CRICKET CANTERBURY WINS ON FIRST INNINGS

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28474, 2 January 1958, Page 11

CRICKET CANTERBURY WINS ON FIRST INNINGS

Canterbury won a narrow and not very convincing first innings victory over Northern Districts in a Plunket Shield match which ended at Lancaster Park yesterday in steady rain. Only a brilliant innings by S. C. Guillen and some remarkably mature defensive batting by the newcomer, R. C. Motz, gave Canterbury the first innings lead; they scored 67 for the ninth wicket at a most critical stage, and their partnership was the most colourful of a rather dreary game.

Most of Canterbury’s batting was most disappointing, and although the pitch lent itself to the making of strokes, the bowlers held command almost throughout the match. Yesterday rain fell steadily all day, and although determined efforts were made to continue, play was limited to about an hour and a quarter. The gate takings for the three days totalled £291.

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

Canterbury: M. E. Chapple (captain), R. C. Motz, J. H. Dawson, M. B. Poore, J. W Kiddey, D. W. Crowe, B. A. Bolton, J. W. D’Arcy, B. J. Bayley, J. W. Guy and S. C. Guillen At the end of the first day the Northern Districts score stood at 165 for seven wickets, and that no more than 12 runs were added on the second morning was largely to the credit of the young Old Collegians pace bowler. Dawson. He bowled with more fire and purpose than in the previous match, and in 20 balls took the last three wickets without conceding a run. But it took Canterbury 50 minutes to dismiss these batsmen. Petrie, dropped by Kiddey in the slips off Motz. played a peculiar innings. In all, it lasted 168 minutes, and he never looked likely to take the offensive. Even when the last batsmen were in with him, he made no real effort to take charge and in the last minutes of the innings played out four maiden overs. Carswell, injured the previous day, came in again, but was easily caught from a weak shot when Dawson dropped one short Carswell has since had a minor operation for an indentation of a cheek-bone.

The heavy roller made an infrequent appearance between innings and Canterbury batted on a pitch which should have yielded far more runs, but Guy was palpably unhappy facing Clarke, who is not by any means a fast bowler Guy made some fairly quick runs, but could have been out several times. Until he again gets over the ball when facing pace, his value is greviously undermined. D’Arcy was defeated by a beautiful ball from Clarke, which lifted a little, whipped across him quickly, and found an edge When Guy was deceived by a ball Lissette held back cleverly, he had scored all 27 runs off the bat. Bayley started very quietly in hiS first representative innings.

but looked the part and just before Lissette disposed of him, he had begun to make some fine, firm drives. Chapple in Form Chapple, who had scored 148 in the Auckland match, was clearly in top form, and just before lunch took three fours in an over from the medium-pace bowler Bradburn. The first of them wa< a beautifully hit drive wide of mid-off’s left hand. At lunch Canterbury was 54 for three and the game was nicely poised. Crowe, who had not inspired much confidence before lunch, felt for a ball from Clarke and was brilliantly caught by Bradburn in the slips. Then Poore survived a tremendous appeal for caught behind, and Lissette. dropping the ball on a length admirably, persuaded Chapple to hit against the turn, Barton, about mid-wicket, made an excellent catch, to end a partnership which had given Canterbury 36 in 40 minutes and which had promised to win the match. The score became 99 for six when Poore was run out in attempting a short single after Guillen had hit one into the covers. Langdon did a useful work in bowling economics to restrain Guillen, who batted 20 minutes before making his first run. Bolton, after a good start, padded Up to one from Clarke which came back and he was leg before wicket, as he had been against Auckland, without making a stroke. Kiddey went quickly, and with the score 122 for eight Northern Districts were distinctly on top Guillen’s Innings Guillen immediately began to attack Lissette. and he hit Clarke straight and high for 4. Clarkes reaction was to bowl a ball of fearful velocity, full pitch, and soaring high over Guillen’s head. Petrie, leaping to stop it, dislocated the index finger of his left hand, and Donald kept wickets irt his place; the ball also cost four byes. No batsman more clearly enjoys himself when batting than Guillen, and when runs are needed quickly Guillen is at his most effervescent. He tickled a ball from Clarke fine for four, straight hit another for four and the next, a no-ball, was turned away for another boundary. As Clarke prepared to bowl the last ball of this eventful over the struggle to keep Guillen away from the bowling was the paramount consideration. Clarke bowled one well wide of the off-stump, and before it had passed him Guillen was standing, arms outstretched. to signal a wide, to the huge delight of the crowd. The umpire needed no such hint, and signalled it also; the extra ball was glanced for four—the over yielding 17 in all. and the partnership between Guillen and Motz reaching 50 in 38 minutes.

Langdon was recalled to pin Guillen down, but as soon as he made the mistake of throwing one well up, Guillen drove it past him for a four which put Canterbury ahead. Guillen, out soon after tea, hitj 12 fours, and after 20 inactive minutes made his 59 in an hour) With the, remarkably unruffled Motz, 67 had been added in 4$ minutes. Motz made a most im-1 pnrtant contribution to his side’s effort. For a lad of 17 his temperament is remarkable. Sedate Batting In the last 95 minutes of the day Northern Districts, 17 runs behind, batted very sedately indeed on a placid pitch. The batsmen looked languidly comfortable, and Donald played some very pleasing cuts and drives. Canterbury took three quick wickets, and at the close Northern Districts were 59 for three. Of the day’s bowlers, Dawson. Motz, Clarke and Lissette were the most impressive. Dawson must have won considerable encouragement frem his morning successes. Motz did not take a wicket, but again looked very good indeed. Clarke bowls with a rather low right arm, but he is lively. At intervals he sent down a reallv fast one. and his figures would have been much better had Lissette not succumbed to the temptation to keep Clarke bowling on and on Clarke was clearly tired at the end of the Canterbury innings. and the runs he allowed Guillen to take so freely meant a tremendous difference to the course of the game.

