PLUNKET SHIELD Exhilarating Climax To Match At Auckland

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30338, 14 January 1964, Page 14

PLUNKET SHIELD Exhilarating Climax To Match At Auckland

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, January 13. In a little more than two hours of thrill-a-minute cricket, Auckland dismissed Northern Districts for 140 runs in the last innings of the Plunket Shield match at Eden Park today and thus snatched a brilliant and unexpected outright victory by eight runs from the fifth to last ball of the match. The tension came when Northern had to score 149 runs in 140 minutes for victory on a good pitch. And even if Northern failed it played splendid cricket and never stopped chasing victory.

Northern was placed in this position by the first unexpected occurrence of the day. Just before lunch Auckland was 135 for six, with all the major batsmen gone and still 20 rims away from making Northern bat again. However, J. D. Behrent and E. R. Tovey, then decided to go for the runs.

For just on 100 minutes they played delightful cricket, attacking the bowling when they had the chance, chirpily taking quick singles, and generally acting as batsmen should on a kindly pitch and against a rather thin attack. In those 100 minutes they scored 129 for the seventh wicket and a few more flutters from the tail took Auckland to 303. Behrent looked every meh a batsman, using his long reach to smother N. Puna’s spin and producing some lovely drives and a quite violently successful hook shot which brought him two sixes. Tovey played all kinds of strokes, and some shots which could hardly be called strokes. But he stuck there with Behrent and their batting restored both the Auckland position and the players’ morale, for the miserly score of 69 and the follow-on of Saturday were still painful memories. Chase For Kuns The chase for runs and wickets was on from the first over of the Northern innings. T. E. Shaw’s first run almost produced a run out, but instead he gained four overthrows. The next time he tempted fate, K. Taylor threw down his wicket and Shaw was run out. One for 13 soon became two for 35 when B. Dunning, going for his drives, was deceived by Behrent’s slower ball. This brought the menacing B. H. Pairaudeau to the crease but Beihrent and R. S. Cunts tied him in knots. The runs fell far behind the clock and Northern might have thought in terms of playing out time. Then J. T. Sparling, the Auckland captain, took his first gamble by taking off Cunis in the middle of one of his most hostile spells and bowling himself. Pairaudeau relished the letoff. He hit Sparling’s first ball for four, plundered him some more in his second over and in Sparling’s third hit him for four, two, four, four, one—three overs for 26 runs.

One part of the gamble may have failed, but Sparling had at least given Pairaudeau a taste for runs and Northern had caught up with the clock. Then Sparling brought back R. E. Sutton, who obliged by taking a difficult dhance from Pairaudeau. This wicket fell at 5 p.m. and at 75 for three. Spinner’s Chance

B. Sutcliffe, not happy against Sutton’s speed, still got runs and at 89 for three wickets Sparling took the great gamble—he brought on H. J. Howarth, the young left-arm spinner whose accuracy has been suspect in his last three innings. At 5.20, with 58 runs wanted Sutcliffe went for a big hit and was safely held by S. G. Gedye at long-on. Ninety-one for fourth. Pairaudeau then sent in the young Samoan big-hitter, S. Kohlhasse, who slashed Howarth for two fours. Still Sparling kept Howarth on and still Howarth bowled a full length and still Kohlhasse went for the big hit. He succeeded only in giving Gedye his second

catch at long-on. Fii"e for 108, and 28 minutes left. Back came Cunis, all fire and brimstone. But P. B. McGregor hit Howarth for six and four. W. P. Bradburn, after a long and sturdy innings, was run out on the fourth ball of this over—ll 9 for six—but D. Matthews, the youngster, immediately hit Howarth for another six. Eigh teen minutes and 24 runs wanted. Still Sparling persisted with Howarths even after conceding 16 runs in an over—and the youngster repaid him handsomely. McGregor mishit a high catch Which Taylor held and with his next ball Howarth bowled Matthews. Eight for 128, 13 minutes left. Puna somehow avoided the hat-trick, and snicked one past first slip. Cunis now came into full force, stopping the runs and missing Puna’s and M. C. Langdon’s stumps by inches. With five minutes left and and 11 runs wanted Cunis began the second last over of the day. With his last ball he got the edge of Puna’s bat and Tovey swallowed the catch. Brilliant Catch In the last over, with nine runs wanted, E. C. Petrie joined Langdon. Langdon swung and missed the first ball. Again he swung and got a thick top edge. The 'ball skied into mid-wicket, looking safe as houses, but like a startled stag Sparling with a final spurt got to the ball, took it with two hands as it came over his shoulder and even Langdon and Petrie applauded. No-one but Sparling would have got near the catch. Scores— AUCKLAND First innings .. ... 69 Second Innings S. G. Gedye, c Shaw, b Puna .. .. .. 20

Total .. ..303 Fall of wickets: One for 37, two for 31, three for 102, four for 122, five for 125, six for 135, seven for 264, eight for 269, nine for 279.

Bowling: M. C. Langdon. SO. 10, 61, 2: S. Kohlhasse. 27, 9, 65. 1; N. Puna, 45, 15, 89, 4; T. E. Shaw, 3,0, 8,0: D. Matthews, 15, 4, 40, 0; W. P. Bradburn, 5. 1, 25, 2; P. B. McGregor, 0.3, 0. 3, 1. NORTHERN DISTRICTS First innings .. ..224

Fall of wickets; One for 13, two for. 35, three for 75, four for 91, five for 108, six for 119, seven for 128, eight for 128, nine for 140. Bowling: R. S. Cunis, 12, 2, 24. 1; R. E. Sutton, 11, 2, 37, 1; J. D. Behrent, 8. 5. 16, 1; J. T. Sparling, 3,0, 26, 0; H. J. Howarth, 72, 0, 32, 3.

K. Taylor, c Pairaudeau. b Puna « R. W. Morgan, e Bradbum, b Puna .. 46 J. T. Sparling, b Kohlhasse 44 J. Carson, c Kohlhasae, b Puna .. 15 N. S. Harford, c Shaw, b Langdon .. 0 J. D. Behrent. c Kohlhasse, b Bradburn 74 E. R. Tovey, c Kohlhasse, b Bradburn .. 62 H. J. Howarth, c Petrie, b Langdon 4 R. E. Sutton, not out .. 12 R. S, Cunis, c Bradbum, b McGregor a Extras (6 byes, 5 legbyes, 1 no-ball) .. 12 ■■ 1,1

Second Inning* T. E. Shaw, run out 7 W. P. Bradburn, run out .. 34 B. Dunning, b Behrent .. B. H. Pairaudeau, c and b 13 Sutton 32 B. Sutcliffe, « Gedye. b Howarth 11 S. Kohlhasse, c Gedye, b Howarth 10 P. B. McGregor, c Taylor, b Howarth 11 D. Matthews, b Howarth .. M. C. Langdon, c Sparling, b 8 Howarth B N. Puna, c Tovey, b Cunis 7 E. C. Petrie, not out 0 Extras (2 leg-byes, 1 wide, 2 no-balls) 5 Total 140 — .. ■