Cricket Otago Spinners Too Good For Northern Districts

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28472, 30 December 1957, Page 10

Cricket Otago Spinners Too Good For Northern Districts

(New Zealand Press Association)

DUNEDIN, December 29. Mainly as a result of fine spin bowling by J. C. Alabaster and A. McK. Moir, Otago beat Northern Districts by 191 runs in the Plunket Shield match which ended at Carisbrook yesterday. Northern Districts, set the task of scoring 282 runs for the win after Otago had declared its second innings closed soon after midday with 244 runs on the board for the loss of six wickets, batted only 113 minutes before being bundled but for 90. The wicket—more favourable to spinners than to medium-space or faster bowlers almost from the beginning of the match on Thurs-day—-was taking quite a sharp turn when Northern Districts went in to bat for the second time. After the right-arm mediumfast bowler, F. J. Cameron,' took the wickets of both D. L. Donald and M. Langdon in his fourth over ’the stage was set for the two spinners. They made their entrances, played their parts briefly, received the acclaim of their audience and then rang down the curtain on the match. G. H. Mills came into the scent! four times while the two spinnerQ were at the crease. He caugbjl two men off the bowling, ofl Alabaster and stumped another] two off Moir to give him flvq] victims for the innings and seven] for the match, one fewer than] the New Zealand record for first-] class cricket jointly shared by C.j K. Jackman? L. A. Kent (in Newf Zealand), and K. C. James (over-1 Beas). Mills bad a grand return to the | Plunket Shield scene, for apart] from ‘his wicketkeeping success! he scored 45 in the first inningra and 39 not out in the second. fl None of the visiting batsmerm could handle either of th J spinners. It was not so muchfl that Alabaster, who took five! wickets for 42 runs, and Moira

three foj 20, were unplayable, as that the Northern Districts batsmen were obviously not experiin playing spin bowling. -For the third day of the match in general, there was always action to keep the crowd, which finally swelled to almost 2000, in happy mood. Northern Districts had an early success when play resumed yesterday. W. 8. Haig was caught at slip before he had added to his overnight score. The total was 119 for four wickets. B. Sutcliffe joined J. R. Reid and they pushed the scoring along to 164 before Reid was bowled by a beautiful ball from Clarke. He made 29, including a glorious 6 to mid-wicket on the leg-side. Mills, the newcomer, and Sutcliffe raced the score through 'to 244 before Sutcliffe chopped a ball from Langdon on to his stumps. His total was 59, his 50 coming up in 54 minutes. Reid declared immediately, leaving Northern Districts 30 minutes to bat before lunch. Donald and T. E. Shaw made a brisk, confident beginning, taking 15 runs off the first four overs, two of which were maidens. But with the score on 19, Cameron crashed through to take the wickets of Donald and Langdon in one over and at lunch two were down for 23. Alabaster was brought into the attack just before lunch and when Moir was brought into the attack in the afternoon, the innings became a procession as batsmen either stepped to play defensively and spoon and snick catches, or lunged forward to be stumpped. Only Bradburn looked at all com-

fortable until he was trapped with in front by Alaba st