Dismal Day In Field For Wellington

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30634, 28 December 1964, Page 14

Dismal Day In Field For Wellington

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, December 27.

One traitorous gust of Wellington wind led to the Wellington Plunket Shield attack being brought to its knees by the Central Districts batsmen at the Rasin Reserve on Saturday. It gave batsmen like B. E. Congdon (112), M. F F Shrimpton (92), R. R. Hampton (62), M. E. Chapple (55 not out) the opportunity to bat first on a featherbed wicket.

At stumps Central Districts was 362 for the loss of four wickets.

It was a long time since a Wellington Plunket Shield team had spent a complete day in the field. But the Central batsmen rammed home the advantage of winning the toss and exposed the shallowness of the Wellington attack.

It was in the winning of the toss that a vagrant blast of wind played its notable part In the day’s adventures.

The Wellington captain, J. R. Reid, jocularly warned Chapple to beware of the vagaries of the gusty northerly. The coin went into the air. Chapple called “tails.” The coin hit, rolled and was actually falling with head up when the wind caught it and toppled it over. Central Districts batted.

Reid, the New Zealand captain and a national selector, called recently for batsmen who would hit the ball and play their strokes. He had a close-up of them on Saturday. Congdon and Shrimpton batted splendidly—forthright in their treatment of the ball on the drive or behind the wickets, intent on keeping the better ones out Congdon was a virtual opener for W. T. Murdock went at 26. Though he was occasionally uncertain in the early part of his innings the overwhelming impression at the end of it was of its compact expression of attack. Great Value Of immense value to Congdon and Shrimpton was the innings of I. R. Hampton, the other opener. The lefthander took 140 minutes to score his 62 runs, but there was never any impression of slowness. Congdon looked a batsman with good prospects of moving into international cricket. That he should score the first century of the first-class season was a substantial endorsement of an already good record. His run-gathering with strokes backward of point and wide of slips was that of a batsman in form and he drove with assurance. He made his 100 in 218 minutes and hit 12 fours. Shrimptqn, who has been full of runs this season, impressed with his ability to move quickly and gracefullv into position for his strokes. He sprinted to 36 by hitting seven boundaries—three of them in succession of a Reid troubled with injury. Out On 92 He went to 50 by “chipping” R. W. Blair off his toes and then hitting him to square leg, both shots to the fence. ( Pegged down as he went ;

into the 90s, Shrimpton swung lustily at Butler, topped it and was out for 92.

Of the Wellington bowlers Blair came through the day with tremendous credit, but only one wicket. His opening spell was not his most spectacular in shield cricket but when he came on in a long third spell he tied down the batsmen.

Morrison,, too, had his best period late in the day and R. M. James was economical. L. C. Butler bowled 37 overs and picked up the wickets of both Congdon and Shrimpton. Before lunch Reid wrenched a muscle in his left shoulder and though he bowled after lunch it was without

[bite. He will not bowl again [in the match. Wellington’s ground fielding went through some shoddy misadventures. However, the Wellington wicketkeeper, T. G. McMahon, conceded only one bye, kept wickets with complete efficiency and wrapped up his two chances. Play will resume today. Scoreboard:—

CENTRAL DISTRICTS First Innings W.- T. Murdock, b Blair 7 I. R. Hampton, c McMahon, b Morrison . 62 B. E. Congdon, c Morrison, b Butler .112 M. J. F. Shrimpton, c Mc'Mahon, b Butler .. 92 B. W. Yuile, not out .. 20 M. E. Chapple, not out .. 55 Extras (byes 1, leg-byes 5, no balls 8) .14 Total for four wickets 362 Fall of wickets: One for 26, two for 119, three for 270, four for 291.

Bowling 0. M. R W. Blair 37 13 70 1 Morrison 32 11 80 1 Reid 14 4 42 . 0 Butler 37 12 102 2 Janies 22 8 54 0