THE PLUNKET SHIELD.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 1, 2 January 1924, Page 7

THE PLUNKET SHIELD.

AUCKLAND AND OTAGO.

SOUTEEKKERS' KEEN ATTACK.

A FIGHTING FIRST INNINGS

AUCKLAND STARTS WITH 330

Brilliant sunshine, a hard, true wicket and a fast outfield made ideal rungetting conditions when Auckland won ihe toss and had first strike yesterday at Eden Park in the Plunket Shield match against Otago. It was in every respect a batsman's day, and those of the spectators who know the game intimately considered the Auckland team good lor anything between 400 and 600 runs, and felt that it needed at least 350 for a safe start against the coterie of batsmen pitted, against it in the event of the line conditions lasting for the game. Everyone was prepared for the gradual tiring of the attack and brilliant batting from several of the local crack batsmen. But they got something quite different.

Though the wicket proved as good as it looked, tlie batsmen at no stage of the day were able to shake off an attack set up by the southerners per medium of persistent steady bowling backed up by the snappiest all-round fielding display yet Riven by a Plunket Shield~team in Auckland. Shepherd, the Otago skipper, placed his field and handled his bowling with admirable judgment, and tho batsmen had to fight every inch of tho way to get the ball through. There was repeated applause all through the innings for tiio line stopping, clean picking up. snappy and accurate returns, consistently effective backing up and dashing saves of boundaries. The batsmen had to be on their toes all the time to prevent being blanketed by the fieldsmen, who were on them all the time, and making very few mistakes. All the men in tne field were on the verge of brilliancy, and Worker, at cover and in the country, was consistently brilliant. In one respect, however, the visitors made two or three costly lapses, when they failed in catching Anthony and Smith at comparatively early stages, and this pair afterwards added a hundred runs between them.

Prom beginning to end it was ~ a fighting innings, with Douglas, a slow left-handed bowler who has a big off break, troubling all the batsmen" and occasionally beating batsman, wicket and wicket-keeper with his sharp turn. Anthony was decidedly lucky in getting his S7. for while his cricket was good it was not up to his best. Smith, after being missed at 2S, played a solid innings for 79, but the best batting displays were those of Irving (34) and McLeod (02), the latter being the brightest run-getter, and the one" batsman who was not kept smothered by the fielding. In fact, McLeod and Gillespie at one stage returned the compliment to the harriers in the field by same sprightly and well-judged singles running. OPENING DAY'S PLAT. SLOW FIRST FIFTY. Snedden won the toss, and Irving and Anthony opened to Torrance (fast left) and A, Alloo (slow, right). Irving started crisply, but Anthony took half a.dozen overs to play himself in after his fortnight's rest, and runs for the -ret half-hour came rather slowly, considering that the wicket and outfield were last. In that time 25 runs was the Auckland gain, and still Anthony was not sighting 'em up to his usual & TT m ? 6everal of hi 3 favourite hooi shots to short balls. With 30 up S™ i hree A Uarters of an four's play! firs? over' 5 W° n and * nrst over Anthony just missed a runsinlwV he batsmen went f » * _*» * J orrance ™* very steady and »_S lU f °T n aD Ws pV bowled a maiden to Irving. A full hours play fielding and steady bowling bein- reSSfrt t0 a large eJrtent fartafpS saved a number of boundaries. Anthony, atter drrvmg Douglas past cover to the boundary was beaten by the bowler but the ball going off Ju s pads saved him from being stumped after he bed jumped out for a forward shot, and in tbe slow bowler's next over Irvinebrought the lialf-centurv up with a fin? sweeping shot to -leg, after 70 minutes' play.

Two Wickets Down.

Torrance, who had sent down a dozen TiT* ' 0T 21 runs, was relieved by A Alloo, and Irving got a sweet leg boundary off his first over. Worker, who had been doing brilliant ground work at cover, once more brought applause by his fine fielding. The separation came after To minutes' play, Douglas (in his sixth fiver) beating and bowling Irving who had played a sound innings for 01, and the score hoard read 65—1 34. The advent of Snedden brightened the scoring, the new man going to the slow bowling and on driving Douglas for' four. Anthony, in the same over, lifted | one for a single just above the bowler's reach, and Douglas' eighth over brought eight runs, tlie most expensive over to date. Alloo, however, sent a maiden along to Snedden, and Torrance took tbe ball from Douglas. Anthony brought 80 up by hooking the fast bowler to leg for four, and next ball he had a life and got a single from an uppish shot in the slips. He later cut Alloo to the boundary and got to 40 by driving the same bowler for a single, but the next ball cost a wicket, Snedden driving a half-volley low into Torrance's hands at mid-on 80—2 —8. The Century and Incidents. Smith filled the vacancy and opened his tally by driving Torrance to the boundary, and after playing a careful seven balls to Alloo, the same batsman drove the eighth ball hard and sure to tbe on-boundarv-. When Torrance started the last over" before lunch the score wa 5 90 runs for 100 minutes' play, and he sent down a maiden in the course of which Anthony (41) gave an easy chance in the slips which was dropped. Immediately after luncheon Anthony brought the century up by a spanking square cut to the "boundary off Alloo. It had takan 115 minutes' play to reach the three figures. Using his leg-side strokes to Torrance, who had his field placed for off third, Smith got five off the fast bowler. The left-hand batsman swung a four to leg off Alloo, and Anthony later cut Torrance to the boundary, but both batsmen were careful yet, and picking the hall to bit. A cover drive off Alloo for a single brought Anthony to 50 for which he had been tw 0 hours" at the wicket, and he had been distinctly unlucky. Smith reached 25 with a" scorching straight drive of Alloo. and at 130 Douglas relieved Torrance with the ball, and in

