AUCKLAND WINS BY SIX RUNS

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 26944, 21 January 1953, Page 8

AUCKLAND WINS BY SIX RUNS

CRICKET

Canterbury Out For 84 RABONE TAKES SIX WICKETS FOR 37 (New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, January 20. Auckland scored a sensational and meritorious outright win by • six runs over Canterbury in the Plunket Shield cricket match which ended today at Eden Park. Auckland carried its overnight score of 141 for two wickets in the second innings to 302. This left Canterbury two hours in which to make 91 runs for an outright win. After a dramatic batting collapse, the visiting team was out 10 minutes before time for 84 runs. Chiefly responsible for Auckland’s victory was the captain and New Zealand representative, G. O. Rabone, who took six wickets for 37 runs off 1-1 overs. All but one of his victims were clean bowled. Nobody but the greatest optimist would have given Auckland a chance of victory when the final day’s play started this morning. The home team, with eight wickets in hand, was still 71 in arrears, and in the two hours’ play before lunch added 70 for the loss of two more wickets. The side was dismissed for 302 in 465 minutes.

A great deal of credit for Auckland’s recovery today goes to V. J. Scott, who was unbeaten for 60. In one of his best fighting displays, he batted for 229 minutes, and hit three fours. It took him 82 minutes this morning to reach double figures, and he ran to 50 in 200 minutes. It seemed later in the morning that Scott could have forced the pace more, but against this the Canterbury bowling, which was accurate and steady, was giving nothing away. The bowling honours this time for Canterbury went to McNicholl, who took four wickets for 56 runs in 16 overs. He was very steady, and mustered up some pace. Although he did not take another wicket at a cost of 25 runs, Mac Gibbon again bowled very well. Burtt, in a marathon effort during the innings, sent down 40 overs, 21 of which were maidens, for 50 runs and two wickets.

Canterbury’s fielding for the most part was good, and J. G. Leggat captained the team capably throughout the match.

Canterbury’s Collapse Canterbury had some lucky escapes early in its innings, when Worrall dropped Leggat in the slips at one off Brown, and R. E. Royfee at two in the same position off Clarke. The batsmen made 32 in 55 minutes, and then the sensations started.

Realising that his fast bowling was not proving very troublesome, Rabone brought Tapping and himself on, with remarkable results. Rabone clean-bowled Leggat, and when Royfee was run out, two wickets had fallen for 38. Canterbury at this stage still needed 53 runs in 55 minutes.

Seven minutes later, Rabone dismissed M. E. Chapple, and P. Z. Harris, the century-maker in the first innings, was dismissed for none by the same bowler two balls later.

Four wickets had fallen for 41, and there were 40 minutes left for play. M. B. Poore gave a hard stumping chance off Tapping before he had scored, and then proceeded to play some bright cricket in attempting to hit the bowlers off their length. J. Williams and MacGibbon were quickly dismissed, an<( Canterbury had lost six wickets for 64 with 32 minutes to ko.

By this time, the spectators were highly excited. Britton gave a chance to Worrall in the slips off Tapping before scoring, but Rabone made amends by bowling the batsman immediately afterwards.

In the meantime, Poore had been forcing the pace, and when Burtt went in, Canterbury, with three wickets in hand, required 18 in 23 minutes. With no addition to the score, Poore was caught for 21 in 31 minutes.

The end seemed in sight when Burtt was dismissed by- Rabone, and eight wickets were down for 73. Hayes went in with 20 minutes left, and there were still 15 minutes for Canterbury to make 16 when McNicholl, the last man. joined Hayes. McNicholl. a left-hand batsman, delighted the crowd by lifting Rabone for a fine six—the first of the match. Fieldsmen and spectators jumped and threw up their hands when, in tne same over. McNicholl survived a very confident appeal for stumped. The end came when McNicholl hit the ball on to his pads, and Rabone, in the slips, made no mistake. In such an exciting finish, credit can be given to the Canterbury batsmen for making their second innings so sporting. At no stage did the batsmen attempt to "bottle up.” Rabone bowled splendidly to a wellplaced field, and so did Tapping. Rabone, with his off-spinners, often deceived the batsmen by straightening up. Tapping kept a good length, and also gained some spin. The gate takings amounted to £79, making a total for the four days of £769. Scores:— CANTERBURY First Innings .. .. ..392

Second Innings J. G. Leggat, b Rabone .. ..15 G. E. Royfee, run out .. .. 15 M. E. Chapple, b Rabone .. .. 3 M. B. Poore, c Dwyer, b Tapping .. 21 P. Z. Harris, b Rabone .. .. 0 J. Williams, lbw, b Rabone .. 3 A. R. Mac Gibbon. st Petrie, b TapA. b Rabone .. .. 3 T. B. Burtt, b Rabone .. .. 1 J. A. Hayes, not out .. .. 4 K. McNicholl, c Rabone, b Tapping 6 Extras / 10

AUCKLAND First Innings * . • .. 180 Second Innings K. F. Dwyer, b McNicholl .. ..38 J. H. Worrall, b Mac Gibbon .. ..0 W. M. Wallace, b Mac Gibbon .. 90 D. B. Clarke, b Hayes .. .. 13 V. J. Scott, not out .. .. 60 B. J. Postles, c Harris, b McNicholl .. 35 G. O. Rabone, c Leggat, b Burtt .. 14 E. C. Petrie, st Britton, b Burtt .. 2 H. E. Tapping, c Burtt, b McNicholl .. 1 W. E. Bell, b McNicholl .. 4 W. J. Brown, c Mac Gibbon, b Poore 10 Extras .. .. -- 35

SHIELD GAME WITH CANTERBURY WELLINGTON TEAM NAMED (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, January 20. The Wellington team to play Canterbury in the Plunket Shield cricket match at the Basin Reserve, beginning on Thursday, will be J. R. Reid, F. L. H. Mooney, T. Meale, R. A. Vance, D. St. John, R. T. Barber, J. C. Tynan, E. Fisher, L. Butler, B. Sergent, and R. W. Blair. P. M, McCaw wiH be twelfth man.

NEW BALL RULE CLARIFICATION TO BE SOUGHT (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, Jan. 20. Clarification of the use of the new ball in first-class cricket in New Zealand will be sought by the Wellington Cricket Association. The attention of the association was drawn at last night’s meeting to a circular to associations from, the New Zealand Cricket Council on September 28 last. Included in this was a statement from the M.C.C., as follows:—“Except in the United Kingdom, or if local regulations provide otherwise, after 200 runs have been made off a ball, in first-class matches, the captain of the fielding side may demand a new one.”

Racing Car Kills Nine Spectators.— Nine spectators are known to have been killed and 23 injured when a car driven by the Italian ace, Guiseppe Farina, crashed into a group lining the municipal autodrome during the Argentine Grand Prix car race. Farina suffered only a bruised hand in the accident, which occurred when his ear went out of control at a turn.—Buenos Aires, January 19. ...

Total Bowling . 84 W. O. M. R. Clarke 4 1 6 0 Brown ..3 0 8 0 Tapping Rabone ..14 5 ..13 4 23 37 3 6

Total 302 Bowling O. M. R. W. Hayes .. 24 5 58 1 MacGibbon .. 26 8 48 2 Burtt .. 40 21 50 2 Chapple .. 5 2 7 0 Poore .. 26.2 10 48 1 McNicholl .. 16 3 56 4