SHIELD CRICKET Otago Needs Big Score In Final Innings

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29716, 9 January 1962, Page 12

SHIELD CRICKET Otago Needs Big Score In Final Innings

Canterbury has set Otago a stiff last-day task in the Plunket Shield match which will end at Lancaster Park today. With all its second innings wickets intact, Otago needs 381 runs for victory.

Yesterday Otago’s first innings ended at 132, giving Canterbury a lead of 107. Canterbury, with a strange mixture of batting—good and bad, aggressive and diffident—went to 287 for seven wickets before declaring, and in three overs Otago scored 14 without loss. All in all, it was the most entertaining day of the shield series at Lancaster Park. A. Moir played a resourceful little innings for Otago. Then B. A. Bolton and D. Hill gave Canterbury a really good start—l2s for the first wicket, and Bolton, in a most competent and attractive display, scored 90. Then recession and recovery, with D. L. Gallop playing another splendid innings of 65. And after some time had been expended rather fruitlessly, there w T as some violent hitting by J. W. Kiddey in the last minutes of the Canterbun’ innings. Two bowlers also stood out—-J. H. M. Dawson finished with six wickets for Canterbury, N. T. Woods with four for Otago.

A. G. Duckmanton, not out 23 J. W. Kiddey, not out ..30 Extras (byes 8, leg-bye 1. no-balls 2) ..11 Total for 7 wkts. (declared) .. 287 Fall of wickets: one for 125; two for 140, three for 155, four for 177, five for 178, six for 178, seven for 242.

Hendry and Anderson each bowled a no-ball. OTAGO First Innings J W. D'Arcy, c England, b Dawson .. 0 R. I. Long c Kiddey. b Dawson .. .. ..25 P. C. Semple, b Kiddey .. 1 B. Sutcliffe, c Hill, b Dawson 24 R. Hendry, lbw, b Mac Gibon .. .. .. 0 L. R. Pearson, c Thomson, b Dawson .. ..23 T. Flaws, b Kiddey .. 0 A. M. Moir, b Dawson .. 35 R. G. Anderson, b Dawson 0 A. C. Cartwright, lbw, b Gallop .. ..15 N. T. Woods, not out .. 3 Extras (leg-byes 2. noballs 3, wide 1) .. 6 Total .. ..132 Fall of wickets: one for 0; two for 6. three for 44: four for 52. five for 54, six for 75, seven for 76. eight for 82. nine for 108.

The gate takings were £l9O, making £382 for the two days. The teams are:— Otago: B. Sutcliffe (captain), J. W. D'Arcy, A. McK Moir, T. Flaws, R I. Long, R. Hendry, A. C. Cartwright, R. G. Anderson, L. Pearson, R Semple, N. T. Woods Canterbury: A. R. Mac Gibbon (captain), J. W. Kiddey. D. L. Gallop, K. Thomson, P Truscott, B. A. Bolton, D. Hill. B. G. Hadlee, A. G Duckmanton. J E. England. J. H. M. Dawson. The pitch yesterday still offered the pace bowlers just enough lift to be interesting, but they were not able to move the ball off it so often or so sharply as on the first day. It played so well, in fact, that it suggests today's task mav not be beyond a team which gave a sorry d-splay in its first innings but is capable of far better things Much, naturally, will depend on Sutcliffe; but whatever happens, it is a comfort to find a Canterbury game going into the third day. Otago, a sad 82 for seven at stumps, added 50 yesterday morning, although Anderson was out almost immediately. making a bucolic swing at a straight one from Dawson. Cartwright made some firm strokes, and then Woods, with masterly inactivity—when committed to defence, he hardly seems to move a muscle in presenting his bat to the ball—staved in for 35 minutes which 24 runs were added. Moir, indeed, was so impressed with Woods's imperturbability that he confidently took singles at the start of overs, and made no effort to retain the strike. Moir, always forthright in his methods, hit a cover drive for 4 off Dawson of magnificent pow r er and in general looked very much as if he did not propose to evacuate the pitch until he had scored something like 193. Dawson bowled for 70 minutes in the morning. 190 in all—he was on throughout the Otago innings He was again accurate and quite lively, although the comparative placidity of the pitch rather blunted his tools. Good Start For the first time this season, Canterbury’s opening pair looked thoroughly in command when the innings began an hour before lunch At the interval, the score was 48, Bolton having played two magnificent cuts for 4 s. He got in behind the ball dutifully, even when the pace bowlers managed to get one or two tip quite sharply. Bolton in his best form is a highly accomplished player, and a pleasure to watch. He is neat, quick of foot, full of strokes, and yesterday he seemed utterly sure of himself. It was his best display for two years, and his sec-ond-highest score in shield cricket. Hill, fighting his way out of a bad patch, was slower, but before he was done he had demonstrated that he is a player of considerable gifts. After lunch Bolton was all competence, and Hill began to bat with genuine authority He went on to the back foot to drive, he square cut, and his only threat came from an attack on his leg stump made by Moir. Hill had some difficulty tn countering Moir's quite sharp turn and good length, probably designed to make the most of any footmarks outside the leg stump. For half a dozen overs after lunch. Moir bowled very well, but the moment his length faltered. Hill exacted swift vengeance, with a succession of excellent forcing strokes. In six more overs, Moir yielded 33. Hill accounting for 27 of them. Bolton went to his 50 m 91 minutes, and it was an excellent display of composed. thoughtful batting, but the break for drinks ended Hill's fine innings. He played a rather careless-looking stroke at Anderson and was easily caught at mid-on. The pair had been together for 130 minutes and has restored some faith in the future of Canterbury batting. Otago seized the initiative as soon as Hill had gone Anderson, bowling with all the considerable vigour at his command, directed a persistent attack at the stumps, and in 10 overs yielded only nine runs. Woods, using the stiff easterly to run the ball across the batsmen, was nagging and difficult to attack. At tea Canterbury had scored 166 for three, and after a further period of tight bowling, Bolton was driven back off to

