CRICKET Hastings Scores First 100 For Canterbury

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29726, 20 January 1962, Page 12

CRICKET Hastings Scores First 100 For Canterbury

“The Press” Special Service

NELSON, January 19.

Canterbury’s chances of winning its last Plunket Shield match of the series were enhanced at Trafalgar Park today when the side scored 415 —230 runs ahead of Central Districts. Central made 185 in its first innings, but at stumps had cut the deficit to 208 by making 22 runs without loss in its second innings.

The honours in the second day's play rested solely with Canterbury. B. F. Hastings, the former Wellington and Central Districts Plunket Shield batsman, scored a splendid 149 in his first firstclass innings for It was also his first century in first-class cricket. Exactly 160 of his runs came from boundary shots —22 fours and two sixes.

Others in the Canterbury side to give the score a fillip were B. G. Hadlee (51), D. Hill (43), and A. G. Duckmanton (69). For Central Districts this was a day of lost opportunities. Five chances which went to hand also went begging, three of them off the leg-spinner, L. Mummery These lost chances, especially those off Hastings and Duckmanton, proved extremely costly—a total of 129 being scored by the two after each had been dropped the first time.

This must have been heartbreaking for the bowlers, especially since the pitch offered no encouragement Mummery had three catches dropped—two off Hastings. Central were hampered also by a lack of variety in the attack. The side possessed no off-spinner and the attack fell upon one fast, two medium and three leg-spin bowlers. In addition, much of the bowling was extremely loose. Quick Scoring

Canterbury scored its runs in very quick time after a cautious start yesterday. The 150 came up in 182 minutes, but the final score of 415 took only 403 minutes. Interest in the morning's play seldom waned. Hadlee and Bolton showed they were interested in scoring quickly. Against pace bowlers, D. Kinsella and B. Hampton, the runs came easily. Hadlee saw more bowling than Bolton, and his straight and cover driving of Hampton in particular was both power-

ful and nicely placed. The 12 runs needed for the 50 came up in even time and the second 50 in 44 minutes.

After Kinsella and Hampton had bowled 10 overs between them, leg-spinner L. Mummery was brought on. and although he conceded 18 runs in his first five overs, his policy of giving the batsmen something to hit paid dividends for he dismissed Hadlee, Bolton and D. L Gallop in his next four overs. Thick Edge Bolton was. first to go. Attempting to drive Mummery he got a thick edge and G. E Lowans at point took a simple catch His partnership with Hadlee put on 66 runs in 63 minutes.

Hadlee was rather fortunate to score his 50. At 29 he did not quite connect with a lofted drive, but R. Kelly was unable to take a simple catch when he lost the ball in the sun.

He brought up his 50 with a fine cover drive off Mummery, but was out next ball in attempting a lofted off drive. D Spence raced into position to take a good catch. His 50 took 69 minutes.

Gallop maintained the scoring tempo, pulling the second ball from Mummery to the boundary and scoring one other good boundary before he was snapped up by B. Congdon at short mid-off. Canterbury at this stage had lost tour wickets tor 123

Hastings and D. Hill set about retrieving the position and the scoring slowed down to a trickle, the pair putting on 27 tn 50 minutes. At lunch Canterbury was 16 runs short of Central Districts’ first Innings total of 185 with six wickets in hand.

Hill, who been content to let Hastings do most of the

scoring, began hitting out immediately after lunch, and together the pair scored the 17 runs for the first innings lead in 13 minutes. Loose Bowling A period of loose bowling by Leggat and Mummery allowed Hili and Hastings to add 22 runs in six minutes. Hastings reaching a chanceless, stylishly correct and entertaining 50 in 77 minutes.

He lost Hill after they had put on 119 for the fifth wicket in 123 minutes. Hill also gave a correct and polished display and played many fierce drives and hooks.

During the making of his second 50, Hastings had a charmed life. He had given no hint of discomfort against an attack which received little support from the pitch, hitting a tremendous six into the embankment and 11 fours, but between 70 and 90 he survived two easy chances. He was dropped first at mid-off by Spence and then at slip by Leggat. at 71 and 80. He reached his century in 210 minutes—l 33 minutes for the second 50—when he was presented with a full toss outside the off stump. Dropped Again

Play had scarcely resumed after tea when Hastings was dropped for the third time, again by Spence and again off Mummery, a difficult catch at mid-off. He was finally caught, practically off the bat, by J Vernon behind the wicket, off Leggat. His 49 runs took him 43 minutes and his innings of 149 took 253 minutes. Duckmanton was no less aggressive after a quiet opening spell. At times he threw caution and orthodoxy to the winds, but he scored the runs quickly and gave two chances, off Mummery and Hampton. With Hastings he put on 103 runs in 78 minutes. His 69 took him' 107 minutes. Of the Central Districts' bowlers, Mummery deserves credit for sticking to his task with little assistance from pitch or fieldsmen. Of all the bowlers he suffered most from dropped catches

Kinsella was the most economical. his 39 overs costing less than one run an over Earlier in the afternoon Leggafs bowling was loose, but later he bowled well to claim the valuable wickets of Hastings, Duckmanton and two others.

With Lowans feeling the affects of a badly sprained ankle. Shrimpton opened the Central Districts’ second innings with L. B. Reade and by stumps they had scored 22. In the 34 minutes left Mac Gibbon used six bowlers. Kiddey and Dawson were given three overs each before Gallop and Duckmanton were brought on to bowl on a pitch that was more responsive to spin than pace. CANTERBURY First Innings B. A. Bolton, c Lowans, b Mummery .. 38 I. R. Hartland, b Leggat .. 10 B. G. Hadlee, c Spence, b Mummery .. .. 51 B. F. Hastings, c Vernon, b Leggat •• ..149 D. L. Gallop, c Congdon, b Mummery ..It D. Hill, c and b Kinsella .. 43 A. R. Mac Gibbon, c and b Mummery .. ..11 A. G. Duckmanton, c Kinsella, b Leggat .. 69 J. Kiddey. c and b Leggat 2 J. England, not out .. 9 J. Dawson, b Leggat .. 0 Extras (byes 17, legbyes 4, no-ball 1) 22 Total .. -.415 Fall of wickets: one for 38, two for 104. three for 111, four for 123, five for 242. six for 269. seven for 372, eight for 385. nine for 415.

CENTRAL. DISTRICTS First innings .. ..185 Second Innings L. B. Reade, not out .. 13 M. G. Shrimpton, not out .. 7 Extras (leg byes 2) .. 2

Total for no wicket 22 Bowling

Bowling o. M. R. W Shrimpton 9 0 7 0 Kinsella 7. 39 14 64 1 Hampton .. 25 8 61 0 Mummery .. 51 15 152 4 Spence .. 12 0 49 0 Leggat .. 26.2 7 60 5

O. M. R. w Kiddey 3 2 3 0 Dawson 3 0 12 0 Duckmanton 2 1 4 0 Gailop 3 3 0 0 Bolton 2 1 1 0 Hill 1 1 0 0