OTAGO BOWLING MASTERED

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25136, 18 March 1947, Page 8

OTAGO BOWLING MASTERED

CRICKET

Three Centuries To M.C.C. SIX DOWN FOR 385 From Our Own Reporter DUNEDIN. March 17. After losing the first three wickets for only 26 runs, England made light of the Otago bowling in the second day of the match at Carisbrook today. Three batsmen, Yarcley, Ikin, and Evans made centuries, and at the close of play the M.C.C. had scored 385 for six in reply to the Otago total of 340. After lunch the Englishmen scored at a tremendous rate, 350 Tuns being made in 231 minutes. It was glorious cricket and another large crowd thoroughly enjoyed the Play. On Saturday Otago had scored 322 for nine, and this morning the last batsmen, McDougall and Overton, spent a difficult half-hour adding 18 valuable runs. The Otago innings lasted 342 minutes. Fishlock and Yardley opened for England at 12.15 p.m., and in McDougall’s second over Fishlock was caught at midoff when trying to drive a ball well short of a length. Edrich, the next batsman, ■was handicapped by an eye ailment, but was bowled by a ball from A. W. Roberts as good as the bowler has ever sent down. It came in very quickly from the off. and took the middle stump.

With two wickets down for eight, Compton joined Yardley, and the Middlesex player hit McDougall through the covers for a four with a delightful shot off his back foot. After half an hour McDougall changed ends, and immediately claimed Compton’s wicket. The b?’l was a poorly disguised slower one, but Compton miss-hit it, and was caught at fine leg. It was a stroke unworthy of his obvious talent. With three down for 26 Otago was well on top, but Hammond and Yardley were together at lunch when the total was 35. Hammond Out Hammond began the afternoon by hitting a full toss from Robinson almost over the fence, and Yardley, whose chief scoring medium was an excellently controlled and timed pull to mid-wicket, was untroubled. The 50 was raised in 73 minutes, the first 30 minutes after lunch producing 31 runs. Hammond lacked something of his former assuredness, but hit some magnificent shots through the covers and past the bowler, < and he was sufficiently The Hammond of old to assume automatically the centre of the stage. However, soon after the partnership had realised 50 Hammond was out. In Overton’s first over the batsman drovw one hard to Mills at extra cover, and the fieldsman fumbled, but recovered and held the catch. Four wickets were down for 91, and Otago’s prospects were stul excellent. Yardley’s 50 and the 100 arrived together, after 107 minutes, and thereafter Yardley was in command of the situation. Hadlee found difficulty in stopping his pull shot, and the stroke gained him many runs throughout his innings. Yardley scored no more than two or three! times behind the wicket, but as his innings bloomed and blossomed he introduced more excellent 'shots—cover and off drives, and square cuts. An Uncertain Start Ikin, however, made a most uncertain start. He was ill at ease to all the bowlers, and was dropped at fine leg when he had scored 6. Yardley maintained a brisk scoring rate, hitting 14 fours in his first 90 runs, and the third 50 was made in 39 minutes. Yardley reached his century, after batting 148 minutes, with a forcing shot off the back foot off L. Smith. At tea Yardley was 108, and Ikin, who had taken 54 minutes to make 10, was 21, the total being 176. After the interval Yardley hooked one perfectly to the boundary off McDougall, but was bowled next ball trying to on drive. With Ikin, he had added 116 m 85 minutes, and had scored most of them. He played a fine innings, full of good cricket and enterprising shot-making", it was his first century of the team’s tour. The new ball was taken by McDougall and Roberts at 211, but it made little difference to the now rapid scoring rate. Ikin since tea had been batting with much more freedom and confidence, and, like Yardley, he brought into play a wide range of excellent strokes. Evans was full of confidence, and although he had some lucky escapes, he gave an exhibition of forceful batting which will be remembered. He off-drove, square cut. and hooked hard and often, and the score was taken from 200 to 290 in 36 minutes. Ikin reached his 50 in 117 minutes, and Evans snicked one from Roberts over the heads of the slips to the fence. He made amends next ball with a grand square cut for four, and then square cut the third ball for two. The fourth ball of the over was straight driven to the boundary, the next turned to the fine leg fence, and a single for a square cut off the last ball made 19 off the over. Fast Scoring Evans, stroking with superb power, reached 50 in 42 minutes, and Smith, the slow left-hander, bowled round the wicket to him in an effort to curb the scoring rate. The batsmen at this stage were thoroughly in command of the situation, and Otago's excellent start was made to look like some freak of fortune. Although he had begun batting 9U minutes after Ikin, Evans caught his partner before they were in the seventies, and together they took f the total from 250 to 300 in 21 minutes. As they continued their audacious display the mathematics of their partnership made extraordinary reading. They made 100 in only 53 minutes, practically all the runs coming from perfect, handsome, and powerful strokes. Evans gave a hard chance to St. John at extra cover off McDougall, but the fieldsman did well to get his hands to the ball. The Otago bowlers, after being on top. were successively checked, mastered, and thrashed. Evans took 12 in three hits off an over from McDougall, and later hooked the same bowler high into the crowd. Four overthrows, from Ikin benefited, helped to maintain the merry pace, and after four hours’ batting the Otago total was reached. A maiden from McDougall was warmly applauded—-a sign of the times—and when in the nineties Evans slowed down ’o normally quick scoring. The partnership produced 150 in 76 minutes, and Evans, with a typical square cut off Smith, .reached his century, his first in firstclass cricket, in 82 minutes. Shortly after Ikin also achieved three figures, but the partnership, which added 170 in 91 minutes, was broken when Evans was caught. He hit 15 fours and a six, but the figures are merely reminders of the many glorious shots he played. Before stumps Bedser scored six runs, all from one mighty hit on to the embankment off Robinson. The Otago bowlers worked well on a wicket which continued to play perfectly, and in ideal weather. All the stock bowlers had their moments, out Overton, although he did Little with the ball, maintained the most consistent length and direction. The bowling wilted under the severe strain imposed upon it. but the fielding was particularly good all through the afternoon.' Smith and Overton were outstanding in this respect The attendance was between 7000 and 8000. Scores

