CRICKET Northern Districts Bats Determinedly

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29102, 14 January 1960, Page 10

CRICKET Northern Districts Bats Determinedly

Canterbury will be hard put to it today to beat Northern Districts and win the'Plunket Shield. A beautiful innings by B. H. Pairaudeau, and some determined batting by several others, kept the Canterbury bowlers at bay most of the day, and at the close Northern Districts had scored 246 for six wickets.

Canterbury’s first innings, continued briefly yesterday morning, was closed at 483 for six wickets, the province’s second-best total in post-war shield matches.

The pitch again played perfectly yesterday, and there was a good attendance, the gate takings being £296, making £664 for the match so far. Pairaudeau, the former West Indies player, scored a faultless 80, but fell victim to one of the finest catches ever made at Lancaster Park. G. T. Dowling took it, and two others, to give him 10 for the series—a record for a Canterbury player.

Northern Districts needs 88 runs to avoid the follow-on. Canterbury, badly needing an outright win, has the task of taking 14 wickets in the day and perhaps having some runs to make as well.

The teams are.— Northern Districts: E. C. Petrie (captain), A. F. Lissette, N. Puna, W. P. Bradburn, R. McPherson, D. L. Donald, T. E. Shaw, D. J. Gray, R. Barbour, J. A. Turnbull, and B H. Pairaudeau.

Canterbury: M. E. Chapple • captain), A. R. Mac Gibbon, S. C. Guillen, B. A. Bolton, K. Thomson, G. T. Dowling, A. F. Rapley, P. G. Z. Harris, J. T. Ward, J. W. Kiddey, and R. C. Motz.

Apart from Canterbury's violent scoring in the first few minutes of the day, Pairaudeau’s polished innings, some forthright hits by Gray, and Dowling’s catching, it was a quiet day’s play. Again the pitch converted the bowlers from the arts to labouring and with Northern Districts facing so vast a total, it could not be expected that they would produce any pyrotechnics. Good Batting

The batting throughout the day was good. The state of the game demanded care from the batsmen, but Canterbury for long periods bowled defensively, perhaps not from policy so much ps incompetence. The pace bowlers kept the ball short, over after over, as if runs had to be saved at all cost. This contributed to the slow scoring, and to the loss of wickets being so light. Without sharp spin in the side—W Bell would have been invaluable yesterday—and with the other bowlers failing to keep the ball up enough. Northern Districts’ batsmen were succoured in their siege. The only time the batsmen might well have scored more freely was towards the end, when the slow bowlers provided some tempting fare which was resolutely refused. But runs can mean time to Northern Districts too, and it could be that the negative policy in the lasi houi will be regretted. Pairaudeau’s innings was a gem. Better driving is hard to imagine. Quick, light footwork, a lovely straight swing of the bat, and the ball fled through the covers with none to even look like stopping it. Pairaudeau, correct and composed on defence, found the gaps time and again when he was driving, and his cutting and on-side shots were also most attractive. He could take no real risk, but he made his runs in 168 minutes. Shaw, dropped from the only catch Canterbury failed to take, was solid and sound, and something more. He has been out of form, but he brought some good-looking strokes into play Entertaining

Gray also played an entertaining innings He treated the good ones with circumspection, but anything else was thumped hard A left-hander, and strongly built. Gray had seven fours, a three and a two to give him his 33 runs in an hour. For the last 70 minutes Bradburn and Petrie sat entrenched, and Petrie was winkled out by a wrong’un only in the day’s last over. Dowling made two especially fine catches during the day, three in all. The first was to dismiss Shaw. He had to make ground very quickly but took the catch, on the run, at ankle height. The catch which ended Pairaudeau's innings was almost beyond belief. Pairaudeau hit the ball with fearful force, and it was going down, rather than up. as Dowling at extra cover moved to his right a yard or two and took off in a spectacular dive to his right. That he reached the ball at all was incredible; that he held it a near miracle, for it was only inches off the ground, and travelling as swift as a swallow. Canterbury's pace attack, most impressive on a pitch with more lift, was very ordinary yesterday. Mota

made one or two get up at the start of the innings, but with the next new ball came through as though off a cushion. Mac Gibbon had a very inexpensive spell after lunch. But he bowled very badly with the second new ball'. Kiddey did nothing through the air or off the pitch to embarrass the batsmen, and he was as guilty as the others of bowling short. Guillen was as good as any -of them. Even with the bld ball, just before it was replaced, he was able to produce quite a late outswing. With no help from the pitch for pace, and with the spinners, Rapley and Chapple, unable to turn the bail perceptibly, it was essential that the ball should be given air. Chapple's Hight was too even to produce much more than comfortable-looking defensive strokes and although Rapley appeared to beat McPherson through the air when he bowled him, he seemed to be bowling a little quicker later. In such circumstances, it was unfortunate perhaps that even more use was not made of Bolton. He has a tempting flight, and of the three slow bowlers he alone turned the ball, even if it was slow turn. Canterbury should have done more, with so many runs to play with, to encourage attacking strokes, and there were periods when the medium-pace economies were so much time wasted. The pitch was too good for that: so far, only 12 wickets have fallen in two days, and Canterbury’s were lost only because so many runs had been made before, that any sort of risk could be taken Brilliant Burst Canterbury had most enjoyable 16 minutes’ batting at the start of the day. Mac Gibbon and Motz scored 46 in that brief and brilliant burst Mac Gibbon's haymakers made nonsense of bowling from Puna of a defensive width, but there were many very fine strokes played. Motz hit a superb six off Turnbull, and Mac Gibbon scored his first shield half-century for nine years. The 483 runs were made in 403 minutes. Northern Districts had a distressing start, with Donaid playing at the first ball of the innings, wide of the stumps, and giving Ward a catch behind. But Shaw, cap at the Washbrook angle, and McPherson, a likely-looking left-hander, scored 50 together in 90 minutes. It was not exciting, but it was always interesting batting. At lunch Northern Districts was 63 for two. and Canterbury was well placed. Pairaudeau’s gleaming strokes brightened the afternoon and Shaw went slowly along with him. Canterbury very soon reached the stage of bowling more in hope than anger but the errors did not come. Pairaudeau reached his 50 in 97 minutes. Shaw the half-century in 218 minutes. and then Mac Gibbon beat Shaw two or 'three times in a good spell But Bolton, rather overdue, had Shaw caught. Shaw had been in 230 minutes, and the partnership had given Northern Districts 96 in 128 minutes. So to tea, with Northern Districts somewhat further along the road to recovery, with 164 for three First First-class Wicket There was more beautiful driving by Pairaudeau, and Gray batted sensibly and well. Just before 200. Guillen came on, and bowled a maiden to Pairaudeau, which the batsman politely applauded. There was much more applause for Dowling's catch, which gave Guillen his first wicket in first-class cricket It was one to remember—not that Guillen is likely to forget. Motz found the edge of Gray s bat at 209, and Dowling in the slips took a neat catch, but Mac Gibbon was very erratic and Bradburn calmly hit a full toss backward ot square for 6. The game came almost to a standstill for a time, with Petrie and Bradburn playing out maidens. At one stage 10 overs produced only a single off the bat. and in the end Bolton had his way. A nicely-flighted wrong-un beat Petrie, touched a pad, and bowled him. With the pitch unlikely to give the bowlers much more assistance today than it did yesterday, a superlative effort is required of Canterbury. As it Stands now, the odds are against the home team breaking through, but this Canterbury team is full of surprises. The umpires are Messrs J. Reece and L. C. Johnston.