Crucial round begins in senior cricket

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32788, 13 December 1971, Page 20

Crucial round begins in senior cricket

By far the most crucial and tense round of senior cricket started on Saturday, and the first day ended with High School Old Boys and WestUniversity engaged in a close struggle, and East-Shirley, the competition leader, having lost a little ground to Riccarton, the fourth-placed team.

Riccarton has so far taken six points to EastShirley’s four; while West-University has five points to Old Boys’ four. Outright wins in each of these games when the sixth round concludes on Saturday will obviously be very important to the state of the competition J and may even affect its! ultimate outcome. At the other end of the table, Old Collegians squandered a good start, but so did St Albans and Old Collegians holds an advantage. Lancaster Park, an early pace-setter in the competition, returned to that sort of form with a glut of scoring, which brought it seven batting points. Sydenham was then bowled out for 81 and is following on, which leaves Lancaster Park poised for 22 points in the match, and a significant rise in the table. Scores:— East-Shirley 201/6 dec.; Riccarton 179/5. West - University 170/9 dec.; High School Old Boys 120/4. Lancaster Park 263/6 I dec.; Sydenham 81 and 14/0. Old Collegians 193; St Albans 105/5. R. C. Constable, who caused the collapse of the St Albans innings, was the only bowler to take more than three wickets in an unusually unproductive day. He had four for 33.

■I J. W. Grocott, a prolific J scorer for East-Shirley, made 67 and became the first I player in the competition to pass 300 runs for the season. R. W. Fulton made the same score for Old Collegians, while three Lancaster Park batsmen, A. E. Collins, A. M. McKendry and M. L. Ryan all made halfI centuries against Sydenham. I D. A. Dempsey, out of runs jthis season, made 76 for Riccarton, easily his best score ■in the senior grade; while at jHagley Oval, M. A. Fisher ; (West-University) and the consistent C. J. Stevens (Old ißoys) both reached their half-centuries. INTEREST I Although the scoring was fairly slow, especially in the morning session, the match at Hagley Oval between West-University and High School Old Boys, was nevertheless full of interest. The three-pronged Old Boys medium-pace attack of S. T. Chambers, A. R. Hounsell, and D. R. Hadlee, kept the pressure on the West batsmen by bowling on a consistently good length. Hounsell, in particular, seemed to worry most batsmen and was rewarded with the valuable wickets of G. T. Dowling and 18. F. Hastings for meagre: cost Fisher, badly in need of! a good total, stopped the threat of a complete collapse with a solid knock of 53. Some useful batting from the tail-end batsmen enabled West to pick up three batting bonus points—the last of these coming from the fiftieth over when six runs were required. Old Boys made a poor start to their first innings, losing J. H. Christensen off D. G. Trist’s first ball, but the inform Stevens. scoring strongly on the leg-side, boosted the total with a sound 51.

The arrival of the spinners in the attack brought two quick wickets, but after some hesitant moments at the start of their innings, C. L. Bull and J. W. Calder seem set to score runs, and quickly, next Saturday. Bull, who remained unbeaten with 27, ended the day on a high note with a tremendous six off P. A. Sharp's final ball. Calder’s seven runs came from one hit; the batsmen ran three and a wild return carried to the boundary for four overthrows. The wicket played slowly with the bounce variable. However, the spinners could extract some turn. EBB AND FLOW The balance of power swung one way then the other at Burwood Park, and in the end Riccarton was well poised to add to the six points it already has earned. East-Shirley has 17 overs to bowl before the expiry of the 50 overs in which bonus points may be earned, and Riccarton still has B. P. Isherwood and R. C. Motz, who may be expected to score briskly, to bat. East-Shirley, after losing an early wicket, was again well-served by another big partnership between Grocott and T. R. Marshall. Grocott was dropped twice early, which usually means he is in form—as he certainly is this season—but thereafter batted with elegance and certainty. Marshall reached his now customary thirties and was a useful lieutenant. But from 100 for one, EastShirley suffered a middleorder collapse against the steady, run-denying mediumpace of Motz and D. W. Stead, and the flight of P. G. D’Auvergne. This, however, provided an opportunity for - J. W. Morris and G. D. V. Pulley to each build an i innings without the worry of I a chase for batting points. This they did most capably

