Dull Finish At Hagley Park

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31519, 6 November 1967, Page 16

Dull Finish At Hagley Park

First day: Lancaster Park 184; St Albans 79/2. Interest and support for senior cricket is unlikely to revive and certain to decline if matches continue to be played in the manner of that on Hagley Three on Saturday. Because of the slowness of the scoring on the first day, there was little chance of anything other than a first-innings decision. But this was no reason for a game played at the headquarters of Canterbury cricket to degenerate in the last hour into a type of back garden cricket where everybody except the wicket-keeper and a substitute was given a bowl.

For the final half-hour, this was the only game in progress on the Oval and anyone attracted from the road could well have wondered if the short journey was worth-while. In the morning J. W. Burtt batted competently to take his overnight score from 47 to 84 and then R. J. Nicoll in a partnership ol 47 with J. A. Harrison eave his side the first-innings lead.

Niccll was enterprising and con*iaen» and his 76 included 7 fours and one six. Lancaster Park which had keenlv con-

tested-the St Albans attempt to gain the lead, then let the game slip away and R. Mather put the seal on the match by swinging lustily for 46. The Lancaster Park bowling was seldom more than ordinary, B. C. Irving looking the most likely to take wickets. A. Harrison and M. D. Randle in Lancaster Park’s second innings began brightly, if somewhat sketchily. Harrison drove powerfully but it was a pity that his promising innings in the later stages was against such indifferent bowling. Umpires: Messrs T. F. Mathie and J. A. Luxford.