CRICKET SHIELD MATCH VICTORY

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29401, 31 December 1960, Page 11

CRICKET SHIELD MATCH VICTORY

Five-Wicket Win To Canterbury Canterbury won its ( Plunket Shield match against \\ ellington at Lancaster Park yesterday rather as a boxer rather unexpectedly knocks out an opponent with a single, powerful blow. For almost three days the teams, extraordinarily well-matched in their skills, were level on points, but half an hour before the end yesterday Canterbury sensed a slight advantage and A. R. Mac Gibbon, with some violent hitting, finished off a match which was always interesting, often exciting. Canterbury, needing 121 runs in the last innings in 130 minutes, finished with five wickets and 15 minutes to spare. On the first two days, Canterbury had had most of the bad luck inevitably associated with a cricket match, but yesterday it was Wellington’s turn, for its left-arm spin bowler, L. C. Butler, was unable to take the field. Notwithstanding the rain which delayed play 90 minutes, and the cold southerly wind which blew for much of the day, there was another good gate of £2OO, making a total, of £894 for the match. The teams were:— pitch. From a ball which ro

Wellington.— J. R. Reid (captain), J. W. Guy, T. G. McMahon. E. J. Sigley. B. A. G. Murray. I. Mason, R. E. Reid, L. C. Butler. P. T. Barton. R. W. Blair and B. W. Sinclair. Canterbury.—M. E. Chapple (captain), A. R. Mac Gibbon, J. T. Ward, J. W. Kiddey. R. C. Motz, B. A. Bolton. G. T. Dowling, S. C. Guillen. P. G. Z. Harris, K. Thomson, and A. G. Duckmanton. In the last three hours or so, there were two particularly important phases in the match, and Mac Gibbon was the central figure in both of them. He had not bowled very well earlier in the match, but when Wellington threatened to fight its way out of its difficulties. Mac Gibbon produced a very fine spell of bowling which brought him three quick wickets, including that of J. R. Reid. Then, with Canterbury 82 for five wickets in its second innings, Mac Gibbon made a succession of firm hits which brought the prize within Canterbury’s grasp. Indeed, the target was brought so close that he was justified in making the undignified but profitable sweeps which made the scores level. This was Canterbury’s first success against Wellington in five seasons, and it was well deserved, for on the second morning the batsmen had had the worst of the pitch. Rain delayed the start of play yesterday for an hour and a half, and it may well be that this helped tone down the pitch, for at the end of the day it was playing better than at any other stage of the match. It was expected to make existence very uncomfortable for the batsmen, and there were many occasions on which the ball lifted sharply or hurried through very low. But by and large, it player far better than expected. Motz looked very hostile on it, but Wellington had no pace bowler to compare with him, and the loss of Butler was a serious one. J. R. Reid bowled.well again, but he could not obtain the lift and turn he had commanded when bowling on the soaked patch on the second day. Reid needed Butler, for he could find no-one able to keep the batsmen in subjection for very long while he tried to run through them from the other end. Canterbury had 130 minutes, and that was ample provided the batsmen did not get themselves out through panic. There was, however, sortie bad batting in Canterbury’s second innings, and until not long from the end, there was a distinct possibility of Wellington repeating its spectacular successes of recent years. Start Delayed Lancaster Park was a sad sight in the Morning, when light rain was urged across the ground by a blustering south-west wind. But the umpires, now in Plunket Shield the sole arbiters, decided that play could start at noon, and although there was some more light rain for the first few minutes, the day improved steadily, and Blair, for instance, did not have the assistance of the strong wind that Motz enjoyed. Butler, injured hand bound, and injected to relieve the pain, batted with extreme courage for the 50 minute's until lunch. He played some almost one-handed shots, but picked up some useful runs, and showed no sign of flinching even when Motz was bowling at him with all the considerable speed and spirit at his command. Guy, too. batted with an assured calm, and his pleasant driving brought him runs, so that at the interval Wellington’s score had been taken from 47 to 75, and still six wickets were intact. Statisticians among the chilled spectators probably made a note that this was the first occasion in a Plunket Shield match and two left-hand batsmen had batted together when both had injured left hands. Motz bowled well during the morning, but at the other end there was not much prospect of a wicket Duckmanton increased his pace appreciably when bowling into the wind, but he turned only an occasional ball. Canterbury’s break-through began with a fine piece of fielding by Bolton. His swift pick-up and throw ran Butler out. The partnership between Guy and Butler had lasted 105 minutes for 44 runs, and it was a valuable contribution. Seven runs later Guy went too; he was struck on a cheek-bone by a bouncer from Motz, and two balls later another flier put him to confusion, and he was caught on the leg side, from his gloves, * by Ward. Reid was ominously thoughtful and restrained while making three in half an hour, but then his bat began to bark out its commands, and he threatened to take charge of the game. However, Mac Gibbon, with the reek of battle in his nostrils, recalled his greatest feats with a gallant and sustained piece of hostile bowling. He moved the ball about, he kept at the batsmen, and he wrung some lift from the

