WEST INDIES 361 FOR SIX WICKETS

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27909, 5 March 1956, Page 12

WEST INDIES 361 FOR SIX WICKETS

First Day Of Wellington Test

WEEKES UNBEATEN AT 145

(From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, March 4. There was a familiar pattern in the first day’s play in the third cricket test at the Basin Reserve yesterday: the West Indies was comfortably placed with a score of 361 for six wickets; another century was scored by Everton Weekes; and the New Zealand bowlers ended the day with astronomical averages.

On paper, this was New Zealand’s worst performance in a series in which its successes have been faint and fleeting.

However, it was New Zealand’s best effort in the field, for the bowling at no stage collapsed as in the Dunedin and Christchurch tests, and the West Indies batsmen made a remarkable number of runs off the edge without providing more than an occasional chance for the fieldsmen.

Weekes, still in with his score at 145, was dropped in the slips, at 3, only moments after the West Indies had lost three wickets in eight minutes.

The effect of that error cannot be measured. Weekes again played some magnificent attacking strokes, but his century was hardly comparable with those he made in the earlier matches. This time he made enough weak strokes to have been out half a dozen times.

But he has taken his aggregate in first-class matches on the tour to 893, beating the record for a New Zealand season set by B. Sutcliffe when he made 859 in 1952-53. Another mathematical milestone was reached when A. R. Mac Gibbon took his second wicket. It brought his test aggregate to 45, equalling J. Cowie’s New Zealand record. After a murky morning, the sun shone pleasantly on Saturday, and the cricket was enjoyed by a crowd of 12.000. The gate takings were £2350. The teams were:— New Zealand: J. R. Reid (captain), S. N McGregor, D. D. Taylor. R. T. Barber. L. S. M. Miller, J. E. F. Beck, D. D. Beard, S. C, Guillen, A. R. MacGibbon. H. B. Cave, I. McK. Sinclair, J. C. Alabaster (twelfth man). West Indies: D. Atkinson (captain), B. H. Pairaudeau, A. P. Binns, G. Sobers, E. D. Weekes. O. G. Smith, J. D. Goddard, K. T. Ramadhin. F. T. King, T. Dewdney, A. L. Valentine, H. Furlonge (twelfth man). If the morning provided a keen struggle between the bat and the ball. It was more or less inconclusive. But the events of the afternoon moved much more rapidly. For the first hour after lunch, New Zealand swept ahead, taking three wickets and conceding only 23 runs—s superb effort. Then Weekes was dropped, and he set about the bowling, in partnership with Atkinson, with such fierce intensity that in the next hour no wickets fell, and 76 runs were scored. This two-hour period was as good as anything the series has offered, competitively, for if the West Indies counter-attack succeeded, the bowling ranks did not break and run. Then Weekes began to play at his best, and the West Indies hammered home its advantage with 111 runs in the last 75 minutes. This brought it on terms with the clock. Even the scoring rate was slightly misleading, however, for without a Blair or a Hayes, New Zealand got through more overs to the hour than the average—perhaps a dozen extra during the day. The New Zealand bowling was more than merely steady. The bowlers were able to swing the ball into the southerly breeze most the day, and there was a little movement off the pitch to help them. They forced the batsmen into frequent error without winning any material reward; and, although the quick successes after lunch were followed by an expensive period, it was not because the bowling was bad—as at Christchurch—but because Weekes, near the end of the day, was in such commanding form. Oatfield Causes Trouble New Zealand’s weakness was in fielding, although only one easy catch was missed. The Basin Reserve outfield is not in good condition at S resent. and its undulations caused the ew Zealanders considerable embarrassment.

