CENTRAL HAS SHIELD First-Innings Points Held Against Otago

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31269, 16 January 1967, Page 15

CENTRAL HAS SHIELD First-Innings Points Held Against Otago

(New Zealand Press Association) NELSON. Centra! Districts won the Plunket Shield for the first time since 1954, when it took first innings points from Otago in a cricket match that ended in Nelson on Saturday.

Central now has 36 points in the shield competition, and the maximum that can be scored by either Auckland or Canterbury is 35.

Central defended through a tense final afternoon as Otago sought an outright win that would have kept the competition alive.

An Otago declaration left Central a target of 221 runs in 315 minutes for outright victory, but the challenge was not accepted and when play ended, without the optional half hour being claimed, Central was 143 for four wickets. Central had a lead of 12 runs on the first innings. It was an absorbing day’s play in spite of the slow scoring. Otago added 80 runs for the loss of four wickets in the morning before declaring at 232 for nine. F. J. Cameron was only nine short of 1000 runs in first class cricket when he made the declaration. Three Wickets The Central left-arm spinner, B. W. Yuile, claimed three of the wickets and helped with the fourth by taking a smart slip catch. He finished the innings with four for 50, to give him seven wickets for the match.

the best of the match. Alabaster drove strongly on the off side and hit the first six of the match over square leg off Yuile. S. K. McKnight also batted usefully for 23. The experienced D. N. MacLeod set his young Central Districts team-mates a fine example with a confident innings of 24. P. J. Courts, his partner jn an opening stand of 35, took 87 minutes to move beyond three and eventually snicked a ball from Alabaster on to his stumps to give the Otago off-spinner his hundredth first-class wicket. B. E. Congdon batted fluently in at) innings of 29 that included a six off Alabaster. He was out to a ball that kept low, the first bowled after a break for drinks.

Otago’s last chance of forcing a win went, when V. Pollard was missed off a difficult catch on the mid-wicket boundary by R. Hutchison, fielding substitute.

The 19-year-old J. F. M. Morrison had some hostile overs from Cameron but he batted correctly and cautiously with Pollard in a partnership of 37 that made the game safe for Central.

Pollard handled all the bowling without difficulty and was 25 not out at the close of play. Nagging Length Alabaster maintained a nagging length and was the best of the Otago bowlers with one wicket for 49 off 38 overs. He kept one end going almost all afternoon in a marathon spell of 30 overs. Matatamua also bowled accurately to take two for 25 off 27 overs. Scores.—

OTAGO First Innings 135 Second Innings K. Ibadulia, c Coutts, b Coliinge .. 2 G. D. Beer, c Coliinge, b Yuile . 24 G. M. Turner, lbw, b Coliinge .1 S. N. McGregor, b Pollard 57 R. Hendry, lbw, b Pollard 25 G. D. Alabaster, c Macleod, b Yuile . 39 J A. Matatumua, c Yuile, b Douglas . 36 S. K. McKnight, c and b Yuile .. 23 S. J. Edward, c Morrison, b Yuile .. 10 F. J. Cameron, not out .. 1 Extras (wide 1, byes 7, leg byes 4, no balls 2) 14 Total (for nine wickets declared) ..232

CENTRAL DISTRICTS First innings 148 Second Innings P. J. Coutts, b Alabaster .. 10 D. N. Macleod, c Milburn, b Matatumua . 24 B. E. Congdon, lbw, b Cameron .. .. 29 J. F. M. Morrison, c Milburn, b Matatumua .. 24 V. Pollard, not out .. 25 M. P. Baker, not out .. 20 Extras (byes 7, leg byes 1, no balls 3) .. 11 Total (for 4 wickets) 143 Fall of wickets 1/35, 2/57, 3/79,

G. D. Alabaster (39) and A. Matatumua (36) scored freely and their sixth-wicket partnership of 61 for Otago was

■ 1 Bowling 0. M. R. W. R. 0. Colllnge .. 22 8 47 2 J. Howell 17 2 43 0 G. W. Douglas .. 13 4 26 1 B, W. Yuile 33.5 20 50 4 V. Pollard 26 15 26 2 P. Baker 8 1 26 0

4/116. Bowling W. 0. M. R S. J. Edward 9 5 19 0 F. J. Cameron .. 20 8 27 1 A. Matatumua .. 27 14 25 2 G. D. Alabaster .. 38 19 49 1 S. N. McGregor .. 2 1 2 0 K. Ibadulla 1 0 10 0