PLUNKET SHIELD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 45, 23 February 1937, Page 8

PLUNKET SHIELD.

OTAGO ON TOP.

CENTURY TO CAPTAIN.

NINE CHANCES GO BEGOOKt

(By Telegraph.—rrceii «-«■■■ '-flaa.l IK NKin.N, this day. Wright <-ii.k.'(. a f.-amrc of which «u a tiiiu Ma n<l li} , tli« UtHgu '■iijitain, K. F M. I'ttlcy, and I. (.ln-lii. LiUjjli, left th» visitors 33.J to get for a win in Uμ l'lunket Shield cricket match bttweee and ( anterhurv. When play was j.-mim.'d yesterday morning the wealhei was line aud, mak. ing the beet use of a turfed wicket, the Otagu btit*in<Mi run iij> a second inninge t«tal of 431, to which the nership between l.ttley iin d chettfefourgh contributed Hi*. Requiring XH run* to win, Cant*. bury went in at 3.:J3 p.m. wj minutes luut hud ili<- misfortune to lα* J. L. Kerr (who ntun-d three centuries againat M.C.1 , , lam summer), caught off Uunning'e iHiwliug. Silver, Klmes, Nimmo and Ihmoiav were tried at the howling create b2 the first two were not particularly efleetive. liadlco looked net i<>r a good scon when Ims put a ball from Nimnio to fiaa leg, whore Silver accepted an eu*y catch. The 50 appeared in oven time, aad Crumb and Bellamy were associated la a partnership which looked like beiig fruitful until JSollamy was forced to retire with an injury to hi* knet. y. P. O'Brien partnered Crumb, aia lie wan patient as ever and content to go along slowly, with the result that the play for the next knur wu m drab. O'Brion'n defence looked »»«M(a> impregnable. Repeated change* of hfrftJk , ing failed to effect a separation, until within 15 minute* of etumpi o*Briaa played a ball from Nimmo to nquare fag, where Uttley took a fine catch. Page went in and contented hlislf with keeping his wicket intact. An appeal against the light «m upheld at 5.56 p.m. With three don for 137 (Ninnno two fur 30, DnaaJag one for 25) Canterbury then require! 11>5 to avert defeat. Early Diaaatet To-day. Whether succeaa would crown fasiaT bury'ft task to-day of collecting tb* remaining 11W rune to win outright the Plunket Shield match against Otaa* depended largely on Qhe lruitfulneu el the a&eociatiou between Cromb (67) aaa Page, (1), who continued the viaiton' inning* this morning in ideal weather. The wicket wae wearing well. The partnership wae to be abort-life*, however, and Otagu'* hope* of victory brightened con«idenU>ly when Qrosik after sending a ball from Dunniag to the square-leg boundary, nibbled at • rising off ball from the same bowler and was caught behind the wk-keU- Had he settled down Cromb would probably have been very difficult to dislodge. Four wickets were now down for 148. Retiring yeaterday when bo m Iβ, after receiving a ball on the knee eep, Bellamy had sufficiently recovered to bat, and he joined Page, who reached double figures eautioiuly. Then the New Zealand captain for England had a lucky escape. He cocked up an easy catch off Dunning to Knight, ia tfcs •lips, but it wae badly miaeed. On the acore of dropped catches Otofs did not deserve to win, for again at s critical period of the game Bettay skied a ball to mind-on. Groves iu to get under the eatch, but |Tnibd It* * TTiongh he appeared quite iwrtMwrt against the alow tnmdlers, Belkmy was decidedly uncomfortable when peyiag faster deliveries, it being evident tkai he did not relieh either Nlntno or Grove*. Elmes Bowls Mew Zealand Captaia. Page reached 20 in laborious foahiom, bringing the total to 170, and then wai bowled by a ball that would have beatea most batsmen. It wan delivered by Elmes. the left lia»<l trinidler's delifory coming in from the off and *traijrhteai*f up. The N>w /enland captain had beea at the wicket 70 minutes for his rue*. With victory slipping away, Ikß4fc Bellamy and Menzies, the new-comer, treated the attack with etufebof* respect, run* coming singly. Scores: —

OTAGO. First inning* T *** Second Inning*. Knight, b Cromb .».— » ** I'ttley, c Oromb, b Sharp* ....««■ .. I** Mills, b Cromb .••••• • Klmc«, b Mulcock —« ** Chcttleburgh, b Mapplebwlc 84 Badcock, c Menr.iee. l> Mulcoek .... *• V. B. Kerr. st Jackman. b Sharp* .. * Dunning, Ibw, l> lidlamy • ** Grove*, st Jackman, b Sharpe ...» * Ximmo, not out ...» ** Silver, b Oomli •••• ® Extras 1* Total < 51 )?o\vling: Sbar]M> ook three wicket* for lio, Cromb three f«>v SO. Mnleock two for 104. Hellamy one far :sr>. Mu|>ple'*ck one for ll?2. HikJl.-o noiifl for 12, !'»«* none for 1 - J, CAVTKIII'.rHY. Kimt iiininpi. . 2<3 Sim-i.ihl liiiiinv*. HailU-c. r Silv.T. !, Si:.iii... 2^ J. L. Kimt. .■ Kni-iit. 11 ■ • Isclluiii\, ,i Mill-, li ) liik" ' i 9 Cntmb. c Mill-, i. Ihiiiiiiny el OHiii-n. v liil.-n . i. Vim 2<l I, Kill,.- *• M«"ii/.ii>*. 11..1 •Mμ 40 SJihi-ih-, Ibw. m K!m,.-> ■ •■• J •fttt-Kniriii, I , r.niu"*, li I'liniiiii- " MapplfU'ck, not mil ■■' I Kxirii* ; Tola] for I'ifjhi wi, ki-t- . . 240 ( anti'i liurv'.-, i*4*n.ii'.nin;j |>!.< \«T i» iMul.u.-k.