VARYING FORTUNES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 306, 27 December 1930, Page 10

VARYING FORTUNES.

ATrCKfcAND BREACHES AGAIN. NOTES ON YESTEKDAY'S PLAY.. (J3y Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") , ; : . CHRISTCHURCH, .this day.^ With good bowling and fice. hatting, Auckland retrieved their ; wwWg gjg? second day's play in the, Plunket Shield Vame against Canterbury at Lancaster Park After Christmas Day it looked as though fortune was all in favour of Canterbury, but.yesterday the home team was out for, 229, o*ly 65 fead of .the visitors, and at stumps-Auckland had 180 to their credit, with the loss of only'two wickets. With Kerr's dismissal and the quick following of Hamilton, something very like a rot set in. Hamilton was batting in -fine style, hitting freely £nd well, when he was bowled for 40. He has improved since last season," standing up more'and being enterprising. Roberts bad -to scratch for his 17 and Jacobs was twice, dropped in the slips. Talbot and Cromb went without any appreciable addition to the seore, and Page made only a dozen. J Wensley and ; . Cleverley were the destructive agents. Wensley was bowling finely, varying his pace and break, and maintaining a line length. He ■used his head, and found the weak ijpots of the batsmen. The Canterbury men could not reeist nibbling at the fast balls that gave Cleverley some of his wickets. Wensley took live for 80, and Cleverley four for 58. The other wicket went to Matheson. ' .'■:■* Jacobs and Lester were the batsmen to ecore well. Jacobs was painfully shaky making hte first twenty, but he then settled down, and with shots on both. Bides and. behind the wicket he brought his total to 52. Lester went m Jate, and could not get going before the 'last- two men were in. He was batting jn »)/.» style, delimiting the crowd with tiwj. icuK> und power of liis Shots. '•:' His ;'j§ was, under the circumstances,' a very bright performance. His six off Wensley y?M a mighty hit. / With.4sfe exception oj! several catches I dropped, in the slips, the Auckland fleld- | jng was good and clean.

Canterbury were up against a different proposition in Auckland's second innings. Mills settled down right away, and with Postles set to work to give the visitors a good lead. He was timing his shots beautifully, and helped himself on both sides of the wicket. Talbot and Burrows were hard to score oiF, but the batsmen helped themselves to Merritt, and runs came steadily, though slowly, at first. Postles was beautifully taken on the leg side by Dorreen oil' Lester for 13 when he was beginning to' go well. It is not a lucky match for him. , i * The Mills-Weir partnership added 60 in ordinary time, the batsmen \vaiting for the loose ones and dealing with them severely. Hills was scoring well, and looked like staying there , for the rest of the day when Cromb clean bowled him with a beauty for 00. Vivian took Mills 5 place worthily. He played himself in with the slow scoring Weir, and then, the bowling losing a little of its sting, he caught and passed his partner's total by the time stumps were drawn. "He showed the same pretty shots as he did in the first innings, and made no mistakes. He gave Burrows one very hot chance at ppint, but few fieldsmen could have, held it. Unless Canterbury can dismiss these batsmen early to-day they will be up against a big total to get in the fourth innings. The Aucklanders were just content to wear down the bowling before going for the runs, and the policy was successful. Burrows maintained a fine length all the afternoon, and kept the runs down. Talbot, bowling faster than usual, was also treated with respect, while Lester was doing something in the air, though he was not as consistent as on the first day. Cromb was getting good pace, and kept- them consistently on the spot. Merritt was again. mastered. Though he' kept a better length, he could not get the batsmen into trouble. The lefthanders seemed to relish him. Page took a couple of overs himself without effect. The Canterbury fielding was of good class, though, on . three occasions mistakes were made with the ground fielding. Canterbury seems to have found a fielding team at last. Dorreen was again first class behind the stumps. Auckland have strengthened their position greatly, and Canterbury will bo hard put to it to hold them. During tlic dull periodst he spectators, of whom there was, a fair attendance, found plenty of interest in the .varying fortunes of the tea me.