OTAGO IN TROUBLE.

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

OTAGO IN TROUBLE.

SLOW BOWLER'S SUCCESS. SOUTHERNERS FIGHTING HARD When the Plunket Shield match between Auckland and Otago was resumed at Eden Park to-day the Southerners faced a score of 330 made the previous day by Auckland. After their first wicket * had fallen early, Worker and Shepherd began to clip off the runs at a smart pace, ami looked like making the Auckland score look a small one. Then came trouble, for the change bowlers, Smith and Anthony, came on at 87, and four wickets were down for SS. A fifth wicket stand was made by Worker and H. Alloo, who put on 78 runs in the next three-quartera of an hour, and by lunch time, when Smith got Alloo, they had very greatly improved Otago's chance. "The score at lunch was 159 for five wickets. This morning Knight (4) and Worker carried on to the bowling of Wilson and Allcott. They started carefully, taking no chance with anything of a. good length on the wicket, but getting runs by occasionally edging the ball away. Trouble came for the Southerners, for Knight, in trying, in Wilson's third over of the day, to turn one o ffthe leg stump, found a shooter go under his bat, and was bowled. XZ — t —S. i When joined by Shepherd, his skipper, Worker on-drove Allcott for three. Shepherd made free play with the bat, and" brought 20 up, twice turning Allcott to leg for a brace each time, but could not . get his off shots past the field. Worker

showed anxiety to get value for some nice off shots that were blocked, but he got a single to leg off Wilson, and was then beaten by a ball from Allcott that missed the wicket by a whisker and went for four byes. The left-hand batsman immediately made amends by ondriving the left-hand bowler to the . boundary. Both men were shaping | freely.

SHEPHERD BATS FREELY.

Shepherd pulled one from Wilson beautifully to the fence, adding a couple of singles in similar style. They put on 25 runs in twenty minutes, the Otago skipper showing nice shots all round the wicket. He showed a relish for Wilson, off whom lie knocked a dozen in two overs, and was chiefly responsible for 50 runs going up in as manp minutes o*f play. Worker hooked a four off Allcott, who bad bowled nine overs, without success, for 27 runs. Wilson was replaced at 58 by Anthony, but he failed to impress Shepherd, who drove a two and a single off the first two balls. The third ball beat Worker and missed the wicket, and then Allcott bowled a maiden to Worker. A single to Shepherd brought him to 25 in 37 minutes, and then Anthony had Worker poking for a couple of balls before he drove one for two.

Wickets Drop Quickly. Allcott. who had been bowling round tho wicket, <ook a turn over the stumps at Shepherd, but the free-playing batsman drove and leg-hit boundaries off tbe first two balls, bringing 70 up for an hour's play, and finished the over with a lifting on-drive and a carpet glide, both shots going for four. Worker drove one from Anthony past cover to the boundary, and with the score at S7 Smith relieved Allcott. Tlic change was effective, for with his third ball he had Shepherd stumped. The retiring batsman bad put on his 43 runs in 47 minutes. 87—2—43. Blamires filled the vacancy, but the third ball from Smith he spooned up high, and tbe bowler took the catch. S7—3—o.

This sensational change drove the batsmen, McMullen and Worker, back to defence, and when the latter was within an ace of being out as Burton stopped and almost held a hard shot as Worker tried to lift one from Smith out of tbe ground, the latter stonewalled the over out. Anthony's second of the next over got McMullen leg before, and four wickets were down for S3 runs. Good Uphill Partnership. H. Alloo and Worker then got over the bad patch, the former driving a Bingle and pulling three, and the- latter leg-hitting a boundary off Anthony. A single to Alloo, off Smith, brought thct hundred up after 90 minutes' play. They showed more confidence now to Smith, and hit eight off his next over, including a boundary by Alloo from a full-tosser. Worker drove Anthony for two ,four, and a single, while Alloo got three to legt from the same over. Alloo nearly lojt his wicket to Smith from a miss-hit, but both of them were now playing the slow bowler confidently. Snedden relieved Anthony with the total at 123, and Alloo shaped confidently at him, pulling his first two balls to the boundary. Worker got his half-century by snicking Snedden through the slips for two. He had taken 115 minutes to do it. The bowling tightened np. and the batsmen became alert bettrosn the wickets, snatching, a number of short singles, which kept the total going steadily up. Then they got going again to knock seven off one of Smith's overs, and nine (including an overthrow) off Snedden, making the total 15S. In Smith's next over Worker was missed by Snedden at mid-on, a single resulting, but two balls later Smith clean-bowled Alloo. 159—5— 29. The partnership had lasted forty minutes and put on 78 runs, making the Otago chances much brighter.

After lunch A. Alloo partnered Worker, .and Wilson was tried again with with the ball conjunctioned with Smith. Off the fast bowler's first over Worker scored half a dozen, and he knocked a forward boundary on each side of the wicket at Smith's expense. In Wilson's next over Alloo survived an appeal for a catch art the wicket. Jumping out freely to Smith, Worker knocked five off the slow howler, and Alloo followed suit, driving a clean four, and then, in attempting a repeat, he was caught at leg-on by McLeod. 185—0—0.

Scores:— I AUCKLAND. —First Innings. Irving, b Douglas 34 Anthony, c Galland, b Douglas .... S7 Snedden, c Torrance, b Alloo 8 Smith, c Worker, b Torrance 73 Dacre, c H. Alloo, b Douglas 7 Burton, b Torrance 17 McLeod, b Alloo 52 LGillespie. b Douslas IS I Allcott, b Blamires 2 Wilson, not out 0 i Rowntree, b Alloo S j Extras IS Total 330 BOWLING ANALYSIS. 1 O. M. E. W. Torrance 2f, 5 80 2 A. Alloo 27 3 100 3 Douglas 2G 1 97 4 Blamires 15 1 35 1 OTAGO.—First Innings. Knight, b Wilson 8 Worker, c Allcott, b Smith 93 Shepherd, st Rowntree, b Smith .. 43 Blamires, c and b Smith 0 McMullan, lbw, b Anthony 0 H. C. Alloo, b Smith 29 A. Alloo, c McLeod, b Smith G : Galland, not out 2 '• Extras 9 I Total for seven wickets .... 190