Otago And Auckland Battling For A Win

Press, Volume C, Issue 29403, 4 January 1961, Page 12

Otago And Auckland Battling For A Win

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, January 3. Auckland and Otago will both enter the last day of their Plunket Shield cricket match at Eden Park tomorrow with the prospect of gaining an outright win. After six and a half hours of incredible cricket today, during which 19 wickets fell, Auckland was batting last and at stumps needed 200 runs for victory. Auckland started the day at 14 for one, chasing Otago’s score of 269 for nine wickets declared. About midday the Otago spinners, A. M. Moir and J. C. Alabaster, got such a grip on the game that the Auckland innings ground painfully to a halt at 147, 122 runs behind. However, within an hour Auckland struck back so swiftly that five Otago wickets, including the prized one of S. N. McGregor, had been taken for 30 runs. There was no stopping Auckland as it bustled through the Otago tail until the ninth wicket was taken at 67 runs. But B. Sutcliffe, the hero of the first innings, was still there and his last partner, D. J. Vear, was a batsman of good sense. Slowly, but very surely, they scored 27 runs for the last wicket until Vear was finally caught off his first bad shot and Sutcliffe was left high and dry with 31. giving him 120 runs for once out in the match. Auckland survived the 32 minutes before stumps fairly confidently, scoring 17 of the 217 needed without loss.

If anything, the balance of the game might be tilted slightly in Otago’s favour, for the pitch is not easy for batting. Even early on the second day today Moir and Alabaster were able to spin the ball sharply and batting against them was not easy. Also, during the Otago innings the pitch began to produce several of the notorious Eden Park “shooters” which made batting even more uncertain. The Auckland batsmen can be expected to play Moir and Alabaster rather more confidently than they did in the flrsit innings, but the need to watch for the faulty bounce will make confident batting difficult. A great deal will depend on the Auckland batsmen in the pre-lunch session. Moir bowled extremely well, even considering the help he got from the pitch. His length was

seldom faulty and he varied his spin, flight and speed exceptionally well. Alabaster, although he took five fewer wickets than Moir, was also extremely hard to play. Together they bowled from about 11.30 a.m. until the end of the innings at 2.30 p.m., interrupted only by lunch and one over by B. Sutcliffe.

The best Auckland batting came from R. M. Harris, back in the Auckland team, who scored 45 and played some flashing drives. He drove Moir three times for fours in the over before be was caught by Sutcliffe off the same bowler.

P. B. McGregor, the young and promising Aucklander, took time to work out Moir's mysteries, but batted sensibly and hit cleanly on the hook.