Lissette gave a superbly sustained performance. In his first few overs he bowled a few loose ones, but settled down to give a most impressive performance. Bowling his left-arm spinners over the wicket, he pitched regularly in some rough from footmarks. and turned the ball appreciably. Occasionally one went very quickly, and throughout a spell of 28 overs—eight to lunch. 20 more to tea, Lissette commanded the utmost respect, and reminded spectators that it is only two years ago that he was a New Zealand bowler. Play in the Rain

Yesterday’s cricket was as un-i real as it was wet. and served no; other purpose, in the end, than to: disprove cricket critics who say: the game is one for the effete. The; captains, looking at the driving rain, agreed no play was possible. and they held that view until 1.45 pm., when the players squelched their way through the gate and on to the field. The game went on in steady rain for 44 minutes, during which time Donald arrived calmly at a half century. Then there was dis-> agreement between the captains I which automatically put the de-

cision into the umpires’ hands. A few minutes after 3 o’clock they led their unwilling flock back, land for a further 22 minutes the rituals were observed. But there was, for a brief period, a chance that Canterbury could wjn t„he game,, provided the rain became no worse. Kiddey. an adaptable cricketer, bowled very well indeed. He found the ball getting up fairly sharply, perhaps once in two overs, and he made'the most of this assistance. After Lissette had gone, he found the edge of Tarr’s bat, without positive result, and then had him dropped in slips by Crowe. Two balls later Tarr drove one very firmly to Chapple at mid-off, but this catch was also dropped. At that time. Northern Districts was, in effect, five wickets down for Carswell could not have batted, and Donald was out' at 3.10 p.m. Northern Districts then led by 76 runs, with a possible 150 minutes’ play left. Quics successes by Canterbury could have given the game real ipterest; but the rain won, easily. The umpires were Messrs W. Barnes and H. C. Moore. - - NORTHERN DISTRICTS First Innings T. Shaw, lbw, b Poore 31 D. L. Donald, b Motz .. .. 4 H. Langdon, b Motz .. .. 0 W. Bradburn, c Bayley, b Motz 0 R. Tarr, b Poore .: .. 38 D. Carswell, c Guy, b Dawson 8 E. C. Petrie, not out .. 34 D. B. Clarke, c Bayley, b Bolton 16 A. F. Lisselte, lbw, b Motz .. 20 R. H. Barton, c Guillen, b Dawson .. 6 W. Duncan, lbw, b Dawson .. 0 Extras (byes 2. leg-byes 11, no-balls 7) .. ..20 Total ... .. ..177 Fall of wickets: One for 12 (Donald). two for 12 (Langdon), three for 12 (Bradburn>. four for 81 (Tarr), five for 96 (Shaw), stx for 129 (Clarke), seven for 164 (Lissette), eight for 176 (Barton), nine for 177 (Carswell). 10 for 177 (Duncan). Bowling

Second Innings D. L. Donald, c Kiddey. b Poore 57 T. Shaw, b Chapple .. 11 M Langdon, lbw. b Motz .. 0 W. Bradburn lbw, b Kiddey .. 3 A. F. Lissette. lbw, b Kiddey .. 1 R. Tarr, not out .. .. 11 D. B. Clarke, not out .. .. 2 Extras (byes 7. leg-byes 4. no-ball 1) . ..12 Total fnr five wickets . 97 Fall of wickets: Ope for 42 (Shawl; two for 43 (Langdon), three for 57 (Bradburn), four for 65 (Lissette).

CANTERBURY First Innings J. W. Guy, c and b Lissette .. 27 J. W. D’Arcy, c Petrie, b Clarke 0 B. J. Bayley, c and b Lissette 8 D. W Crowe, c Bradbury, b Clarke .. .. ..5 M. E. Chapple, c Barton, b Lissette .. .. ..38 M B Poore, run out .. .. 9 S. C Guillen. c Shaw, b Duncan 59 B. A. Bolton, lbw. b Clarke .. 9 T. W Kiddey, c Petrie, b Clarke 4 R Motz. not out .. 12 J H Dawson, c Shaw, b Langdon .. 2 Extras (wides 2. byes 12. legbves 4. no-balls 3) .. 21

. Total .. .. i«» 4 Fall of wickets: One for 12 (D’Arcy) two for 28 (Guy), three f or 39 ( Barley 1. four for 63 (Crowe) five for 99 (Chapple), six for 99 /Poor*’). s»ven for 118 (Bolton), eight for 122 (Kiddevi njv, e f nr 18g ( G uj) _ len). 10 for (Dawson).

O. M. R. W. J. H. Dawson 14.3 7 19 3 R. C. Motz ..26 11 40 4 J. W. Kiddey .. 12 9 9 0 B. A. Bolton ..12 2 30 1 M. E. Chapple 23 12 19 0 M B. Poore ..27 13 37 2 D. W. Crowe ..1 0 3 0

five for 93 (Donald). Bowling O. M. R. W R. C. Motz ..11 5 9 1 J. H Dawson 3 1 4 0 J. W. Kiddey .. 19 10 26 2 M. E. Chapple 13 5 22 1 B A. Bolton 7 2 8 0 M B. Poore .. 14 7 16 i

Bowling O. M. R. W. D R Clark'’ .. 24 6 72 4 R. H Barton ..6 3 13 o A. F. Lissette 28 9 50 3 W Bradburn ..4 2 14 n M. Langdon 9 3 19 j W. Duncan ..2 1 5 1