Result in Doubt Till Last Over.

Regained by Victoria College in 1932 by a ten-wicket win, the Speight Trophy came near to being restored to its former holders, Auckland University College, in a thrilling drawn match played at Easter on Eden Park, Auckland, on the identical wicket used in the second test match, England versus New Zealand.

Pacey, Victoria College skipper, called correctly, and his team sighed with relief; but not for long. Disaster soon overtook the side, and members of the Cricket Club, who had not gone to Auckland, opened their papers to find that the whole side had been dismissed for 51. Not one batsman could get to double figures.

The Northerners must have walked to the wicket with visions of the trophy reposing in its old case at Auckland 'Varsity, and. indeed, after their first innings of just over the two hundred mark they would have had justification for such thoughts.

Century to Osborn.

But the local team, having overcome by now the first effects of Auckland hospitality and the train journey, settled down to give the Blues and Whites a run for the trophy. With H. W. Osborn playing a solid innings, a sparkling knock of 56 from Blandford, and a stubborn 40 odd from Pacey. Victoria passed 200 in the second innings. Osborn's tally reaching 142.

Auckland set out to get the required 142, and were not making particularly good headway until A. M. Matheson, the New Zealand International, came to light with one of his characteristic hitting innings.

Six wickets had fallen by now. and still fifty odd were required for the win, but Matheson did not let that deter him.

Matheson's Fighting Effort.

Opening his shoulders, he laid on the long handle to such good effect that when the last over was called only ten were required for a win.

Barton took the ball for the final over, and Matheson took strike to the first delivery. Matheson's intentions were plain. He opened out to the first, ball with the best intentions of hitting it well out of the ground, but he failed to get quite on to it and the result was a smartly-run single. The Batsman at the other end, unfortunately, was not a bitter, and Barton was able to prevent him from scoring off the other five deliveries, so that in one of the best finishes yet seen in these games Auckland failed by nine runs to snatch victory from the Southerners.

Honours were of course with Auckland, but nevertheless our men were far from disgraced. One pleasing feature of the match was the excellent fielding of the V.U.C. team. Critics in Auckland said it was the finest fielding seen in Auckland the whole of last season, including that of the English Test Team.

We would like to thank all those who helped to make the stay of our cricketers in Auckland so pleasant. We hope to be able to give them an equally warm welcome here next Easter.