pitch. From a ball which rose quite sharply Reid was also ' caught by Ward. Magnificent Catch At 108 for seven, Wellington led only by 88, but the ratio of minutes and runs was .swiftly changing against Canterbury. Sigley gave the graph an upward tilt by calmly , straight-hitting Chapple for 6, after the Canterbury captain had peeled off three sweaters to begin his bowling. But Kiddey caught Blair neatly in the slips from Mac Gibbon and then he made a magnificent catch, diving far to his right, to dismiss Sigley. It was a splendid effort and he took his third catch from a very firm hit to short mid- ' off. to finish the innings. At one stage it seemed that Wellington’s last pair, McMahon and R. Reid, might stay in until tea, and thus cost Canterbury a further 10 mfnutes for the interval between innings. They made a noble effort, but it fell short by 10 minutes. Wellington started well when Blair brought one back sharply to bowl . Bolton, before a run had been scored. But Dowling played so well that Blair's effort was short-lived, and within a very few overs he was reduced to a semi-defensive field. Dowling has sometimes been criticised for a lack of aggression, but on this occasion he used the strokes at his command beautifully. He cover-drove Blair handsomely for 4 and then made a magnificent ' straight hit for 4 off R. Reid. The innings had been in progress for 35 minutes when J. R. Reid came on, and it was a tense moment, for he. was clearly the only man capable of winning for Wellington. Guillen, perhaps too eager to score quickly, was dropped at 10, a hard chance in the slips? and then Dowling, sweeping at J. Reid, was out leg before wicket. At 49, Guillen tried to on-drive J. Reid and Guy. whose fielding throughout the match was outstanding, made a very fine eatch. At 49 for three. Canterbury was in difficulties. Thomson, a little more assured than in the first innings, was bowled when hitting across the line almost at right angles, and with four out. Canterbury needed 64 in even time. Harris batted very sensibly and well, for his risks were calculated. But 50 minutes from stumps he was well taken in J. Reid's legtrap, and Chapple lacked any semblance of assurance. He made one or two very indiscreet strokes, but then clung grimly on to implement the clear policy of keeping J. Reid out while the runs were made at the other end. Mac Gibbon’s Batting Had Mac Gibbon been dismissed quickly, Canterbury could have lost the match. But he started very well. He forced R. Reid off his toes for 4, and then on-drove strongly for another boundary. J. Reid was putting everything he had into his bowling, but twice when he made the ball lift and move alarmingly, it cost Wellington four byes. So Canterbury reached 100 in 103 minutes and the end was almost in sight. Mac Gibbon, when 15 were needed, finally slackened the tension with a magnificent hit off J. Reid high on to the embankment. In the next over he pulled him for 4, and then swept him finer for another 4—both strokes which courted danger, but which by that stage effectively underlined Canterbury’s strong position. J. Reid acknowledged defeat gracefully; at least that whs the interpretation placed on his use of Guy as a bowler by everyone save, perhaps. Guy himself. Guy’s was a brief bowling spell. Mac Gibbon drove his first ball flowingly through extra cover to the boundary, to make his partnership with Chapple worth 42 in 25 minutes. It was a fine postscript to an entertaining tale. The umpires were Messrs E. D Milne and H. C. Moore. Scores:— WELLINGTON First innings .. .. 221 Second Innings B. W. Sinclair, lbw, b Motz .. 4 B. A. G. Murray, c Guillen, b Kiddey .. .. .. 10 P. T. Barton, b Motz .. .. 1 I. R. Mason, run out .. .. 9 J. W. Guy, c Ward, b Motz .. 39 L. C. Butler, run out .. .. 16 J. R. Reid, c Ward, b Mac Gibbon 18 E. J. Sigley. c Kiddey, b MacGibbon .. 21 R. W. Blair, c Kiddey. b MacGibbon .. .. .. 4 T. G. McMahon, not out .. 8 R. E. Reid, c Kiddey. b Bolton 3 Extras (byes 4, leg-byes 3) 7 Total 140

A. G. Duckmanton 12 3 23 0 Fall of wickets; one for 8 (Sinclair); two for 12 (Barton); three : for 18 (Murray); four for 34 (Mason); five for 78 (Butler); six for 85 (Guy); seven for 108 (J. R. Reid): 8 for 128 (Blair); nine for 129 (Sigley); ten for 140 (R, E. Reid). CANTERBURY First innings .. .. 241 ; Second Innings B. A. Bolton, b Blair .. 0 ■ G. T. Dowling, lbw. b J. Reid - - 21 - S. C. Guillen, c Guy, b J. Reid 24 P. G. Z. Harris, c R. Reid, b J. Reid .. .. 19 K. Thomson, bR. Reid .. 5 M. E. Chapple, not out .. 13 A. R. Mac Gibbon. not out .. 28 Extras (byes 8, leg-byes 6) .. 14 ■ Total for five wickets .. 124

Blair bowled one no-ball. Fall of wickets; one for 0 (Bolton); two for 34 (Dowling): three for 49 (Guillen); four for 57 (Thomson); five for 82 (Harris). f Gate At New Plymouth.— A i crowd of 2500 on the second day of the Central Districts v. Otago cricket match at New Plymouth, yesterday paid approximately c £304. which, with the £269 taken } on Thursday, brings the total to i £573.—(P.A.) 1

Bowling O. M. R. W. R. C. Motz 29 15 25 3 A. R. MacGibbon 23 12 18 3 J. W. Kiddey .. 28 11 . 46 1 M. E. Chapple .. 10 6 12 0 B. A. Bolton .. 3.4 0 9 1

Bowling O. M. R. W. R. W. Blair .. 12 2 35 1 R. E. Reid .. 11 3 29 1 J. R. Reid ... 13 2 38 3 E. J. Sigley .. 3 2 4 0 J. W. Guy .. 0.1 0 4 0