his second over had Smith uncomfortable, and the following over Smith (-8), drove a catch hard back to Alloo tue bowler dropping it. The left-handed batsman then opened out, turning the following ball hard to the leg boundary and lifting the next one to forward o"f square leg, just clearing the fieldsman there and reaching the chalk-line. This brought the total to 150.

A Hundred for '.Laird Wicket.

At 157 Blamires (fast, right) relieved Alloo. who bad bowled 10 overs for 01 runs and one wicket. With a nice leg glance Anthony got a boundary oil' the new bowler, and he also swept one from Douglas to the leg boundary. Blamires had steadied them up "a deal, but the scoring was regular in singles, and a deal faster than before lunch, the hour's batting after the adjornment having added 75 runs. The batsmen had to earn every run, for bowlers and iieldsmen were righting every inch of the way, and Smith had been 78 minutes at the wicket when a single off Douglas gave him his halfcentury. Anthony then was 83. and. like Smith, finding it hard to get tho ball through tlie field. Though the partnership had added a hundred runs it had never at any stage taken charge of the situation, and at 100 Smith drove up one from Blamires just short of Shepherd's reach at deep mid-on. Douglas was bowling with a very sharp, off break, and almost bowled Smith with a big one that beat'everybody and went for three byes. Two balU later Anthony pulled one high and was caught near tho leg boundary by Gallander. 194—3—87. It had' taken the Parnell man 190 minutes to make his runs.

Wickets Fall Quicker.

Dacrc at once brightened proceedings by driving Douglas for a brace and late-cutting Blamires to the boundary, making 200 runs up for 200 minutes' play. The newcomer, however, had a short life, for, jumping out to Douglas, he missbit the ball, and H. Alloo took a good catch close in at square leg. 202—4—7.

Smith welcomed the advent of Burton by snicking Douglas to leg for four and driving him to the boundary. AH9O took the ball from Douglas at 213. and Smith sent his first neatly to the square leg boundary. Burton, who was finding it hard to get ah opening got a nice shot trough the slips off Alloo, and drove another for two. Torrance took up the bowling again at the other end, starting with a maiden, and Burton got double figures by sweeping one from Alloo to the leg boundary. He cut Torrance hard for four, but two balls later played the ball on to his wicket. 241—5—17. The tea adjournment was taken at this stage.

After the adjournment Smith, partnered by McLeod, appeared to settle down, and he drove Torrance to the onboundary for four, bringing 250 up.- In the fast bowler's next over, however, he skied one to the off, and was caught by Worker at coverpoint. 250 —6—79. He had been 137 minutes at the wicket.

Bright Seventh Wicket. Tbe complexion of tbe game had altered considerably in the last halfhour's play, for it was generally conceded that in the conditions Auckland needed about 350 runs for a safe opening. McLeod. and Gillespie, left and right lianderE respectively, harried the field by brisk singles, though at 258 they nearly overdi' it, and Gillespie got the verdict on an appeal for a run-out. McLeod broke the succession of singles by leg-hitting Alloo for four. At 266 Douglas relieved Alloo, and his offbreak worried Gillespie a bit. McLeod cut Torrance haTd to the fence, and offdrove him for four. Gillespie had a life when Douglas beat him, and the wicketkeeper, too, with a big break at which the batsman jumped out to, and he then drove the bowler for four; total, 2SO. Gillespie got into double figures by pulling Torrance for four. McLeod, who was playing bright cricket, drove Douglas for four and a single. At 295 Blamires relieved Torrance, and McLeod cut him for a four and placed a single, hoisting the 300. The left-handed batsman had made 49 in 45 minutes. Gillespie drove a boundary past point off Douglas, and a single, whole McLeod scored a trace and a single to leg. Then Gillespie, who had been uncomfortable all the time to Douglas' off-break, was beaten and bowled by the left-hander. 313—7.. 18. The partnership had added 63 runs in an hour.

A Quick Finish.

With a little over half an hour to play Allcott joined HcLeod, who pot hisoO. after 70 minutes' play, by swinging one from Douglas to the leg boundary. Blamires sot his first wicket by clean-bowline Allcott. —322—8 —2. Immediately Alloo replaced Douglas, and with hie first ball, which kept low, he clean-bowled McLeod. 322— —9—52, Wilson and Rountree were together for the last stand, and the latter drove his second ball from Alloo to the boundary past point, pulled the next to the les boundary, and two balls later pulled the ball* on to his wicket, the inning closing for 330. There were about ten minutes left for play, and Worker and Knisht pioneered to the bowling of Witeon and Alleott. In the two overs sent down four runs were scored without loss.