SOUTH FOUR DOWN, ONLY 36 BEHIND

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31922, 25 February 1969, Page 19

SOUTH FOUR DOWN, ONLY 36 BEHIND

Turner Scores Century, Hastings Bright 85

(By

R. T. BRITTENDEN)

DUNEDIN. There were firm indications at Carisbrook yesterday that New Zealand cricket may be able to hold up its head in the coming test series with the West Indies.

A splendid third-wicket partnership between G. M. Turner and B. F. Hastings of 173 was mainly responsible for the South Island reaching 271 for four at the end of the day—only 36 behind the West Indies score.

Too much should not be read into the success of these batsmen although Turner’s 123 and Hastings’s 85 were fine innings by any standards. The pitch again played truly and the West Indians in this match are without W. Hall, probably still the side’s best fast bowler.

But the South Islanders batted so capably that they must have won some measure of confidence about their prospects in the tests—and New Zealand cricketers’ confidence is often sadly lacking.

Turner’s score is the highest made by a New Zealander against a West Indies team. Two Wellington batsmen, T. Meale and L. S. M. Miller, had scored centuries for their province on earlier West Indies tours. There seems little prospect of anything but a draw today unless Hastings has in mind to declare overnight and invite R. B. Kanhai to set the clock. Match Value Already the match has been of very considerable value. For Turner it was a great day—his third first-class century (and the eighteenth made in New Zealand this season) and so w r as it for Hastings who advanced his season’s aggregate to 633 leaving him more than 100 clear of all the others.

The one disturbing thought from the cricket yesterday was that if the test pitches are as good as the one at Carisbrook the games maymove rather slowly. The West Indians averaged 13 overs an hour yesterday and keeping on terms with the clock is not going to be easy for New Zealand at that rate. So far the South Island scoring rate is about 3.2 rubs an over. The West Indians scored at 4.4 an over, and the New Zealand side may have a gulf to bridge there. The South Island batsmen had to wring runs slowly from the West Indian bowlers all morning, partly because

of a show of violence from R. M. Edwards and partly because of an exceedingly slow over rate. Only 10 overs were bowled in the first hour and some of the responsibility for this rested with the massive C. C. Griffith, who took up to eight minutes to bowl an over.

One of his overs included four no-balls, and seemed an interminable performance, for he was taking 42 wearylooking paces from wicket to bowling mark. He bowled (with little more energy than lon Saturday evening. A determined Edwards (gave J. W. Burtt a particularly difficult time, firing the ball in just short of a length and making it lift nastily. Burtt played one or two crisp and confident strokes, but needed 100 minutes to make his 16 runs.

Burtt was a little unlucky to get out. The pitch, showing no more than a few scratches after Saturday’s

play, provided an even bounce, but two balls behaved oddly. They were both from the leg-spinner, D. Holford. He bowled a short one to Burtt, who positioned himself properly for the ball, which lifted much more than he could have expected, and he hit a high catch backward of square-leg. Holford again achieved a higher bounce and Hastings, driving, should have been caught by Griffith, who dropped the simplest of catches at extra cover without the slightest sign of embarrassment. Few Mistakes The South Islanders did reasonably well to score 68 from 23 overs before lunch, but the afternoon brought a period of plenty. Turner, 44 at lunch, made hardly the semblance of a mistake as he thoughtfully fed the bowling into the mental computer he seems to have developed and from it found all the right answers.

Turner consistently played within a fairly narrow compass and indulged in the cut or other extravagances only when the ball was really bad. His ability to find gaps on the on-side was admirable. It was a thoroughly workmanlike performance and yet by no means unattractive, for his driving was firm and clean and he tucked the ball away off his pads occasionally with delightful timing. Hastings looked absolutely assured at the start, went through a more diffident period, then began to produce the attacking strokes which make him- one of the most attractive of New Zealand batsmen.

Turner and Hastings moved the score from 100 to 150 in only 38 minutes. Hastings

played two shots off Griffith of particular magnificence—a cover drive off the back foot for three, a superbly swift and fierce cut for four. By tea the South Island was 195 for two, 33 overs in two hours having yielded 112 runs. They went on steadily, never subdued but never able to really establish command, until Hastings had his head up while trying to drive C. A. Davis and was bowled. He had batted 220 mir. tes. Turner was out before another run had been made, athletically caught by Kanhai at first slip. Turner was in for six hours and a satisfactory pre-test performance it was. For one so young his ability to sustain concentration is remarkable, and an example to others of ability but less selfdiscipline. In the closing stages, the West Indians kept a lively enough attack going from L. A. King and Davis. K. J. Wadsworth and K. Thomson played it soundly, occasionally producing forcing shots of quality.

The West Indies bowling was energetic, but the ball had to be thrown into the pitch if the batsman was to be discomforted. Edwards again looked the most dangerous, although King unleashed sufficient life to suggest he will play at Auckland instead of Griffith, who looked rather disinterested. Hard Bouncer Griffith showed brief enthusiasm during an over or two with the second new ball, and he is still capable of bowl, ing a quite vicious bouncer but it seemed he would rather have been elsewhere. Holford, rolling his leg breaks but flighting the ball cleverly, bowled enough bad ones to be expensive, although he was always interesting. C. H. Lloyd's fielding was one of the best contributions. He is almost ungainly looking in his height but is as lithe as a panther, and swift to the ball.