Patient Batting By Old Boys

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31234, 5 December 1966, Page 19

Patient Batting By Old Boys

First Day: West-University 210; Old Boys 71/1. A partnership of 120 between Stevens and Bull gave Old Boys the substance of their score, and some brisker batting late in the day provided the side with bonus points, with only six balls to spare. Bull and Stevens took a long time to make their runs, from keen bowling and very eager ground fielding. Bull, very hard to defeat, batted for 202 minutes. Stevens 55 minutes longer. Bull found it hard to beat the field until late in his innings, when he was able to score much more freely. Stevens, one of the hardest-hitting of senipr batsmen, was a mixture of brilliance and frailty. He could have been out three times—two of the chances were . simple

ones—but his driving was usu. ally strong and sure. After these two were parted, B. G. Hadlee, badly needing a good score to better his Plunket Shield claims, was sadly run out. But W. R. Barbarel and M. J. Hadlee made useful scores and Old Boys took first innings points. D. G. Trist bowled energetically, and several times beat Stevens quite decisively, without claiming his wicket. D. H. Hicks was also lively, and the young spinner, C. M. Kirk, was unlucky not to have a better return.

West’s second innings provided G. T. Dowling and B. F. Hastings with very useful practice and at the end P. E. Wallace hit some loose bowling about cheerfully. Umpires: Messrs J. Streeter and L. C. Moore.