This Time Rain Came To Australia’s Rescue

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32251, 20 March 1970, Page 17

This Time Rain Came To Australia’s Rescue

(New Zealand Press Association)

HAMILTON.

Northern Districts was robbed of its chance of defeating Australia when rain stopped play in the late afternoon, with the tourists in the grim position of five wickets down for 122.

At that stage, Australia was still 139 runs behind, with no prospect of winning but desperately fighting for survival.

So, rain that has twice cost the Australians chances of forcing victory on this tour came to their aid yesterday. After overnight drizzle, which delayed the morning’s start for 20 minutes and made the pitch surrounds slippery, Northern recovered from a

batting slump to enable the skipper, M. J. Horton, to declare 261 runs ahead. AGGRESSIVE GIBSON The star of the Northern second innings was J. G. Gibson, who batted powerfully in his team’s chase for runs and looked unlucky to be given out leg-before as he attempted to sweep K. J. O’Keeffe. B. Dunning continued his strong first innings batting with a valuable 24 and Northern declared at 133 for eight. The Australian spinners, T. J. Jenner and O’Keeffe, picked up cheap wickets after( lunch, which lent respectability to their figures after j Gibson’s savage attack in the! morning. D. K. Lillee, open-1 ing the attack, was on the; spot for two wickets at three; runs apiece.

Australia had 210 minutes in which to score 262 runs and made a dreadful start GILL CELEBRATES A. Turner went with the score at 14, giving B. F. Gill his first first-class wicket, and Australia’s skipper for the match, R. J. Inverarity, ended a poor match at the crease when he was yorked by B. N. Foulds with the score 27. Northern's magnificent fielding was again in evidence as R. C. Hooton fell forward at square leg and clutched at a smartly clipped shot from D. Chadwick off Foulds’s bowling. G. S. Chappell and G. R. Davies recovered the situa

jtion somewhat until Davies, gave an easy catch to R. WJ Anderson at mid-wicket and 'Horton struck the most vital' {blow in dismissing Chappell leg-before in his first over after tea. From then until the rain halted play Australia conceded all hope of winning

and concentrated on saving the match. Today, the Australians leave for New Plymouth for their match against Central Districts, starting on Saturday. NORTHERN DISTRICTS First Innings . 278 Second Innings M. J. Horton b Lillee . 13 R. Hooton c Maclean b Renneberg n T. G. Gibson lbw b O'Keeffe 45 R. W. Anderson c Maclean b Lillee t B. Dunning c Maclean b Jenner 24 J. H. Blackmore c Inverarity b O’Keeffe 15 D. P. Lloyd c Renneberg b Jenner 7 L. S. Mountain c Renneberg b Jenner .13 B. N. Foulds not out . 7 K. D. Kennedy not out 1 Extras (wides 1. byes 4, leg-by»s 2) . 7 Total (for 8 wkts dec.) 133 Fall of wickets: one for 16. two for 18, three for 26. four for 67, five for 93 six for 101, seven for 110, eight for 125. Bowling,—Lillee. 6,3, 6. 2; Renneberg, 3. 2,5, 1; Jenner. .11. 0. 67. 3; O'Keeffe. 8. 0. 42. 2. ■ inverarity 1,1, 0. 0: Thomson. I, 0. 6, 0. AUSTRALIA First Innings (for 6 dec.) 150 Second Innings ■A. Turner c Kennedy b Gill 9 iD. Chadwick c Hooton b j Foulds .17 R. J. Inverarity b Foulds .. 3 G. S. Chappell lbw b Horton 45 G. R. Davies c Anderson b Horton .12 ,T. J. Jenner not out . . 26 J. A. Maclean not out 1 Total (for five wkts) .. 122 I Bowling.—Foulds. 6, 0. 29. 2; Gill. 4. 0. 27. 1; Kennedy, 14. 1, ’4l, 0; Horton, 13, 8, 15, 2; Blackj more, 1, 0. 9. 0. i Fall of wickets: one for 14. ■two for 27, three for 32, four for 175. five for 98.