CRICKET

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21974, 24 December 1936, Page 15

CRICKET

» FIRST SHIELD MATCH OF SEASON CANTERBURY TO MEET AUCKLAND MANY INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS Canterbury's first Plunket Shield match of the season will begin to-mor-row afternoon at Lancaster Park, when the touring Auckland team will be met. Auckland has five men in its team new to representative cricket; Canterbury has two. It is very difficult, therefore, to estimate the chances of the contest. The teams both appear to be fairl" strong in batting, but Auckland critics hold the same views concerning the bowling • " the northern side that Canterbury critics hold about the bowling of their own team—that it is rather a doubtful quantity. The teams will be as follows: Auckland Canterbury

H. G. Vivian (capt.) I. B. Crcmb (capt.) P. E. Whitelaw J- L. Kerr W. M. Wallace W. A. Hadlee E. J. Dunning M. L. Page G. L. Weir C. J Oliver A. M. Matheson A. W. Roberts R. A. Marshall R- E. J Menzies J Cowie C. K. Jackman L. R. Spring M. Graham W. Carson E. T. Mulcock N. McMahon F. P. O'Brien G. Hook (12th A. P. Cobden (12th man) man)

In thest • two teams there is an extraordinary number of international players. Cromb, Kerr, Hadlee. Page, Oliver, Roberts, and Jackman (Canterbury), -nd Vivian, Whitelaw, Wallace, Weir, Matheson and Cowie (Auckland), all having gained New Zealand c- -, s. Visitors' Attack More Varied At first glance it appears that both teams will rely primarily on a fastmedium attack. Here Canterbury appears to have a slight advantage. Auckland, however, has the more varied bowling tale-'-. It is interesting to note that the Auckland selectors tried a bold experiment when faced with a problem very similar to that in Christchurch. Canterbury this year has lost W. E. Merritt. and, evidently believing that there was no other slow spin bowler of representative standard available, the selectors adopted the unusual procedure of picking an eleven without a stock bowler of this type. The Auckland selectors found themselves without the services of D. R. Garrard, and being unable to find anyone of his standard in the senior A ranks, they went to the senior B grade for McMahon, a young player who undoubtedly has the gift of spinning the ball. Whether his length and, direction Will be sufficiently accurate for representative cricket remains to be seen. To support its fast attack led by Cowie and Matheson. Auckland also has Vivian, slow left-harider. who has bowled well in international matches. Like Canterbury. Auckland has severa men who can be looked upon as useful change bowlers, including Spring, the former West Christchurch player. An Auckland team will seem hardly complete without J. E. Mills, a member of both the New Zealand teams which have toured England. He has not struck form this season and has been dropped from the representative team—a step that few provinciall selectors would be keen to take, whitelaw also has been out of form, but he is much younger than Mills. ' The Lancaster Park wicket should be fairly easy after the rain of the last few days, and it should favour the batsmen. The ground is in splendid order.