Fast Scoring Rate Against Sydenham

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31549, 11 December 1967, Page 16

Fast Scoring Rate Against Sydenham

Riccarton’s young men made merry against bowling which largely lacked control and they made their runs at a great pace, the lunch score being 176 for one in 133 minutes.

Of the Sydenham bowlers only J. M. Mclntyre was sufficiently disciplined to cope with eager batsmen of stroke-making ability on a good pitch. Stead, a very handy cricketer for Riccarton. was full of shots and so was P. A. Stubbings. who has been making runs steadily this season. It was a most attractive display, the fours coming sweetly and often to underline the value of G. T. Barrett's first winning toss this season. Stead batted only 142 minutes for his century and his partnership with Stubbings realised 173 in 127 minutes with many beautiful strokes.

Then came Anderson to hammer home the advantage won, and he also gave a fine display in making 73 in M minutes. It

seemed that Riccarton would end the day with a tremendous score. At one stage the total was 254 for two and the bowling apparently in tatters. But Riccarton, unexpectedly, slowed and when towards the end the batsmen tried to attack again, they got themselves out in rapid succession. At a time when Sydenham’s forces seemed spent, it took over an hour to go from 250 to 300, K- Nicholson, right at the end, hit two beautifully-timed pulled drives for 6’a off Mclntyre, but the left-hander came through a trying day with credit and so did A. W. Kennedy, another lefthander with a marked reluctance to let the batsmen have freedom of expression. Nicholson, bowling fast and short of a length, had four frustrating overs at the start of Sydenham’s innings, the ball flying to the boundary repeatedly from nicks and snicks. But J. w. Kiddey took three wickets in quick succession to put Sydenham in a precarious position. Umpires; Messrs B. Dennison and J. Luxford.