Sporting Gesture By Central Gives Auckland 10-Point Win

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29715, 8 January 1962, Page 14

Sporting Gesture By Central Gives Auckland 10-Point Win

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, Jan. 7. The match, 10 Plunket Shield points and most of the glory from the game duly went to Auckland at Eden Park on Saturday afternoon but not before the young Central Districts team had. by a pleasantly sporting gesture, gained some of the glory for itself.

Auckland, needing 143 for victory, started the day at 4 for none and. spurred by the forecast for rain after lunch, scored 115 runs before the adjournment for the loss of only two wickets. The result seemed a formality until the weather forecast proved depressingly accurate. No sooner had R W. Morgan and W. R. Playle resumed batting after lunch than the rain began to fall —not in light showers, but in a whirling mess of wind and wetness.

If I. A. Colquhoun and his eager young men had wished, they could have quit the field immediately and spent the rest of the afternoon hoping that the rain would give them a draw—and it might well have done that, too. for the showers persisted throughout the afternoon. Instead Colquhoun’s men stayed on the field in the downpour and added a nice touch by running to their positions between overs. And so ft was that Auckland, in a flurry of rain, rash shots and the loss of three more wickets, won the game at 2 pm. There was applause for

Playle, 48 not out, and the backbone of the innings, and more applause for Colquhoun’s damp, but dauntless, men who had not forgotten that cricket remains a game. Previously it had not been Central Districts’ happiest day. B. Hampton, the clever young medium-pace bowler, was suffering from a thigh injury received on Friday and could not bowl with his usual freedom.

Later, I. B. Leggat unwittingly got a touch to a straight drive by R. M. Harris, a finger of his right hand was put out of joint and although he returned to bowl, the injured finger obviously hampered him. Harris played several of his muscular strokes before

being expertly caught by R. Kelly, substituting for Leggat. TTiat, and the removal of S. G. Gedye in D. Kinsella’s second over of the morning, was the end of Central Districts’ good fortune. Playle was joined by Morgan at 43 and without risk or haste they led Auckland to victory. Playle was dutifully defensive against Kinsella, who bowled extremely well, and Morgan began to bat with a freedom and facility of stroke that he does not always display. Kinsella picked up two wickets in the scramble after lunch and his four for 33 from 20 overs was some compensation for his lack of luck in the first innings. Scores:— CENTRAL DISTRICTS First Innings .. ..169 Second Innings .. .. 145 AUCKLAND First Innings, for nine wickets declared 173 Second Innings S. G. Geyde, lbw. b Kinsella 4 R. M. Harris, c sub. (R. Kelly), b Kinsella .. 23 W. R. Playle. not out .. 48 R. W. Morgan, c Lowans, b Kinsella ..54 P• P- W. Morris, c Colquhoun. b Kinsella .. ~ 0 W. B. Norman, c Congdon, b _ * Le ?K a ‘, .. 7 L. A. Clark, not out .. 0 Extras .. B „ „ . Total for five wkts. 145 Fall of wickets: One for 4, two for 43. three for 125, four for 125, five for 136.

Bowling D. Kinsella O. M. R. W 20 10 33 4 B .Hampton 12 4 23 0 I. B. Leggat 11.4 4 31 1 L. Mummery 11 T 10 0 D. V. Spence il. Shrimp11 2 27 0 ton 1 • 12 0