CASUAL SHOOTERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 18, 22 January 1929, Page 9

CASUAL SHOOTERS.

DUNNING EXCELS.

FINE BOWLING FIGURES.

BOWLEY AGAIN UNLUCKY.

When stumps were drawn last evening the ,Plunket Shield match was in an interesting stage, Auckland having 741 runs on for the loss of one wicket in their uphill fight to get 334 to win. Details of play after the main edition of the " Star " went to press yesterday are as follows:— When James came Wellington had lost four wickets for 138. Allcott dropped his pace to slow medium, and kept the ball well up, the Wellington 'keeper playing a few carefully, and then getting a single on the on. Dunning, in. his twenty-fifth successive over, got rid of James lbw. The ball sped on to the line, and the batsman, after running half way down the pitch, halted with an amazed expression on his face when he saw the umpire's finger pointing to the sky. The Auckland united appeal, bowler and wicketkeeper, had been of the very sanguine order. 145—5 —4. Dunning should have had Worker before the over was out, Whitelaw, amid a groan from the crowd, failing to gather a hard chance in the slips. As, an appreciation for the let off, Worker crisply drove one to the fence, following it with a pretty cover drive to the ropes. Foley followed, and a pair of lefthanders were together. There were three tapped singles, and Rowntree let one through to the fence, sending 160 up. Dunning was tiring, and Foley turned him to the line and drove the next straight for four. Allcott then rang a double bowling change with Player and Postles. Dunning deserved a rest. He had sent down 27 successive overs, and had passed by degrees from every stage down from fast medium to slow. Player's late inswing puzzled both batsmen, and they were content to play him back. It was very slow batting, with a polite crowd strangely silent and hopeful of brighter things. Postles' length was variable, and Foley swung a nice three to the on. ' Worker In the Fifties. Worker reached fifty in 101 minutes with a single gently turned to fine leg. It was now a game full of maidens, the batsmen patting back ball after ball, all unconscious of the advice from young hillsiders to do more heroic things. The most popular man on the park took the field at this stage. He carried a large jug in his hand and players with one accord made a rush for him. When the play was restarted the batsmen still plodded. Worker hooked Player hard, Weir being applauded for a brilliant stop. Then he suddenly opened out at Player and lifted one high to the fence for four. The spectators applauded a clean sporting shot, as previous to this he had scored eleven consecutive singles. Worker brought 200 up in 214 minutes by driving Postles to the fence. The home bowling was fairly accurate but it was lacking in devil and in the resources at hand there was a painful lack of variety. A new ball was sup plied and in the heavy atmosphero Player was able to get an appreciable amount of swerve, yet two well set batsmen went on imperturbably. Dunning came back to use the ball before the gloss departed and Foley played a pretty on shot. The fourth ball beat the batsman in the air and caught him right in front of the sticks. He had been batting an hour. 209—6—27. McGirr came next and without a run added Worker got one from Player on to the edge of .his bat. The ball curled up to third man where Allcott fumbled the. catch. Worker began to open out and hit Player twice hard to the fence. McGirr opened brightly with a four and two twos. At the tea adjournment the score was 227 for the loss of six wickets, Worker being 73. After tea Allcott bowled and with his third delivery he yorked Worker, who played too late. The left-hander had been in two hours 31 minutes and had batted solidly. He was funereal in the early stages when he took half an hour to get two runs. He anchored for times in the latter stages but there were occasionally glimpses of the fluency of stroke play which marked his first innings' display. 227 —7 —73.

Good " Shooting " By Dunning. Rotherham was the new arrival. He got a three and then Dunning, working up to top speed, scattered the Englishman's wicket. He played forward and with a dead shooter was literally submarined. 230—8 —3. It was a seven ball over. Lambert followed and turned a single to leg off Allcott, following it with a two in the next over. At the terrace end of the wicket the dust was beginning to fly and an occasional dead shooter occasioned speculation in regard to Auckland's second innings. At 4.45 Lambert was bowled by Allcott. 241—9—8. Henderson followed, but did not get a strike, Dunning wrecking McGirr's wicket with a ball which kept low. 241—10—11. The Auckland second innings was opened by Bowley and Mills to the bowling of Henderson and McGirr. The two batsmen were at home from the start, and runs came quickly. Both were playing forcing shots all round the wicket, and several hard drives went through to the line. Bowley played one beauty through the covers, which went like a flash to the fence. Lowry rang a bowling change to get McGirr on at the pavilion" end, and as a tactic it was successful. Bowley played forward at a medium paced ball, and it went off his pads and bat into the wicket. Postles joined Mills, and the rate of scoring slowed down. The object of Postles was to stick there, and he resisted every temptation when easy balls were sent up. Mills occasionally got a nice shot away, and at stumps the pair were still in possession, the total being 74. Mills was 39 and Postles 6.