top scorer in each in n in g s. F o r C an te rb u ry v . W e llin g to n J. D . L aw ren ce (60 and 26*) w as h igh e st scorer each time, and K e ith O lliv ie r took 11 for 109. D . C . C o llin s carried his b a t rig h t th ro u g h W e llin g to n ’s first fo r 53, and J. J. M ah on y scored 63* in their second . T h e E n g lis h T eam , th o u gh u n lik e that o f 1902-3 w h o lly am ateu r, w as d istin ctly stro n g . C a p t. E . G . W y n y a r d , w ho w a s cap ta in , u n lu c k ily b roke a tendon in h is le g in the second m atch , and w as succeeded in the leadersh ip b y C . E . D e T ra ffo rd . T h e other m em bers o f the side w ere : J. W . H . T . D o u g la s, W . B . B u rn s, P . R . M a y , P . R . John son , G . T . B ran ston , G . H . S im p son -L Iayw a rd , C . C . P a g e , R . H . F o x , W . J. II . C u rw e n , N . C . T u fn e ll, A . A . T o rre n s, and W . P . H a rriso n . E le v en m atches were p la y ed on even term s. A u c k lan d (L . G . H em u s 64 and 80) drew one and lost the oth er (C . E . M cC o rm ic k 77, W . B roo k- Sm ith 70, second inn in g s) b y o n ly 2 w icke ts. W e l­ lin g ton (for whom A . B . W illiam s p la y ed a fine in n in g s o f 100 in the first m atch) drew b o th . C a n ­ te rb u ry (O lliv ie r 78 and 19, L aw ren ce 61 and 37*, C a lla w a y 11 fo r 158) w on the first b y 7 w ickets, and lost the return (Orchard’s 68 top score) b y 236 runs. O ta g o w en t under h e a v ily both tim es— b y 232 runs and b y an in n in g s and 95. H a w k e ’s B a y (P . R . F u lto n 60 first in n in g s, H u g h L u s k 65* second ) lost th eir one g am e b y an in n in g s and 80. N ew Z ealand lost b y 9 w ickets at C h ristch u rch (J. J. M a h o n y 71* first in n in g s, E . V . S a le 66, J. D . L aw ren ce 51 second), b u t won b y 56 runs (A . B . W illiam s 72*, A . E . H ad d on 7 1, second in n in g s, A . H . F ish e r 9 for 86 in the m atch , E . F . U ph am 6 fo r 84, first inn in g s) at W e llin g to n . O n the w h o le v e ry much better form w as show n than a g a in s t the team of fo u r yea rs earlier. T h e N .Z . side at C h ristchu rch in cluded five C a n te rb u ry men (D . R eese, B o x sh a ll, L aw ren ce , C a llaw a y , and Bennett), two frpm A u c k lan d (H ad d on and Sale), two from W e llin g to n (T u cker and M ah on y ), and two from O ta g o (S ied eb erg and D ow n es). A t W e l­ lin g to n W illiam s (W e llin g to n ) replaced B o x sh a ll, F ish e r (O ta go ) C a llaw a y , H em u s (A u ck lan d ) S ied e­ b e rg , and U p h am (W e llin g to n ) R eese, th e repre­ sen tation there b e in g W e llin g to n fou r, A u c k lan d three, C an te rb u ry two, O ta g o tw o . T h e P lu n k et S h ield , giv en b y H . E . L o rd P lu n ­ ket, G o v erno r-G en eral o f N ew Z e alan d , fo r com pe­ tition am on g the m ajo r p rovin ces, w as ad ju d g ed b y th e N .Z . C ric k e t C o u n c il to C an te rb u ry , as the side sh o w in g b est form a g a in st the E n g lis h team , th o u gh m an y th o u gh t A u c k lan d had at least an equal claim . S in ce then the ch ief in terp ro vin cia l m atch es o f each season h ave been those fo r the S h ie ld , a lth o u g h (ow in g to the rule, o n ly just altered, that the holders had a r ig h t to p la y on their own g roun d , and that o n ly m atch es between the hold ers and c h a lle n g in g sides coun ted in the S h ield