Cricket CLOSE SHIELD GAME

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28479, 8 January 1958, Page 5

Cricket CLOSE SHIELD GAME

Central And Otago

(New Zealand Press Association) PALMERSTON NORTH, Jan. 7. Fine spin bowling by B. Sutcliffe and a magnificent 89 by N. S. Harford were the features of the first day’s play in the Plunket Shield match between Otago and Central Districts in Palmerston North today. Sutcliffe, who gained much more assistance from the wicket than either J. C. Alabaster or A. M. Moir, took five wickets for 19 runs to hasten a Central Districts’ collapse. Central Districts scored only 143. Otago, however, was able to do little better, and the great struggle between batsmen and bowlers during their innings made for the most interesting day’s play seen in a Plunket Shield match in Palmerston North. Two minutes before stumps, Otago passed the Central Districts* score (but not before it had lost nine wickets to a hostile bowling spell by P. Bloomfield, the Nelson fast bowler, and the wonderful accuracy of H. B. Cave and D. D. Beard.

Harford stood head and shoulders above any other batsman in the Central Districts’ side. His 89 was marked by a wide array of forceful front-of-the-wicket shots, and was chanceless until he clipped a ball from Alabaster behind point and S. N. McGregor took a glorious one-handed catch.

J. R. Reid, the Otago captain, quickly sensing a possible vulnerability to slow bowling, used Alabaster, Moir, and Sutcliffe almost throughout the innings. .The move paid handsomely, especially after lunch, when the Central Districts’ batsmen pushed and prodded their way to inevitable failure. Central Districts made its 143 in 212 minutes, and if it was an uphill fight, Otago was similarly placed after Bloomfield took the wickets of J. R. Veitch and S. N. Mc/regor in a sensational second over. Only Watson, and to a slightly lesser degree Sutcliffe and Reid, looked comfortable as Otago slowly made its way to a two-run advantage at stumps. Late in the innings Moir made a valuable and confident 28 not out against a tiring attack. Scores:— CENTRAL DISTRICTS First Innings K. F. H. Smith, b Moir .. 9 E. M. Meuli, c Watson, b Moir 13 N. S. Harford, c McGregor, b Alabaster .. 89 D. McLeod, c and b Frame .. 16 R. Simpson, b Sutcliffe .. 8 J. McGuire, c Alabaster, b Sutcliffe .. .. o D. D. Beard, c Veitch, b Sutcliffe 0 H. B. Cave, c Watson, b Sutcliffe 2 I. A. Colquhoun, c sub, b Alabaster .. .. .. i R. E. Brown, lbw. b Sutcliffe .. 2 P. Bloomfield, not out .. 0 Extras (leg byes 2, no ball 1) 3 Total .. .. ..143 Fall of wickets: One for 14, two for 27. three for 74, four for 120, five for 120, six for 120, seven for 140, eight for 140, nine for 143. Bowling

Total for nine wickets 145 Fall of wickets: One for 9, two for 9, three for 58, four for 76, five for 76, six for 101, seven for 101, eight for 135, nine for 145.

Plunket Shield

Points

After three rounds in the 1957-58 Plunket Shield competition, Otago leads with two outright wins, and one first innings loss. Auckland, with two outright wins and one outright loss, is in second place. The details are:—

Wellington Team

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, January 7.

No changes have been made in the Wellington Plunket Shield team to play Northern Districts at Hamilton and Auckland. Announcing the team today, the chairman of the Wellington Cricket Association (Mr W. G. B. Speakman) named 12 players and said the usual practice would be followed of the captain naming the twelfth man on the morning before each match started.

The 12 players are: R. T. Barber (captain), L. S. M. Miller, A. F. N. Nightingale, B. W. Sinclair, P. H. Standidge, A. H. Preston, L. C. Butler, W. M. Curtis, L. A. Clark, R. W. Blair, B. D. Morrison and P. R. Preston.

Northern Districts Team

(New Zealand Press Association) HAMILTON, Jan. 7. E. C. Petrie and N. Puna, who were not able to play in the last Plunket Shield game against Auckland, and G. M. Tarr, who fielded but was not able to bat, are included among 12 players named for Northern Districts’ next shield match against Wellington at Hamilton on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday. The same 12 players are required for the match against Central Districts at Hamilton the following Thursday, Friday and Saturday. A newcomer to the team li N.

Wilson, a left-hand batsman from Northland.

The team as announced by the sole selector (Mr Albert Lissette) is: A. F. Lissette, E. C. Petrie, D. L. Donald. N. Puna, D. B. Clarke (Waikato), T. E. Shaw, W. P. Bradburn, G. M. Tarr (Thames Valley). N. Wilson, W. Duncan (Northland). M. C. Langdon, D. J. Ferrow (Bay of Plenty).

O. M. R. W Cameron ..11 5 11 0 Frame ..11 4 26 1 Watson ..1 0 4 0 Moir ..11 3 38 2 Alabaster .. 25 9 42 2 Sutcliffe .. 12.2 5 19 5 OTAGO First Innings E. A. Watson, c Colquhoun, b Cave 44 J. R. Veitch, c Colquhoun, b Bloomfield 9 S. N. McGregor, c Beard, b Bloomfield 0 B. Sutcliffe, lbw, b Beard 17 J. R. Reid, c Harford, b Cave 21 W. R, Thomson, lbw, b Cave .. 0 G. H. Mills, b Smith .. 9 A. M. Moir, not out 28 J. C. Alabaster, run out 9 F. C. Cameron, b Beard 0 Extras (byes 5, leg byes 3) 8

Bowling O M. R. W Bloomfield .. 14 2 47 2 Smith .. 2 2 0 1 Cave .. 24 7 41 3 Beard .. 24 7 49 2

P. Won Lost Pts. 8pt 4pt Opt 2pt Otago .. 3 2 — — 1 18 Auck. ..32— 1—18 C. Dist. .. 2 1 — — 1 10 Well. .. 2 — 2 — — 8 Cant. .. 3 — 1 2 — 4 N. D’st. .. 3 — — 2 1 2