FIJIANS BAT BRIGHTLY

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25437, 8 March 1948, Page 5

FIJIANS BAT BRIGHTLY

CRICKET

BULA’S BIG HITTING

SECOND DAY OF MATCH WITH CANTERBURY Christchurch saw its best cricket of the season at Lancaster Park on Saturday morning, when the Fijians, in the first innings of their match against Canterbury, scored 172 runs in two hours for the loss of four wickets. This may or may not constitute a record, and the point is immaterial; sufficient was it that the visitors, against good bowling, played real cricket and scored at a tremendous pace without ever resorting to anything crude and uncultured. In the afternoon their cricket was bright and entertaining. In the morning it was superb. The weather -was pleasantly warm when play began, and there was a light northeasterly breeze. The wicket throughout the day played easily and gave the bowlers practically no assistance.

In the first 40 minutes of play, the opening batsmen, H. J. Apted and P. T. Raddock, scored 57 runs with delightful play. Apted made most of his runs with a pretty leg'' glance and an equally attractive on-side forcing stroke. Raddock’s most lucrative shot was a wellcontrolled and effective pull to square leg, and he used this several times in the opening overs to the bowling of J. Booker. When the Canterbury captain, W. A. Hadlee, moved R. Hitchcock from fine to square leg, Raddock showed he had other goc-d strokes to bring him runs. His cutting was superb, and neither batsman was troubled in the least until Booker was changed to the north end. In his first over after the change, Booker induced Apted to lift the ball slightly in playing his on-side forcing stroke, and Hitchcock, at mid-on, dived to take a spectacular catch almost on the ground. Wfien C. G. Snook replaced the other opening bowler, A. R. Mac Gibbon, Raddock steered a kicking ball over the heads of the slips with a deliberate and ingenious stroke, and Bula, facing his third ball, hit the same bowler for six, a remarkable stroke to long-on. It was played very late, and the bat swung only a foot or two. Snook usually bowls more overs than he has runs hit off him, but on this occasion his first five overs cost 37 runs. He had, however, discarded his normal outswinger in favour of an attempt to bowl off breaks. The effort was not particularly successful, but it was a welcome experiment, which, if pursued, should make Snook a very dangerous bowler. The batsmen raised 100 in only 70 minutes, but two runs later Raddock was out. He played his pull to square leg to a leg break from R. F. Cook, and was well caught by Hitchcock. His had been an admirable innings. His best stroke, the late cut, was as quick and sure as a rapier thrust, and while he was in he set the pace in the swift running between the wickets. The next batsman, G. Cakobau, did not last long, touching a good ball from Mac Gibbon into the hands of A. E. L. Britton, the wicketkeeper. The total was then 113. Bula’s Hitting When the visiting captain, P. A. Snow, joined Bula, the scoring rate decreased appreciably, but when Hitchcock relieved Cook it soared to new heights. Bula dispatched the third ball for a glorious six. It completely cleared the eastern stand. The next ball was square cut for four, a perfect stroke, and the last ball was pulled, also for four, with the speed of a bullet. This gave Bula his 50 in an hour, and brought his aggregate for the tour to 500. In Hitchcock’s second over Bula hit two more sixes, both tremendous shots, and six consecutive scoring strokes from him were 4,6, 4, 4. 6. 6. The 150 was raised in 109 minutes, but five runs later Bula was out. Cook came back in place of Hitchcock, whose two overs nad

costi26 runs, and Bula, attempting a pull against the spin of a leg break, sent the ball straight up for Britton to take an easy catch. Bula had played a magnificent innings. His off driving and square cutting were good orthodox strokes, hit with plenty of power. His pull, made possible by extreme speed of eye and feet, was worthy of a Headley. In the five minutes'left before lunch Turuva scored 12 and the total was taken to 172.

Turuva was ought in the first over after the interval. He tried to drive a leg break from Cook and was taken by P. O’Malley at backward point. Mosese and Snow then added 55 good runs. Snow, with a limited stroke equipment, batted dourly, but his sound defence allowed ms long succession of partners to take the initiative. Mosese was lucky at times, but he played some attractive strokes. When he had made 33 he danced out to a leg break from O’Malley and was well stumped by Britton. M. J. Fenn had been at the wicket only a few moments when he produced an exquisite late cut to Mac Gibbon for which the rules allowed him a beggarly four runs. Fenn batted freely throughout his short innings, although he courted danger with his eagerness to run for practically any hit. In 27 minutes he scored 26 runs, and drew level with Snow, who had gone in an hour and a half earlier. He was out with the total at 258.

A. J. Wendt, after hitting Cook for a stimulating six, was run out. Snow cut a poor ball from Mac Gibbon behind point and the batsmen ran one. Wendt walked up the wicket as though ready for a second run, and apparently failed to realise the ball was being returned. A few moments later Snow .went well up the wicket to Cook, changed his mind, was beaten and bowled. He had batted stubbornly for two hours and a quarter.

