Games in Detail.

The opening games of the season saw V.U.C. drawn against Old Boys, and a solid opening score by our side, including the first century of the season, which went to Mackenzie's credit, seemed to point to a handsome win to the team, but a great fighting innings by our opponents saw a wonderful finish in which our side won by just two runs. That game had been exciting enough, but it was surpassed by the next, in which the side just failed to reach Hutt's tally by one run. A fine last wicket partnership by Caldwell and A. C. Tripe almost saved the game.

The next game was against the team which ultimately proved the Championship winners, and a fine innings by Hollings, late of our Club, saw the Wellington team in a strong position at the close of play, with 407 up for the loss of only six wickets. They declared the next day without going in, and with Mackenzie out with only three runs on the board, 'Varsity's position seemed precarious. However, the remaining members of the team put their backs to the wall, and in a remarkably even innings managed to save the game, scoring 312 for the loss of seven wickets at stumps. In the following game a slow-scoring innings by our men saw 262 runs on at the close of play for the day with only six wickets down. However, next day our Captain decided to take the chance and put Midland in at the opening of the day, and his decision was justified by our opponents being all out for 226 with about twenty minutes to go. Drawn in the next round against the powerful batting side of Institute, the team surprised its followers by dismissing them for 205, and this despite the fact that both McLeod and Nelson were out of the side in this match. A couple of wickets were lost before the close of play that day, and that made the outlook look less reassuring, but on the match being continued after the Christmas holidays the side reached the good total of 309, "Tiny" Leys playing a big hand in compiling 108 not out. The Kilbirnie match, also played on the Basin Reserve No. 1 wicket, provided a very interesting match. Mackenzie and Bailey gave the team a good page 67 kick off by scoring 162 for the first wicket, the side compiling the solid total of 333 for eight wickets, and Bailey scoring his first senior century. As he had scored a century in the innings previous to that whilst on tour with the V.U.C. team, this second century was no mean feat. Kilbirnie put up a great fight to make the game a draw, but Macallan and McLeod, after the Crook-Hepburn partnership had been broken, got amongst the other batsmen, and Macallan won the game by clean-bowling Tucker with the first ball of the last over of the day. The team was living up to its reputation of providing great finishes, and the next game they added to their stock in this respect. Petone were sent right about for the poor score of 155, but 'Varsity at stumps had lost four wickets for 20 runs. On the game being continued two weeks after at the Basin Reserve, eight wickets were down for 104, and the match seemed lost, but McLeod and Macallan again came to the rescue, this time with the bat, and the side was able to declare with the Petone score passed without the loss of another wicket. That left the first round completed, with the side leading for the Championship, and only two games remaining to be played. However, in the following two games disaster overtook the side, and a poor score of 128 all out in the second match against Hutt saw us defeated again by that side. We managed to recover some of our prestige by making 128 for the loss of only two wickets in the second innings, Mackenzie's 74 being a splendid effort.

Put in on a bad wicket in the final match of the season, our side did well to top the second hundred, Aim, Nelson and Osborn making the score between them. However, when Old Boys on a good wicket next day had half their side out for 50 odd runs, things looked brighter, but a partnership by Bull and James saved the side for them, and we went down despite the good bowling of Leys, who took five wickets for 53 runs.

Thus the season ended, and the team occupied second place, equal with Old Boys, in the Championship. A distinct falling off of form in the last two matches cost the team the Championship, but the season, nevertheless, cannot be considered anything else than a most successful one.