The Senior Eleven experienced a very successful season, the team occupying a higher position on the Championship Ladder than ever before—being runners-up, equal with Old Boys.

This success was well deserved, and the team suffered but three defeats during the season, one of them being by the margin of one run.

The team did not differ very much from the previous season, but what made it a stronger match-winning combination this year was the fact that the quick-scoring members of the team were in the best form, and so the plodders were materially backed up.

"Tiny" Leys, who had been right off form the previous season, came back into his best run-getting mood, and Eddie McLeod, too, staged a great return to form, his all-round ability being invaluable to the side.

The team proved to be probably the strongest run-getters in the competition, every man down to the last wicket being able to get runs. Mackenzie again was the backbone of the batting side, totalling 457 runs for ten completed innings. His worth to the side can be judged from the fact that he took part in four partnerships of over a century for the first wicket.. His usefulness to the side did not end there, as he kept wickets admirably, giving very little away. Bailey also was in fine form, scoring the second greatest tally for the side. He played a fine innings of 132 against Kilbirnie, scoring very quickly after he had passed the century mark, and page 66 his aggregate for the season was past the third century. Also, he was a model of consistency, and was Mackenzie's partner in three out of the four century partnerships.

As stated above, Eddie McLeod came back into his best batting form this season. Chosen to captain the team this year, he led the side with admirable judgment and tact, as well as performing well with the ball, and coming out top of the averages of the regular bowlers. His fielding, too, was excellent, being a shining example for all in this respect. His form gained him a place in the New Zealand team in the Second Test.

Leys showed fine form with the bat and ball. He took the most wickets for the season—17 at a cost of 24.82 a wicket—and scored an invaluable century against Institute, being not out at the end of the day with 108. Aim, too, on being placed in the side for his bowling, had an early triumph against Hutt, and thereafter, though not proving so successful again with the ball, nevertheless made two fine innings of over fifty, as well as several other very useful scores. He took thirteen wickets during the season, being the fastest bowler in the side.

Nelson and Macallan, also, were two members of the side who performed very well all round. Theo averaged a bit over 28 with the bat, including a great innings against Wellington, and bagged fifteen victims at the bowling crease; whilst Macallan saved the side at least on two occasions with the bat, and won the Kilbirnie game with the ball, taking the final wicket in the last over of the day. A. C. Tripe, who left us early in the season, played three good innings for the side and came out with a remarkable average, while Osborn and Robinson both played at least one very useful knock for the team.

Peter Caldwell's fighting innings against Hutt deserved a better result than a loss by one run on the innings, but he could not seem to get going again during the season.

Bagge did not have as much success with the ball as in the previous season, though he took nine wickets at a total cost of 279 runs.

Blanford and Peter Wilson could neither of them seem to strike batting form, and Dormer also was not seen at his best with the bat. Blandford kept wickets quite successfully, however, in the several matches he played in, taking five victims behind the sticks.

Harrison, who was placed on the side for the last match of the season, although not used much in that game, showed that he should be a more than useful bowler in the future, keeping a fine length.

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.

Representative Honours.

During the season several players gained places in the various representative sides. Eddie McLeod represented Wellington in the M.C.C. match, perforimng with outstanding success. With the ball he took three wickets for 7 runs in the M.C.C. first innings, and four wickets for 56 in the second. Batting, he saved the side in both innings, scoring 37 and 20 not out. This fine all-round performance gained him the twelfth man position in the First Test, and a position in the team in the Second Test match, where he again performed successfully. He also represented Wellington against Auckland in the Plunket Shield match, scoring 102 in the first innings, saving his side after they were in a bad way, and in the second innings tallying 36. His success in representative matches was one of the outstanding events in a crowded season. R. H. C. Mackenzie gained a place in the Wellington Plunket Shield team against Canterbury, scoring a splendid 31, and having the bad luck to be run out when well set. E. T. Leys also gained a place in the Wellington Town Representatives against the Country, performing well with the ball. "Tiny" Leys, also, was chosen to play in the Wellington Shield team against Otago, but was unable to accept the position.