Last Wicket Partnership When only three runs were needed to avert a follow-on, F. B. Smith and J. G. Leggat were brought on to bowl, a fair indication of the happy nature of the game. The spectators roared with laughter as the batsmen sprinted up and down the pitch, issuing frenzied instructions, one to the other. Gosling produced something new in a tremendous scythe stroke which ultimately led to his undoing. Only a bowler of Leggat’s calibre was equal to the demands made by the stroke. His third ball would nave been of a fair length had it been bowled from the other end, and Gosling, playing what was apparently his only shot, scooped it up off the ground. Cook, at mid-on, had no alternatuve out to take, the catch. The follow-on had been averted without a display of drama. The innings lasted 223 minutes. For Canterbury, both Booker and MacGibbon bowled’quite well. Mac Gibbon’s first spell was a poor one, but he improved, and near the end of the innings he sent down some good length balls of real pace. Both he and Booker were handicaped by the unresponsive wicket. Booker was very steady and swung the ball sharply, but he was unable to make his most dangerous ball, the one coming back from the off, do anything but go straight through. Cook would have liked a faster wicket for his spin, but his invitation to destruction began as soon as the ball left his hand. His flighting was good, his spin effective, his length excellent. Cook took four wickets at a modest cost and might have taken more had he been given the chance. His was a fine effort. O’Malley showed much better control of length than in Canterbury s earlier matches. „ , , The fielding was first class. Some excellent catches were taken, and none was dropped. Britton gave a good exhibition of wicket-keeping, in spite of the large number of byes. Standing up to all the bowlers, he was part of the attack, and not merely a reserve. He took two catches and made a stumping, and one attempted stumping, from one of MacGibbon’s fastest balls, outside the leg stump, was memorable for its rhythm and speed. Many of the byes he allowed were from balls only a long-limbed acrobat could have stopped.

Canterbury’s Batting When Canterbury batted for the second time, runs were scored at a rate of one a minute, but the batting, after what had gone before it, seemed quite colourless. The rather picnic atmosphere was increased by Cook opening the innings, and wickets fell regularly until the close of play. In the last hour O’Malley batted attractively, but almost unobstrusively. His batting is a delight to the true cricket lover, but it does not demand the attention of the casual spectator. His stroke production, however, was almost fault-

less. Smith played a ball on to his pads, and it bounced on to his wicket, and Mac Gibbon was unlucky to be dismissed. O’Malley * drove a ball from Fenn hard down the wicket. The bowler, attempting to stop it, diverted it on to the wicket and Mac Gibbon, who had been backing up, was run out. Britton, after hitting a beautiful six, played forward to Fenn and the bowler, picking up quickly threw the batsman’s wicket down.

When Fenn had Hitchcock caught, by Apted, he took his fiftieth wicket of the tour. Fenn bowled unchanged for the last two hours of play, and his occasional change of flight, with his top spin, made him the Fijians’ nost formidable bowler Isoa, who had bowled 30 overs in the first Isoa, was not used at all. Apted’s catch was a good one. When he dropped Leggat in the first inning, it was the first catch he had missed in eight years, in spite of a disabled arm. The Fijian’s fielding was again good, many fine saves be.ing made, but two chances were missed. The gate takings were £903, one of the largest amounts for a single day in the history of Canterbury cricket. The umpires are Messrs R. V. Taylor and B. Vine. Scores:— CANTERBURY First Innings (for nine wickets dec.) 421 Second Innings x J. Reece, c Turuva, b Fenn .. 26 R. F. Cook, c Apted, b Fenn .. 9 F. B. Smith, b Gosling .. ..11 P. O’Malley, not out .. .. 32 A. E. L. Britton, run out .. 7 R. Hitchcock, c Apted, b Fenn .. 14 A. R. Mac Gibbon, run out .. .. 10 C. G. Snook H not out .. .. 6 Extras (byes 8) .. .. ..8 Total for six wickets .. 123 Fall of wickets: one for 24, two for 50, three for 55, four for 66, five for 90, six for 108.

First Innings H. J. Apted, c Hitchcock, b Booker .. 23 P. T. Raddock, c Hitchcock, b Cook 47 Bula, c Britton, b Cook .. ..63 Cakabou, c Britton, b Mac Gibbon .. 2 P. A. Snow, b Cook .. .. 28 Turuva, c O’Malley, b Cook .. 12 Mosese, st Britton, b O’Malley .. 33 M. J. Fenn, lbw, b Mac Gibbon .. 26 A. J. Wendt, run out .. .. 6 Isoa, not out .. .. .. 2 J. W. Gosling, c Cook, b Leggat .. 5 Extras (byes 25, leg byes 4) ..29 Total .. .. ..276 Fall of wickets: one for 57, two for 102, three for 113, four for 155, five for 173, six for 228, seven for 258, eight for 266, nine for 268, 10 for 276.

Bowling O. M. R. W. G. Cakabou .. 9 1 23 0 M. J. Fenn .. 20 0 56 3 H. Gosling J. Apted .. 11 .. 1 0 0 32 4 1 0 FIJI

Bowling O. M. R. W J. Booker 16 4 43 1 A. R. MacGibbon 19 4 50 2 C. G. Snook .. 11 2 47 0 R. F. Cook 14 2 41 4 R. Hitchcock .. 5 1 31 0 P. O’Malley 6 0 28 1 F. B. Smith 1 0 6 0 J. G. Leggat .. a 0 1