OUTRIGHT WIN FOR OTAGO

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

OUTRIGHT WIN FOR OTAGO

CENTRAL DISTRICTS BEATEN PLUNKET SHIELD GAME IN DUNEDIN (New Zealand Press Association) DUNEDIN, Jan. 20. Otago tightened its grip on the Plunket Shield today by beating outright the Central Districts cricket team at Carisbrook. The match produced exciting cricket. Otago won by five wickets. I. B. Leggat and H. B. Cave emerged as the heroes of the match after their magnificent stand for Central Districts. They took the score during their ninthwicket partnership to 380, after eight wickets had been down for 141. They shared a new record for New Zealand, and were only 44 runs short of the world record of 283. Their stand was worth 239 runs, scored in 180 minutes.

Central Districts was all out for 385 after one hour’s play today, leaving Otago 133 to make for an outright victory. It was to the credit of the Central Districts’ side that Otago had to make use of seven batsmen to reach the required total. Cave and Leggat carried the score along merrily again this morning when play was resumed. They added 28 runs before Cave went forward to a ball from Stanley, missed it, and was bowled. It was a beau-tifully-pitched ball. Cave made 118 in 238 minutes. He hit 15 fours.

G. S. Dotting had scored one when he was rim out through a misunderstanding with Leggat.' He skied a ball to Stanley at silly mid-on. The catch was dropped, and Botting started to run. Stanley recovered quickly, and Mills whipped the bails off in a flash. Leggat had scored 142 not out in 194 minutes. He hit four sixes and 13 fours with strokes to all parts of the ground. At no stage was he particularly troubled by the bowling. E. A. Watson, who scored 95 in the first innings, opened with B. Sutcliffe, for Otago, and it looked as if the finish was in sight. Watson attacked the bowling, but many of his strokes were mistimed. However, he reached 10 with a stroke to leg for two. after giving a chance to B. A. Turner at first slip. His streaky innings ended when Cave got his off stump, and Otago had one wicket down for 16. Cave, who had taken no wickets in Otago’s first innings, appeared to strike a better length, and was bowling some good in-swingers. Even Sutcliffe treated him with some respect. Sutcliffe in Form

With Haig at the other end, Sutcliffe began to take a toll of Leggat’s bowling, and brought up the 20 with a pull to the boundary. His own 20 came up in even time. After Leggat had cost 25 runs in four overs, he was relieved. Haig had scored only three when Cave swung a beautiful ball in from the off, and took hie wicket. Cave then • had two wickets for 14.

Sutcliffe raised his 30 in good time, and the Otago 50 came up in 40 minutes. His own half century was scored in 62 minutes, and included six fours. T. Flaws had a brief, streaky innings for 19 before being dismissed by a onehand catch by Leggat. Three were down for 92, and Central Districts’ chances appeared again to brighten. They were further improved when Sutcliffe went, leg before, to Rowe, for 62. Sutcliffe’s was a grand innings. He had never looked troubled by the bowling. His innings lasted for 85 minutes. His average in the Plunket Shield series is now 97.57, and his aggregate 683—a new record. Watt had scored only 11 before Rowe had him caught in the slips, but G. Mills and L. D. Smith scored the required runs quickly, and the match was over. Scores:— OTAGO First innings .. . • •. 462 Second Innings B. Sutcliffe, lbw, b Rowe .. .. 62 E. A. Watson, b Cave .. ..10 W. S. Haig, b Cave .. ..3 T. Flaws, c Leggat, b Miller •• 19 L. A. Watt, c Leggat, b Rowe •• 13 L. D. Smith, not out .. ..11 G. H. Mills not out .. ..14 Extras (2 byes, 1 leg bye) .. 3 Total for five wickets .. 135 Fall of wickets: one for 16, two for 42, three for 93, four for 104, five for 113.

CENTRAL DISTRICTS First innings .. .. .. 209 Second Innings A. A. Hunter, c Moir, b Stanley .. 9 B. A. Turner, b Stanley .. ..4 E. Meuli, b Smith .. ..27 L. S. Miller, c Haig, b Moir .. 31 I. Ching, b Smith .. .. 0 C. G. Rowe, b Moir •• .. 5 H. B. Cave, b Stanley .. ..118 E. KiveH, b Moir .. .. 0 R. E. Brown, lbw, b Sutcliffe .. 32 I. B. Leggat, not out .. ..142 G. S. Botting, run out .. .. 1 Extras (9 byes, 6 leg byes, 1 no ball) .. .. • .. 16 Total .. .. . .~385 Fall of wickets: one for 4, two for 28, three for 54, four for 54, five for 64, six for 90, seven for 90, eight for 141, nine for 380.

Bowling O. M. R. W. H. B. Cave .. 17 2 45 2 I. B. Leggat .. 4 0 25 0 G. Rowe .. 14.3 0 36 2 R. E. Brown ..1 0 1 0 E. Meuli .. 2 0 7 0 L. S. M. Miller ..3 0 18 1

Bowling O. M. R. W. F. W. Stanley .. 32 10 91 3 G. W/ Overton .. 14 3 47 0 A'. M. Moir .. 39.1 8 104 3 L. D. Smith .. 29 8 76 2 B. Sutcliffe .. 6 1 30 1 E. A. Watson .. 4 0 21 0