TEST PROSPECT HAS EARLY SUCCESS ” Webb Gets Two Wickets As Aust. Struggle

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32233, 27 February 1970, Page 15

TEST PROSPECT HAS EARLY SUCCESS ” Webb Gets Two Wickets As Aust. Struggle

(From R. T. BRITTEN DEN) DUNEDIN.

Only 221 runs were scored in the whole of a sunlit day at Carisbrook yesterday, but 12 wickets fell and the touring Australians have not yet won control of their match with Otago.

Batting for almost five hours. Otago made 182, and by close of play Australia was 39 for two. Both the Australian wickets were taken by M. G. Webb, on whom so much interest now centres.

If it was slow cricket, it was not uninteresting. For Otago, G. M. Turner scored a very sound halfcentury and the Australian bowling showed the same aggression of the Canterbury match.

It was unfortunate that D. Lillee, who bowled especially well, had to leave the field early in the afternoon with , an injured right hand. There are some doubts about his ' finass for the first test at Auckland next week. Otago went from ruin to comparative respectability through the calm and assured batting of Turner, and a succession of useful innings from the bottom-order batsmen. Ring Of Authority Turner was slow. He batted 200 minutes for his 53—but he was hardly ever in difficulties and he played some very handsome off-side strokes. It is not his nature to throw the bat at the ball, nor could he be expected to find a flamboyant streak when all about him was a batting shambles. But there was a ring of authority from the sound of his bat, and he was in very good touch from the start of the day. L. R. Pearson, on whom one always pins hopes of assertive batting, was caught behind off the lively Lillee from the first ball he faced. B. T. Freeman was caught when Lillee had one lift from near a length, R. W. Hutchison batted solidly for 65 minutes and five runs before being caught at fine leg, of all places, and when K. O. Campbell became the victim of a chaotic piece of running ■between the wickets, it was 51 for four.

Campbell turned G. Chappell toward square and he and Turner started a run, then hesitated. Turner complicated matters by failing over and Trimble threw .the ball to the bowler’s end.

But Turner, with typically quick reaction, regained his feet and made his ground with a headlong dive. Campbell had looked at this stage like nothing more than an interested spectator, but he had, in fact, reached about half-way because he had in mind to run past the grounded Turner and sacrifice his own wicket

Chappell returned to the wicket-keeper swiftly and Campbell was beaten home. The recovery began with Turner and P. C. Semple scoring 53 for the fifth wicket. During the first two hours five Otago batsmen had made 16 while Turner scored 34, but Semple showed ability to take more than a passive part in the play. He was none too happy against the faster bowlers but used his feet expertly to drive the spinners, and a four he hit through the covers off O’Keefe was just a flicker of a sword. But, at 104, D. Renneberg beat him badly to the stroke and took his off stump. Then Turner, attempting to sweep G. R. Davies, was caught at slip from a top

edge, and L. D. Hollands was bowled by a googlie. The brotherg Alabaster added 29 for the eighth wicket. G. D. Ala-: baster was somewhat uncertain but J. C. Alabaster employed his familiar technique —an anaesthetic delivered with a two-inch prod of the bat or a hearty clout for runs. Lillee Impresses Then, to the considerable surprise of everyone, B. D. Milburn and Webb added 27 for the last wicket, Milburn twice square-cutting fours from Davies with the air of a man who is, used to making runs, and Webb also hitting some good firm shots. Quite the most impressive of the Australian bowlers was Lillee, who did not play at Christchurch. A little, dark young man, he is faster than Thomson or Renneberg, and although this Carisbrook pitch is far from fiery, he achieved some awkward lift from a length and his occasional bouncer was really venomous.

Renneberg was industrious, Chappell bowled like a man performing a chore, and O’Keefe could not find much in the pitch to help him. Davies, however, flighted and spun the ball well. He had an occasional lapse in length and bowled a dreadful over straight after tea, but he looks a very useful addition to the spin attack. So to Webb, and a bad start by the Australians. Webb is not quite as vivid of pace as one had been led to expect but he is distinctly fast, and on a faster pitch than this one he could be demolishing. | He has about four walking paces and nine very easy jstrides before his now fam-, i ous leap and delivery from a :spectacular height. He does; not, like Lillee, race in with;

I antagonism written all over Shim. Webb’s is an almost lei-l surely approach, but he tnadej a few fly last evening from somewhere near a length. | tapid Reactions |, Webb had to bowl six successive overs and that, accord-: ling to local views, is more' than he has conveniently man-; aged. He started indifferently having two fours hit from his first over, but he dismissed S. Trimble the first time the; Australian captain faced a ball It flew from near a length and Trimble speared it high to Campbell, at third slip. He knocked it backwards and Turner, an incredibly quick fieldsman, scuttled across to make the catch in a fulllength dive. The Australian, A. Turner, is reputed to be a fine hooker and twice he took boundaries from Webb, whose line when bowling to the left-hander was ;not good. But when Webb (pitched one about the off ’ stump it lifted again and Turner, flashing at it, was caught behind.

Campbell did a useful job for Otago with a spell of parsimonious bowling and in the final minutes. J. T. Inverarity was beaten by Webb two or three times. It should be an interesting first hour today.

OTAGO i First Innings G. N 7 Turner-e Inverarity b Davies 57 ,L. R. Pearson c Mac Lean b Lillee o B. T. Freeman c Inverarity b LilHe e R. W. Hutchison c Lillee b ChAppell 5 K. 0. Campbell run out 4 IP. C. Semple b Renneberg 27 IG. D. Alabaster b Davies 2h |L. D. Hollands b Davies 3 ,J. C. Alabaster c Mac Lean b Renneberg 20 B. D. Milburn not out 16 G. Webb c Chappell b I. Davies 15 Extras <1 wide, 1 bye. 5 \ leg-byes. 2 no-balls) 9 Total 182 Fall of wickets: One for 4. I two for 14, three for 43, four ’for 51, five for 104, six for 108. 1 seven for 118, eight fOr 147. nine for'lss. Bowling; Renneberg, 19. 2. 53, 2, Lillee. 11. 3. 22, 2; Chappell, 16. 2, 7. 1: O’Keefe, 17. 3, 49, 0: 'Davies. 14. 6. 42, 4. AUSTRALIA First Innings D. Chadwick not out 17 S. Trimble c Turner b Webb 0 A. Turner c Milburn b Webb 16 J. Inverarity not out .6 Extras (3 byOs, 1 legbye, 2 no-balls) ■. 6 Total for two wickets 39 Fall of wickets: One for 16, two for 31. Bowling: ,Webb, 6,1, 25. 2; Campbell, 4,2, 8,6; J. C. Alabaster, 1,0, 3. 0.