Deadlock In Tight Match For Shield Second Place

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31279, 27 January 1967, Page 13

Deadlock In Tight Match For Shield Second Place

(From Our Own Reporter)

AUCKLAND. A day of thrust and parry in the match for second place in the Plunket Shield competition ended in deadlock at Eden Park yesterday.

Canterbury made 289 in an innings that flowed smoothly after a slow start; threatened to collapse when the middle was removed by accurate spin bowling; and clambered back to respectability with a dogged rearguard fight.

It was an intriguing day’s cricket with the especial heroes the Canterbury captain. G. T. Dowling, and Auckland’s vice-captain, R. W. Morgan. Dowling defied for four hours the accurate Auckland attack in an innings of complete safety, neat stroke making placements and sense of duty to his team. Dowling lost M. L. Ryan early and the fourth No. 3 used by Canterbury this season, C. L. Broad, was playing only his second major match. It was imperative that Canterbury did not lose another wicket and Dowling nursed Broad through the difficulty early stages until his confidence developed to the extent that Broad was hitting the Auckland captain, J. T. Sparling, over his head.

When Broad went, for a competent 27, Dowling was joined by a shaky B. F. Hastings. It was unfortunate for Hastings, not a noted player of spin bowling, that he should be facing G. E. Vivian, a leg-break bowler. Vivian’s bowling was delightful and exciting. Three times in his single over before lunch, he beat Hastings with balls of virtuous length and sharp spin. He continued in this manner after lunch and had Hastings dropped at slip by T. W. Jarvis, normally the best of slips fieldsmen. But this was not Jarvis’s day and, all told, he dropped four catches—Broad, Hastings and J. W. Burtt at slip and

Hastings again at mid-wicket. Thereafter Vivian’s length varied and he proved expensive.

Vivian's removal was a bad happening for Canterbury, for Morgan was brought on. He immediately had Hastings dropped by Jarvis and a difficult stumping chance missed, then in his eighth over got Dowling, who hit 10 fours and a mighty mld-wickets six, and K. Thomson.

This was the start of an extremely awkward spell for Morgan. His first over to Burtt had the Canterbury player in extreme difficulty and two overs later, R. C. Motz was caught on the boundary, attempting a big hit after facing only five balls.

BURTT DROPPED In the same over, Burtt was dropped at short-leg by H. J. Howarth.

Canterbury, from 187 for two, slumped to 203 for six, but the St. Albans club players, Burtt and B. R. Taylor, slowly righted the sinking ship. Burtt was all uneasy defence and unlimited determination, while Taylor cast aside his natural game in the interests of the side, except for an over from J. T. Sparling, when he wafted the Auckland captain to three points of the ground with lazy nonchalance. Taylor finally was led into temptation by Morgan and J. McL. Mclntyre quickly followed him, but J. T. Ward came to stay with Burtt.

Ward has so often been a saviour of lost causes for Canterbury that it is surprising he has never reached 50 in a first-class match. But with some comfortable drives and firm leghits, he overhauled Burtt and

the pair added 44 In taking Can terbury near the more satisfac tory milestone of 300.

Morgan finished with six wickets. But on form, Canterbury would probably have lasted the day in some ease. However, his two wickets In the single over—and Hastings’ run out soon afterwards—made Canterbury struggle. It was not, incidentally, one of Hastings’ best innings and he was fortunate to reach 30.

The Auckland opening attack, and R. E. Sutton especially, was not dangerous and on a pitch that made no pretentions to pace, he and R. S. Cunis bowled a generous width.

Sparling was insignificant and Howarth, a changed bowler in this last season, merely tight. Howarth has altered his methods in that he now makes no attempt to flight the ball.

Morgan bowls very briskly but his bowling is of the antagonistic type, the relentless pressure on the batsman as applied by J. R. Reid, in recent years, and V. Pollard this season. Auckland played the half-hour stumps quietly and safely, while Canterbury bowled the unusually high number of nine overs.

The Auckland rate was close to 20 overs an hour with the spinners boosting the fast bowlers’ 16-over average. Canterbury scored at something approaching 2.5 runs an over and batted a little over six hours.

But the cricket rarely appeared slow—it was too tense and too close for that.