WELL-DESERVED WIN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 267, 24 August 1949, Page 3

WELL-DESERVED WIN

FAST SCORING BY NEW ZEALAND Lancashire Bowlers Trounced IN.ZP. A.—Copy right! (Rec. 10.0) LIVERPOOL, Aug. 23. New Zealand beat Lancashire by nine wickets in a glorious finish in which 153 runs were scored in 73 minutes, of which Sutcliffe hit 79 not out. It was a satisfying end to a match which, at lunch-time, looked like ending tamely in a draw.

Lancashire in the second innings made 224 for five wickets, at which stage they declared. Deducting New Zealand’s first innings lead of 72, this left Wallace with the problem of hitting 153 in SO minutes. Pie sent in Sutcliffe and Donnelly, and in 55 minutes they had 120 on the board. Then Donnelly was stumped, but Reid and Sutcliffe went on to win with seven minutes to spare.

Sutcliffe and Donnelly gave a model exhibition of fast scoring which was full of delightful strokes and firm judgment. The" New Zealanders now travel six hours to reach Canterbury just before midnight to be ready for the game against Kent to-morrow morning.

Pleasant Variety of Shots Washbrook and Ikin scored freely for the first hour with a pleasant variety of shots, and reached a 100 partnership in 110 minutes. Though the wicket was tricky, neither Cowie nor Cave was able to derive much advantage from i Valid it was Reid, released for a change of bowling again by Mooney, who kept wickets in spite of a tender finger, who trapped Washbrook into the error of lifting the ball. It went to Smith at mid-on; usually he is the safest of fieldsmen, but to-day he dropped the catch. Washbrook was then only 15 and the score 28. It was the only chance offered. Rabone and Burke kept the two Lancashire men moderately subdued, and of the two, Rabone wae howling the better. He was spinning the ball rather more quickly from the off than was Burke from the leg. He- drew two men into silly-leg for Washbrook, whose heavy self-complacency was rather irked by such attention. .He pulled Rabone for six and straight drove him for six; but Rabone got him in the end with a yorker, Washbrook playing over the top. He aLso bowled Ikin, who was yorked advancing up the wicket, and at this stage two wickets were down for 130, Washbrook (G 4 in 100 minutes) and Ikin 57 in nearly two hours. Ikin batted well, and the position Avas improved by Place and Edrich. They put on 45 in 40 minutes against Rabone and Burke, and then Rabone bOAVled Place Avith a good length ball. Edrich reached 52 in just over an hour, and Burke, who aves not quite the same steady machine of Saturday, had Wharton Avell caught by Sutcliffe on the mid-Avicket boundary. When CoAvie took the new. ball at 1220, Rabone had boAvled for 21 hours, | with lunch as a break, taking three for 69. Cowie soon had Edrich caught by Donnelly in the slips off a hall that popped and hit the shoulder of the bat, and HoAvard, the Lancashire captain, declared the innings closed.

Went for Bowling Donnelly and Sutcliffe Avent for the bowling from the first over, hut there A\'as never anything reckless about their haste. Indeed, they almost leisured in their gracefulness. Stone’s first over produced nine, Avith only a single scored on the off; Greenwood was hit for four in his first over, A\ r ith four byes. With pulls and glances to leg and neat cutting through the slips the NeAV Zealanders had 26 on board in a quarter of an hour, and 50 in 25 minutes. Hilton Avas used for Stone and Tattersall for Greemvood, but the scoring rate never fell beloAv two per over. It was a delightful scene. These two left-handers, peers in their oavji class, hitting so freely and easily, driving to the boundary or galloping singles Avhile the crowd Avatched them with quiet pleasure and expectancy. Tattersall, Avho was boAvling accurately, gave only one atvay in an over and the clock began to gain; hut 14 came from Hilton’s next effort, Sutcliffe making one perfect cover drive and slashing the boAvler there again when he dropped one so short that it bounced twice. This gave New Zealand 80 with 45 minutes to go and 73 to make.

Tattersall was worth 10 in the following over, Sutcliffe pulling one magnificent mid-wicket boundary. Donnelly straight drove Hilton and turned him to leg, and New Zealand were 99. Sutcliffe was 50 in three-quarters of an hour and the century came up in the same time.

Donnelly Stumped Donnelly hit Tattersall for three onboundaries and made 50 in even time; 10 came from the over. With 25 minutes left 36 runs were needed. Then Donnelly, advancing too far to Tattersall, missed the ball and was stumped; one for 120, Donnelly 50 in 55 minutes.

Thirty-three were now wanted in 25 minutes. In came Reid and he thumped Tattersall to the mid-wicket boundary; Sutcliffe followed his lead; 18 required in 15 minutes. On they went, and Sutcliffe lofted Tattersall to the on-bounclary for the winning hit. Scores: — LANCASHIRE First Innings 31S Second Innings Washbrook, b Rabone .. .. 6S I kin, b Rabone .. .. .. 57 Place, b Rabone .. .. .. 25 Edrich, c Donnelly, b Cowie .. 53 Wharton, c Sutcliffe, b Burke .. 11 Howard, not out 4 Extras .. .. .. .. 6 Total for five wkls (dec.) 224 Bowling—Cowie took one for 13, Cave’none for 28, Reid none for 13, Burke one for 65, Rabone three for 69, Sutcliffe none for 30. NEW ZEALAND First Innings 390 Second Innings Sutcliffe, not out .. .. .- • 79 Donnelly, std Barlow, b Tattersall 56 Reid, not out .. ■ • • ■ j Extras .. .. .. H Total for one wicket . • 155 Bowling—Stone took none for 14, Greenwood none for 18, Ililton none for 60, Tattersall one for 50.