TASK TOO HARD

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 1, 2 January 1945, Page 2

TASK TOO HARD

LATE DECLARATION

CROMB UNBEATEN WITH 159

The tardy declaration of the Canterbury captain, W. A. Hadlee, who left Auckland 353 runs to obtain in under IGO minutes to secure an outright win, robbed the representative cricket match at Eden Park of much of its interest yesterday. At stumps Auckland had lost seven wickets for 197, leaving the match in a drawn state, with Canterbury leading by 89 on the first innings. Highest scorer of the game was I. B. Cromb, who, in Canterbury's second innings yesterday rattled on 159 before Hadlee declared just before three o'clock at 263 for five wickets. On Saturday afternoon the Auckland captain, W. M. Wallace, made a gallant effort to save the side from a first innings deficit with a knock of 108. Kerr helped him take the score from ISO to 279 in a sixth-wicket stand, but after the left-hander's dismissal the last four wickets put on only 15 runs. The Canterbury slow left-hander, T. B. Burtt, returned the figures of seven wickets for 101 in 40.5 overs —a fine performance. Cromb and Leggatt had to go to the wickets for one over before stumps, and, continuing the innings yesterday morning, were not separated for an hour and a quarter. Cromb had just reached his halfcentury the previous over when lie turned Burke near Sutcliffe at short leg. Leggatt, a right-hander who had shown a good range of shots, was well down the pitch In anticipation of a run, and could not regain the crease before Sutcliffe's return saw Burke break the wicket. Cromb 90 at Lunch Hadlee and Cromb brought the hundred up after 05 minutes, the bowling now being well mastered, and Cromb penetrated Cleverley's leg trap with a hook to reach the seventies. At the luncheon adjournment Cromb had made 90 of a score of 139, and he reached three figures soon after the resumption with a beautiful off-drive off Kerr. Forty runs were added in under 25 minutes after lunch, and at 2.20 Hadlee brought the 200 up with a shot to fine leg off Brown, reaching his half century with a similar stroke ten minutes later. The Canterbury captain's dismissal came soon afterwards. He struck an overpitched ball from Brown hard to G. Wallace at cover, and a brilliant return saw him sprawled on the ground in an unsuccessful attempt to get back after starting a run. Cromb, after pulling a full toss from Cleverley to the long-on boundary, gave a difficult chance to W. M. Wallace at midoff, the fieldsman just failing to hold a stinging drive to which he had to move across. Wallace caught the new batsman, Mcßae, off the first ball of Cleverley's next over, and after Uttley had been stumped when the ball rebounded on to the wickets off Kent's pads, and Waine had been bowled second ball by Brown, Hadlee declared. Mcßae's Leg Trap Works The leg trap of the tall Canterbury lefthand medium-fast bowler, Mcßae, worked well immediately Whitelaw ami Pearson opened Auckland's second innings, Whitelaw being snapped up at forward shortleg in the third over of the innings, and Pearson at backward short-leg in the fifth. Cleal and Wallace were able to counter the leg trap, which loses its deadliness when the ball begins to wear, but Mcßae got a straight one past the Auckland captain when he was 14, to make the total 44 for three wickets. Sutcliffe and Cleal then batted freely, though both had "lives" soon after Wallace went out. Their running between the wickets was well-judged, and twice they ran fours after Cleal had sent the ball through the slips. deal's hard-hitting innings ended at 58 when he flicked Scott to Waine at second slip. As in the first innings, Cleal had attacked the bowling from the start, and with this knock brought his aggregate for two representative matches to 189. Sutcliffe hit the first six of the innings with a drive past long-on off Scott, and reached his 50 with a second six on to the terraces, this one off Waine. Sntcliffe Stumped at 8:5 Anderson was tried, and in his secqnd over G. Wallace, who had been batting confidently, did not connect with a puiishot, being caught half way to the boundary at mid-wicket by Butterfield. With half a hour to go, Kerr joined Sutcliffe, who was forcing the bowling well through the covers oft his back foot and exploiting the hook to anything short. Sutcliffe raised his total quickly, but with time getting short was stumped off Burtt at 83 as he tried to bring the century within reach. Another lefthander Kent, followed, but had his oflstump knocked back by Burtt without scoring. ' This was the end of the match, with Auckland 155 runs behind and three wickets in hand.

Scores: — CANTERBURY First Innings 383 Second Innings I. B. Cromb, not out 159 J. G. Leggatt, run out £> IS' N A - lE&To w" T Wallace! 7b ■ Cleveriey "t K. F. M. Uttley, st Kent, b Cleverley 1 T. Waine. b Brown JJ Extras '" Total for five wickets (declared) 263 Bowling: D. C. Cleverley took two wickets for 91 runs, W. J. Brown one for 51, C. Kerr none for 26, B. Sutcliffe none for 34, C. Burke none for 51. AUCKLAND—First Innings H. T. Pearson, run out 32 P. E. Whitelaw. c Waine. b Scott 59 O. C. Cleal. b Burtt 24 W. M. Wallace, c Dunnett. b Burtt 108 B. Sutcliffe. b Burtt 4 G. Wallace, b Burtt 10 , C. Kerr. c Cromb. b Burtt 33 C. Burke, b Butterfield 1 L. A. Kent, c, Cromb. b Burtt » D. C. Cleverley. not out 2 W. J. Brown, c Dunnett. b Burtt 0 Extras 15 Total 234 Bowline: T. Burtt seven wickets for 101 runs, R. H. Scott one for 62. D. N. Mcßie none for 51 T. Waine none for 20. L. A. Butterfield one for 23. W. McD. Anderson none for 22. Second Innings P. E Whitelaw. c Burtt. b Mcßae 3 H. T. Pearson, c Butterfield. b Mcßae 5 O. C. Cleal. c Waine. b Scott 58 W. M. Wallace, b Mcßae 14 B. Sutcliffe, st Dunnett. b Burtt 83 (G. Wallace, c Butterfield, b Anderson 11 C. Kerr. not out 15 L. A. Kent, b Burtt 0 Extras 8 Total for seven wickets 197 Bowling: D. N. Mcßae three wickets for 30 runs, T. B. Burtt two for 74, R. Scott one for 22 W McD. Anderson one for 22, T. Waine none for 9. L. A. Butterfield none for 32.

Mes'srs.' J. C. Harris and R. Blennerhassett were umpires.