Slip fieldsmen may decide Otago match

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31862, 14 December 1968, Page 11

Slip fieldsmen may decide Otago match

nine successive victories against Otago, seven of them outright by margins varying fiom 30 runs in 1960-61 to an innings and 44 runs last season, Canterbury should begin its Plunket Shield programme at Dunedin with high hopes of starting its campaign satisfactorily. Canterbury has a team which could win the shield, or at least lengthen the list of recent successes. Canterbury was first four seasons ago, second for the next three years. But it will have to be at its best, from the start. It will need to dispel the doubts about its batting —several of the chosen players'.have not shown convincing ■ form so far; it must have a fully fit R. C. Motz; and it must somehow conjure up fieldsmen capable of holding catches in the slips. , . ' For years, Canterbury has had a strong pace attack. For years the slip fieldsmen have'dropped catches with monotonous regularity. And this year’s selection does not seem to have done much to solve a pressing problem. B. F. Hastings, J. M. McIntyre and B. R. Taylor are all experienced gully fieldsmen, but the only regular •slips fieldsman is R. W. Anderson, and he has not distinguished himself this season in that position. With J. W. Burtt likely to hold his place at cover, Canterbury, when in full attacking disposition for the fast bowlers, may have to use P. G. Coman and J. D. Riley as slips. They have had very little experience, but naturally quick reactions and practice, might help them develop into useful allies of the fast bowlers. Otego’s team may give a better account of itself this season than it has for some time. If the captain, S. N. McGregor, can recapture his fine form of last summer, he could give a lead to a stronger batting side than Otago has had for years. The presence of G. M. Turner, and of the Northern Dis-

tricts player, W. J. Mitchell, suggests that Otago’s bowlers may have a few more runs to play with this season. R. W. Hutchison is one who could well advance this season, and the youthful W. L. Blair should be the better for his full season of shield cricket last summer. B. D. Milburm may’-sfake a claim this season to X T. Ward’s New Zealand place. The Otago bowling is a doubtful quantity, however. Without J. C. Alabaster, the spin section is led by G. D. Alabaster, with Hutchison (left-arm) and Turner (offbreaks) to assist. There are three young pace bowlers in

I, the 12 chosen for the first I- match. J. A. Cushen played e one shield game last season, i- C. J. McDonald and M. G. e Webb, are newcomers. s Webb has been having a ’. most successful season, but :- the best of the three may f prove to be McDonald. With the prospect of ina terruptions to play through rain, and an Otago side !. which could well be stronger 1 than usual. Canterbury '. could be pressed to obtain j full points from this first • match. It will probably de- ■_ pend very largely on the- ; success of the slips fieldsi men.