Pollard bowled six no-balls, Wright •ne. and Bedser one. ENGLAND First Innings N. W. D. Yardley, b McDougall .. 126 L. B. Fishlock, c Hadlee, b McDougall .. 3 W. J. Edrich. b Roberts 1 D. C. S. Compton, c O’Sullivan, b McDougall .. .. 4 W. R. Hammond, c Mills, b Overton 33 J. T Ikin, not out .. 102 T. G. Evans, c O’Sullivan, b Robinson .. .. .. 101 A. V. Bedser, not out 6 Extras (byes 3. leg byes 2. noball 1) b Total for six wickets .. 385 SraTl of wickets: one for 7. two for 8. three for 26, four for 91, five for 207, six for 377.

OTAGO First Innings W. A. Hadlee, c Hammond, b Pollard 12 B. Sutcliffe, c and b Edrich .. .. 197 G. H. Mills, b Pollard ..32 A. W. Roberts, c Evans, b Bedser .. 0 R. H. Robinson, b Pollard .. .. 17 D. St. John, b Bedser .. 6 L. Smith, c Edrich. b Voce .. ..12 J. O’Sullivan, b Pollard .. 4 A. W. McDougall, not out .. ..16 I. W. Gallaway, b Edrich .. 0 G. W. Overton, c Evans, b Bedser .. 4 Extras (byes 12, leg-byes 20, noballs 8) . 40 Total .. 340

BOWLING O. ‘ M. R. W. Voce .. 14 2 51 1 Bedser .. 30 5 ' 76 3 Pollard .. 32 9 92 4 Wright .. 19 4 60 0 Yardley ..3 0 7 0 Edrich 6 1 14 2

BOWLING O. M. R. W. McDougall .. 24 4 98 3 Roberts .. 19 3 71 1 Overton .. 15 3 46 1 Robinson .. 17 2 68 1 Smith .. 13 0 75 0 Sutcliffe .. 3 0 10 0 Hadlee •• 2 0 9 0 X