POOR SCORE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 305, 26 December 1930, Page 10

POOR SCORE.

VIVIAN'S STYLISH DISPLAY, YESTERDAY'S PI.AY REVIEWED ' (By Telegraph;— Special to " Star.") CHRiSTCHURCH, this day. Auckland " found, the Canterbury attack at the top of it's form in the Plunket Shield match, which began at Lancaster Park yesterday. With many first-class batsmen; in the side Auckland could not make more " than a moderate 104, to Which Canterbury replied with 44 without loss pf a wicket. Mills and postlte looked a fine 'openin* pair, making the runs m excellent fashion, but Mills felt forward WrSvelv'to a; good ball from BUfroWs.

Postles was run out a little later. The wicket was In perfect order, the new Nottingham marl proving a complete success. Vivian gave the, brightest exhibition of the day. This young lefthander impressed the Canterbury critics with his easy style and powerful shots . ■■• --■ ----- - against steady trundling. His defence was sound all the time. Anything oose he dealt with severely, no stroke coming amiss. It was unlucky for ■kucklarid lie was un out. Hiß 37 was a graceful contribution. He and Postles both looked like making large scores, though, the righthander did not impress as did Vivian. Weir was uncomfortable against Merritt, who was getting a lot of turn oh the ball and he tipped one into the hands of Doreen behind the wickets before he had scored. The play, was of a stodgy nature as soon as Vivian left. Gillespie doggedly kept his wicket lip and collected a sound twenty before lie went out to play missed, and was stumped by Dorreen. Wenslcy was another- to bat quietly but soundly. However, lie liveried things a*t times with some pretty shots to the leg boundary arid through the covers; He fell to Burrows who was swinging with the fresh easterly breeze, a yorker taking his middle stump. Werisley was top of the list with 39. .Matheson showed a few good shots in his fourteen but the others failed;

Lester's Good Average. Lester was the successful bowler of the dayj securing the fine, average of four for 21. Lester bowls some dangerous balls, swinging and doing a little off the pitch. To-day he was much steadier than usual and took a lot of hitting. He owed two wickets in part to the fine stuihping of Ddrreen. It had been anticipated that Canterbury's bowling was not steady eliOiigh .to keep Auckland quiet, but Burrows turned out a fine .stock bowler, maintaining a perfect length and swinging them deceptively. He took two good Wickets for 29 runs. Talbot took no wickets but -\Vas steadier than usual and kept the batsmen qiliet. Lester swung them tremendously at times, the anlohnt of swerve varying a lot and he kept the batsmen guessing. If he. can keep as steady a length as he did ttt-day he will be one of New Zealand's best trundlers as well as a fiiie batsman. Merritt got a lot of turn oil the.ball, but the• Aucklanders felished his loose ones and his' two wickets cost 63 runs. . Page, Roberts and Cromb, three useful change bowlers, Wfere riot'heeded. ■ The best, feature- of the innings from the Canterbury point of view was the fielding., v <. It ,wae.. the best seen by a Canterbury team for many years. One or two .mistakes were made and one man threw.; iri„w.iidly more than once s but oh the whole the work.was .sure and clean. There were rib missed catches; Croihb took two Jsuperb catches) . one whei*Allcott- hooked a fairly fast ofte from Lester, the fieldsman taking it from tlie bat, ahd the. other high and left:harided on the boundary when McCoy tried to hit Merritt for six. Cromb was_standing on the boundary arid the ball Wag. too high to. get both hands on,- , ;.- .• ... . .. ; Splelidid . IVicketkeepini; Dorreen, behind the stirmps, gave, a superlative display, catching one ■ lhiin on the leg side> stumping two .off Lester's medium fast bowling and* aided by the fast r accurate returns' of Page, funning two but. : • Canterbury's opening pair,- Kerr and Hairiilt&ri, batted With Some enterprise, putting' '44 dri'the boards in 26 minutes. Kerr batted like a champion While fianiilton- Was not far -behind. Wensley was treated cavalierly while the two fast men, Mathesoii and Cleverley, were on the erratic side. Cleverley developed a lot. of pace and; Went very hear to Keff'S stumps in the last oyer.

: .Canterbury are in a strong position and if 'the weather holds Auckland will be"hard put to.stave off defeat. ( \