Canterbury Must Put Emphasis On Attack

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30342, 18 January 1964, Page 10

Canterbury Must Put Emphasis On Attack

[By Our Cricket Correspondent]

Canterbury begins its final Plunket Shield match, against' Central Districts at Nelson today, with everything to win and nothing to lose. An outright win would give Canterbury a reasonable record and placing for the season—particularly in view of the close contests before points were yielded to Auckland and Northern Districts. But a victory at Nelson is unlikely to be achieved unless Canterbury attacks vigorously from the start.

The swing bowlers used by Central Districts in the earlier games —D. A. Kinsella, B. L. Hampton, I. R. Hampton, and R. O. Collings—have not presented their opponents with particular difficulty.

The successful bowlers have been the left-arm spinners, B. W. Yuile and M. E. Chapple. These two were allowed, by the . Northern Districts batsmen, to bowl a total of 107 overs for 106 runs and seven wickets in one innings. Yuile and Chapple are both steady slow bowlers, but the figures they achieved at Hamilton were plainly ridiculous. But something similar could happen at Nelson, if Canterbury permits similarly supine batting to develop. Hadlee’s Example

B. G. Hadlee won Canterbury’s game against Otago by. hitting G. D. Alabaster out of the attack, and he accomplished it by positive batting—going well forward, or well baric, not allowing the bowler to dictate length. Yuile has sufficient flight, and Chapple so little spin, that an organised attack on them should bring results. Canterbury will have to be in the right mood, with the right players. The selection of B. A. Bolton was warranted, for the team needs someone to turn the ball from leg, and D. L. Gallop’s form has been disappointing. In three of the last four shield matches played at Nelson, bowlers turning from leg

have been particularly successful. With Bolton in the team, there is a problem in the selection of the twelfth man, for P. B. Wight has also returned to the side. Injury Doubt Wight made good scores against Northern Districts, but in view of the possibility of a recurrence of his muscle injury, and as this match is an ideal opportunity for Canterbury to introduce a new young player, it is to be hoped that C. J. Stevens will be given his chance. Stevens is one of the hardest hitters seen in Christchurch cricket for some time, but he is a sensibly aggressive player. On the good surface usually provided at Trafalgar Park, Stevens could make a satisfactory start to his shield career. But if Bolton and Stevens are in, either Wight or I. R. Hartland would have to be twelfth man, unless it was decided to lengthen the batting and leave B. C. Irving out. Irving’s off-spin bowling has been steady, but he has not had the opprtunities to show what he can do on a damaged pitch, nor is he likely to get one at Nelson. Hartland deserves another chance as opening batsman, so .the choice may be between Wight and Irving. Potential Batting Central Districts has an interesting batting team, with several members of it candidates for New Zealand teams this season, or in the next summer or so. B. M. J. Dineen, although accomplishing little since making 78 runs in the first match, played so well against the New Zealand team last year that he must still be watched with particular interest. B. E. Congdon, a strong candidate for New Zealand last season, has had only modest scores in this series, and needs a big one. So too

does M. J. F. Shrimpton, who made so splendid a century at Lancaster Park a year ago. Chapple has scored so consistently that he must again be in the running, and the adhesive Hampton brothers have done nothing to harm their reputations. W. T. Murdock, captain of the New Zealand under-23 team last season, is another colt with a high reputation.