his stumps by Cartwright and was out leg before wicket. He had batted admirably for 210 minutes. That was at 177. At 178, two more wickets fell, and there was much to admire in the way Otago had seized its chance to recover.

But Gallop so impressed himself on Sutcliffe that when the new ball was taken promptly at 200, Anderson bowled with it to one slip and a large defensive circle of fieldsmen, five of them on the on side. It was little wonder that Sutcliffe was forced into such measures, for Gallop, throughout the season, has despatched the bad ball, and the nearly good one, with hammer blows. It was his fifth major innings in his eight shield innings this season. His aggregate this season, with one match to play, is 314. a total only once exceeded for Canterbury in the last five years

Mac Gibbon bowled 3 no-balls, Kiddey bowled 2 no-balls, and Dawson one wide. Second Innings R. I. Long, not out .. 6 J. W. D’Arcy, not out .. 6 Extras (byes 2) .. 2 Total for no wkts. 14 •

Gallop, who made his 65 from only 80 balls in 78 minutes, seemed absolutely in command, making resonant sounds with his bat and the boundary fence. It was an innings exactly suited to his side’s needs, full of good, yeoman blows, which brought him 10 fours, a 6 from a superbly-executed hook off Cartwright. Duckmanton, however, was unable to extract much more than an occasional drop from the fruit Gallop squeezed so firmly. With so large a lead, quick runs were needed, but in 38 minutes he scored only two, until he brought off two beautiful square cuts for 4’s from Anderson. Even after that, he had another very quiet period: the loss of a wicket or two in pursuit of more runs would not have mattered a whit.

Kiddey also started rather too quietly, but on MacGibbon making violent signals from the stand, he seized on young Hendry and took 13 off an over, hit a 6 off Cartwright and finished with 30 not out in a halfhour which produced 45 runs.

Woods was the best bowler, because he bowled accurately all the time. Gallop, with some particularly daring shots, took runs from him, but most of the others struggled. Cartwright and Anderson both had good spells, but neither maintained strict control all the time.

Otago found 14 runs in three Canterbury overs which might be cited as lessons in how not to use the new ball. So the day ended with Canterbury In a very strong position, but with a suspicion that the game is yet far from over. The umpires are Messrs J. Reece and L. C. Moore. Scores:— CANTERBURY First Innings .. ..239 Second Innings D. Hill c Moir, b Anderson 58 B. A. Bolton, lbw, b Cartwright .. .. .. 90 B. G. Hadlee, c Henry, b Woods 7 K. Thomson, lbw. b Woods 2 D. L. Gallop, run out .. 65 P. Truscott, b Woods .. 1 A R Mac Gibbon b Woods.. 0

Bowling R. W. o. M. R. G. Anderson 25 7 59 1 N T. Woods 34 IB 64 4 A. C. Cartwright 25 6 75 1 A. M. Moir 15 1 48 0 B. Sutcliffe 3 0 16 0 R. Hendry 2 0 14 0

Bowling O. M. R. W J. H. M. Dawson .. 31|1 7 72 6 J. W. Kiddey A. R. Mac17 8 28 2 Gibbon .. 7 3 17 1 D. L. Gallop A. G. Ducke 1 9 1 manton .. 1 1 0 0

Bowling O. M. R. W. J. H M. Dawson .. 1 1 0 0 A. R. MacGibbon .. 1 0 6 0 J. W. Kiddey 1 0 6 0