EXCITING WIN BY WEST

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31543, 4 December 1967, Page 16

EXCITING WIN BY WEST

The match at Hagley 3 between West-University and Old Collegians came to life in the final hour as West-Unlverstiy chased the 69 runs required for victory and got them with five minutes to spare. Until the Anal hour this had been a drab game with batsmen on neither side, and in particular Old Collegians batsmen, willing to attack the bowling Resuming at four tor 107 West-University's not out batsmen, B. F. Hastings and C. M. Kirk, found runs hard to score against the tight bowling of J. M. H. Dawson and M. G. Lester, who continued their fine form of the previous week. When Hastings lifted a simple catch to Dawson with the total at 132, and R. Allen fell lbw to Lester two runs later. Old Collegians were right back in the game. However, several lusty hits from P. A. Sharp and Kirk wrested the Initiative back and finally N. A, Huxford scored a rapid 26 to enable Sharp to declare with a handy 35 lead. Old Collegians’ openers started cautiously against some hostile bowling from D. Trist. D. S. Banks played some fine shots before Trist got through his defence. J. D. Riley showed again his willingness to hit the ball, but after he was dismissed with the total at 53 the

remaining Old Collegian* batsmen gave what must surely be one of the most unimaginative displays of batting seen on Hagley for years. They let the West University bowlers get right on top and the strange reluctance particularly from Bishop, to hit the ball, proved their undoing as the remaining seven, wickets fell for a mere 40 run* in 120 minutes

Trist bowled with great heart. He was all fire and purpose and broke through the top of the Old Collegians’ batting. Both Sharp and Kirk bowled accurately. with the latter giving his best display of the season. G T. Dowling and I. M. Walter found runs hard to score in the race against the clock. The Old Collegians fieldsmen were defensively positioned to atop the fours and some of the Old Collegians bowlers appeared to take extensive -time between deliveries. By 5.25 p.m. West was behind the clock, but with the arrival of Hastings at the cfease the runs came thick find fast. Dawson was slammed to the boundary off successive balls and Lester hit backward of square leg for six. Walter started to blossom out and both batsmen fan magnificently between wickets and by 5 45 the result was a foregone conclusion. The umpires were Messrs R. Hobbs and Johnson.