Northern Districts Plays Canterbury

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28473, 31 December 1957, Page 10

Northern Districts Plays Canterbury

A spectacular opening spell by the young Ric arton fast bowler, R. Motz, who took three wic ets in eight balls, and determined resistance by the 1 ter Northern Districts batsmen, enlivened a dreary lay at Lancaster Park yesterday, when Canterbury b< Jan its second Plunket Shield ’match. Persistent dr ale reduced the, playing time by two hours in all, uul when the captains cheerfully abandoned play for the day, Northern Districts had scored 165 for the oss of seven wickets. Motz, in his first Plunket Shield match, ga- - a sharp edge to the Canterbury attack until the fain deadened the pitch, slowed down the batting, ind inflated the ball until it looked, at the end of the ay, like a neglected plum pudding with an oversize I •ill. A small crowd watched a performance n rde dreary by the weather, and the gate takings tota led only £lO9.

The teams are:— Northern Districts.—A. F. Lissette (captain), T. Shaw, D. L. Donald, M. Langdon, W. Bradburn, G. Tarr, D. Carswell, E. C. Petrie, D. B. Clarke, R. H. Barton and W. Duncan.

Canterbury.—M. E. Chapple (captain), M. B. Poore, S. C. Guillen, J. H. Dawson, R. Motz, J. W. Kiddey, B. A. Bolton, J. W. D’Arcy, B. J. Bayley, J. W. Guy. and D. W. Crowe.

The pitch, on which cricketers depend for their best performances as much as actors on their acoustics, was a capricious wench yesterday. In the first few overs, it showed sufficient life to be pleasantly vivacious, but with the start of the rain it became demure and retiring. For a brief period after lunch it was a spiteful jade, evil and venomous, but with more rain it relapsed into a sullen silence. The bowlers could coax no response from it, but the batsmen were also handicapped to some extent by its lack of pace. So bowling, by and, large, became a matter of accuracy and patience, and there were not many strokes which will endure in the memory. Yet it was an interesting day, for there was genuine excitement in Motz’s break-through, and much to admire in the stubborn resistance of Shaw, Tarr, Petrie and Lissette. Motz Key Bowler Motz, still but 17, and whisked from Auckland the previous day, where he had been playing in the Brabin tournament, bowled exceptionally well. When the pitch was offering him a little lift and life, he bowled with great pace, from a deceptively casual but easy and correct action, and throughout the day he commanded the utmost respect. His chief virtue is his pace from the pitch; his first wicket was obtained with a ball pitching a little short but it came through so quickly that Donald was about half-way through his shot when his middle stump was knocked back. Motz was the key bowler yesterday, but the others offered him sound support. Kiddey was very hard to get away, and Chapple did an admirable job for his side by containing the batsmen so completely, with a wet ball, that he conceded only 19 runs from 23 overs, when Northern Districts might well have expected to get on top. Dawson bowled with tremendous enthusiasm and no little skill, but he did not have sufficient pace to worry the batsmen undulv. Poore was accurate, and

Bolton bowled quite accurately. But the morning play exposed a real weakness in the Canterbury bowling—the lack of sharp spin. Bolton’s cricket has been based primarily on his batting, and for an occasional bowler he has already given Canterbury this season better service than it had any right to expect. He has a good command of length and direction, but he does not yet spin sharply enough to commit a batsman to a shot and then find the edge. Yesterday morning a real spinner, such as W. Bell or D. L. Gallop, would have been invaluable. After Donald had been bowled in Motz’s second over, Langdon was dismissed by a beautiful ball. It pitched just outside the off stump, and Langdon lifted his bat to let it go through. But it lifted and came through so quickly that (t hit an arm and was deflected to the stumps. Then Bradbum. covering up at a lifting ball, had his bat handle hit, and Bayley, also in his first shield game, took a lovely diving catch in the gully. Courageous Stand With the score 12 for three, Shaw and Tarr came together, and they pulled the game round courageously. The morning play had started in oppressive heat fend a pall of industrial smoke, Hut the air cleared and cooled as Hie batsmen settled in confidently. He view of the success of the spin bowlers against Districts, it was not surthat Cnapple should bring on early, but both batsHn played him well, and their ■pining was very quick and gensure. was the sounder, Tan more attractive. Tarr used range of shots, and looked for runs all the time. It heartening to see Tarr bit straight and high for 4. stage of the game whicr batsmen would have intimorous defence. While slim and upright, scored with remarkable freedom. got in behind the ball the quicker bowlers, and both used their feet confiFrom rum, they bui*. prospect, at the rate in 47 minutes. Motz, Chapple, and Poor- 3 with a determined accuwhich sapped the batsmen’s and the scoring abruptly. There was a of almost 15 minutes beof rain, and when they back Poore bowled Tarr a good one. Poore appeared

to be drifting the ball aw# from i his usual tidy length, am there 1 was little evidence of 1 s offbreak. The batsmen had .scored 69 together in 81 minut«. At lunch the total was 84 fol four. Carswell Injured About a quarter of at hour . after play had resumed both Poore and Chapple, bowling at a < very amiable sort of pacq were J , as startled as the batsmen to see ; good length balls rise abruptly At 96 Poore beat Shaw, whose ’ vigil had lasted two hours;and a ’ half. Then Motz found thf pitch giving him the same so'rt of life and Carswell was struck i fear- ’ ful blow on a cheekbone by a ; ball which rose viciously from ; barely short of a length. He was j taken to hospital but returned later and would have batted had ’ it been necessary/ but he will be I given an X-ray examination to- . day. Clarke and Petrie went on seJ dately, and as boon as Clarke indulged in his Obvious desire to attack, he was cleverly caught in j the covers by Bayley off Bolton. , But they had added 33 valuable s runs. Petrie looked as safe as « any of the batsmen, and if he did . not get his drivel cleanly through t the field, he seldim looked likely to get out. ’Lissette, not the most . accomplished of <batsmen, denied ’ Canterbury further success for nearly an hour, With his uncompromising defence. He helped i Petrie to score 35 for the seventh , wicket, but then, at 4.15 p.m., b rain ended play for the day. The umpires -are Messrs W J Barnes and C. Moore. i !]■ f J >■ iH i ■ - s t ■ t H 1 wH| I