The catch Beard dropped off Weekes was not difficult, and Cave certainly deserved the wicket, for it was a beautiful ball, pitching about the line of the off stump, and whipping away swift and late. But the worst errors were as comic as they were tragic. Pairaudeau and Goddard were at the striker’s end together when Mac Gibbon sent a good return to McGregor, standing over the stumps at the bowler’s end. Miller, not realising McGregor was there, tried to intercept the ball, but merely deflected it There was still time for the run-out. but Beck, who was backing up, sent his return yards wide of the stumps, and Pairaudeau was able to scramble back and restore order from the chaos. Later in the day, when Binns, who helped Weekes to score 106 for the sixth wicket, had just come in, there should have been another run-out by half the length of the pitch. Miller, at silly mid-on, threw straight back to McGregor, if a little low, and McGregor inadvertently broke the wicket before he gathered in the ball. Although the heavy atmosphere in the morning helped the bowlers Pairaudeau began to score very briskly. He is a most studious-look-ing batsman, prodding learnedly at the pitch, and peering through his spectacles at the bowling like a member of a professional examining board. He had most of the answers in the morning, but after lunch he was more the fumbling student. He batted for about an hour after the interval for ®-.? n< ?.^ ave ’ exposing a weakness with his nagging leg stump attack, had him caught at leg slip. There was some splendidly antagonistic bowling after lunch, with Reid obviously fitter now. fairly thrashing the turf in his demands for some response from it. Goddard was unhappy against tight, accurate bowling, and was fiddled out as Pairaudeau had been. When Smith went. New Zealand had taken three wickets in a matter of moments. Weekes’s Century Weekes. after his let-off, joined Atkinson in some good, hearty hitting. Although Atkinson was very lucky with miss-hits bringing rapid runs, he aiso made some superlative drives. He reached his 50 in only an hour. He cu* S mOSt unfortunate t 0 be given run Weekes, scoring his sixth century in

seven matches, made more mistakes than usual, but again he was like some cricketing collector of taxes, demanding his dues from the bowlers. They paid reluctantly this time, but before the day ended he was dunning them heavily. There can be no batsman better able than Weekes to find the gap in the field when he really goes for his shot In his three test centuries, he has set himself a particular pace. These three 100’s were made in 135. 140, and 133 minutes: and it is no coincidence that his century against Canterbury took 133 minutes also. With Atkinson, Weekes scored 120 in 90 minutes: with Binns, whose dutiful defence was invaluable, 116 in 72 minutes: and these partnerships have almost certainly won the match for the West Indies.

On a pitch full of runs, the New Zealand bowlers had no reason to feel their effort failed, for they presented their fieldsmen with the chance of a break-through. They must have found it irritating to see their policy of deliberately economical and tight bowling failing so nearly to bring results, and at the same time yielding scores of runs from snicks. Cave Bowls Well

Cave, swinging the ball well and moving it a little off the pitch for some time, had some good spells into the wind. After lunch, he bowled beautifully. his first 10 overs costing nine runs and bringing him a wicket.

Mac Gibbon, another who seems to have recovered his energy, was a far better bowler than at Christchurch. Although he took twice as many overs as Cowie to amass 45 test wickets, it was a notable feat.

Reid, who did all his bowling downwind, beat the bat repeatedly with his quick one. which on Saturday was really quick. His first 14 overs in two spells cost 14 runs onlv, and he was another who, if punished later, had runs taken off him with unpremeditated strokes.

Beard’s bowling figures were out of keeping with his value to his side Sinclair, who bowled badly at practice before the match, did not get an over until after tea, and it was difficult to see how Reid could have fitted him into the attack earlier without relaxing the pressure he could maintain. Sinclair was far below his form oT Canterbury’s match with the West Indies, and lacked length and flight His eight overs kept the batsmen on terms with the clock. Scores:—

WEST INDIES First Innings G. Sobers, c Barber, b Reid .. 27 B. H. Pairaudeau, c Mac Gibbon, b Cave .. 68 J. D. Goddard, c Beard, b Mac Gibon .. .. 16 E. D. Weekes. not out 145 O. G. Smith, lbw, b Mac Gibbon .. I D. Atkinson, run out .. 60 A. Finns, lbw. b Beard .. 27 K. T. Ramadhin. not out .. 5 Extras (bv?s 5. leg-byes 2, noballs 5) ..12 Total for six wickets . . 361 Fall of wickets: one for 72, two for 117, three for 117. four for 199, five for 239, six for 345.

N.Z. COLTS TEAM SELECTED The New Zealand Cricket Council has selected the following players for the New Zealand colts team to play the West Indies at Palmerston North on March 17, 19 and 20:— J. E. Barry (Auckland), captain. W. J Playle (Auckland), P. Bloomfield (Nelson), N. R. Thompson (Southland). J Hill (Southland). W. J. Haskell (Wellington), J. Turnbull (Poverty Bay), F. J. Cameron (Otago). B. A Bolton (-Canterbury), J. D. Capstick (Canterbury). B. M. J. Dineen (Canterbury), D. R. Tarrant (Manawatu). twelfth man.

Bowling O. M. R. W. A. R. MacGibbon 24 4 75 2 I. McK. Sinclair 8 0 41 0 J. R. Reid 26 7 61 1 D. D. Beard 34 9 90 1 II. B. Cave 30 8 82 1