N.Z. Batsmen Laboured To Gain Strong Position

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31321, 17 March 1967, Page 13

N.Z. Batsmen Laboured To Gain Strong Position

(By R. T. BRITTENDEN)

New Zealand inched its way a little closer to a winning position in the series with Australia when the third test began at Lancaster Park yesterday. New Zealand came into the game one up, and its score yesterday of 297 for eight wickets can have given the Australians little satisfaction.

It is by no means a winning score, but it has left New Zealand very much in the game. It was an innings of contrasts, of sunshine and shower, as wickets were lost and resolute efforts were made to restore the position.

It was not a good pitch on which to score freely and quickly, because the ball tended to keep rather

low, and it did not very often come on to the bat fast enough for forcing strokes. Indeed, there were very few, all day, which committed themselves to the memory. With the seam bowlers able to move the ball off the pitch, and the ever-present prospect of one coming through with little bounce, the New Zealand batting usually wore a haggard look. Indeed, there was a great deal of good fortune in New Zealand’s progress, what with missed catches, batsmen playing and missing, and the lavish contribution made by the Australian bowling in noballs and wides.

Most of the day was spent in batting drudgery, but there was an unusually solid look about the score-sheet at day’s end. K. Thomson led the way with 79, his highest score at Lancaster Park, and if it was an innings out of character, it made a tremendous contribu-

tion to New Zealand’s cause. T. W. Jarvis played some fine, flowing strokes in his half-century, there were highly useful innings by B. W. Sinclair, V. Pollard and B. W. Yuile, and another look at the extraordinary talents of B. R. Taylor.

As the fortunes of war shifted and changed, there were four partnerships in excess of 40. Yet it was a dreadful struggle for runs, except near the end of the Sinclair-Pol-lard partnership, while Taylor was breaking batting rules and bowling hearts, and towards the finish of Thomson’s long innings. The Australians concentrated mainly on the three seam bowlers, who bowled 70 per cent of the overs: in Canterbury’s first innings a month ago, their share was 30 per cent.

Not only did the pitch give them the stronger hand—for the two leg-spinners turned rather lazily—but the form of Frost and Connolly, in particular, was impressive. A fresh and lovely morning warmed to a flawless day, and there was a crowd of 3500 on

a week-day to measure the increased interest in New Zealand cricket. But at a table set for a feast, it was batting fish and chips.

The Australian selection provided the first point of particular interest. N. C. O’Neill, who had batted in superb style at Dunedin on the last day, but whose knee injuries had caused him to limp, was not chosen.

O’Neill made himself available, but the team selectors concluded that he was not fully fit for a four-day game.

His exclusion was a disappointment to everyone except the New Zealand bowlers.

To make way for a third pace bowler and another batsman, J. W. Gleeson and R. Bitmead were also dropped. Bitmead’s exclusion thus made it impossible to take up a challenge issued by a spectator: Bitmead has the strangest of actions, bowling off the wrong foot, Thomson must have the lowest crouch in first-class cricket.

Bitmead bowling to Thomson is a diverting sight, but the request to “make poetry out of that, mate," was thus thankfully avoided. So A. P. Sheahan, A Frost and P. I. Philpott came into the side. New Zealand, as expected, omitted R. S. Cunis.