: in an unoeaten partnersnip ot i 64. and Morris’s five fours [included some pleasant cover land square-drives. i Riccarton, too. lost an early I wicket, but Dempsey, out of i sorts this season, found his feet in a cultured innings of a little less than two hours. His most impressive single stroke was a lofted on-drive, little short of the boundary, from the fast bowler, R. P. M. Howell. G. Straw gave a little support, then G. T. Barrett and P. A. Stubbings played their parts towards Riccarton keeping the score moving briskly along. However, mainly through Pulley, Shirley retrieved a little of the lost ground by taking three wickets for 34 in the final half-hour. DAZZLING START After winning the toss, Lancaster Park hammered home the advantage against Sydenham to be 191 for three at lunch, from 39 overs. McKendry and Collins gave Lancaster Park a dazzling start. Taking advantage of an inadequate Sydenham attack, and a newly-laid wicket in excellent condition, the opening pair produced a partnership of 98 runs. Collins, who reached his 50 in 44 minutes, was the first to go, i after displaying a wide range of shots to all comers of the ground, including two sixes to the embankment. Only by comparison with him did McKendry seem subdued. Of the later batsmen, Ryan drove home the advantage with another fine innings, receiving able support from M. J. Smith—both remained unbeaten when the innings was closed. Sydenham faced adversity from the first ball of its innings. and never recovered. R. L. McHarg, though slow, temporarily halted the rot, before he hit a full-toss from Ryan’s first ball into rhe hands of R, J. Hadlee at midwicket. A significant feature of the Sydenham innings was that three other batsmen reached double figures, but were unable to turn this to their advantage. In a Lancaster Park bowling attack that looked steady, rather than menacing, the honours were shared between five bowlers, B. C. Irving being the most successful with three for 15. SAME PATTERN At Elmwood Park the pattern of play for both teams was much the same. Old Collegians started splendidly, and fine batting by Fulton with able support from G. J. Mathias, saw 105 on the board before the loss of a wicket. However, 88 runs later the side was all out. St Albans also began well, 78 being scored before the first wicket fell, but in a disastrous three overs, four ■ wickets fell, and at stumps the side was struggling. The first batting bonus points for the season, which seemed almost in the hand after an hour’s batting, now is slipping beyond St Albans’ reach. ; The high point of the day : was Fulton’s innings. The longer he stayed the more his batting improved, and he showed himself to be a player of maturity. His aggression was tempered with caution, and this change of attitude, plus a sound technique, makes his future bright. Mathias scored his runs brightly, and for St Albans, L. A., Smith drove powerfully to keep the score moving with help from the reliable J. M. Ruston. Both sets of bowlers did well to contain the batsmen on an easy-paced wicket. G. J. Walklin bowled briskly and accurately for St Albans, while Constable, with a tempting flight and occasional sharp spin, bowled Old Collegians into a strong position.

East-Shirley v. Riccarton EAST-SHIRLEY First innings J. W. Grocott c Dempsey b D’Auvergne .. 67 G. W. Ripley lbw b Motz .. 1 T. R. Marshall c Isherwood b Stead .. 32 G. Tait c Dempsey b Ham* mant 17 V. Pollard b D’Auvergne .. 6 P. R. Joyce b Motz .. 0 J. W. Morris not out .. .. 34 G. D. V. Pulley not out .. 26 Extras (byes 4, leg-byes 9, no-balls 5) .. 18 Total for 6 wkts dec. .. 201 Bowling: R. C. Motz, 16, 3, 43, 2; P. W. Hammant, 13, 3,. 46, 1; D. W. Stead, 13, 4, 27, 1; P. G. D’Auvergne, 12, 1, 43, 2; R. J. Miller, 6,0, 24, 0. RICCARTON First innings !D. W. Stead c Glenville b Howell ..13 jD. A. Dempsey b Pulley .. 76 G. Straw c Grocott b Pulley 16 G. T. Barrett lbw b Pollard 33 IP. A. Stubbings b Pulley .. 22 L. Thom not out ..9 Extras (bye 1, leg-byes 4, no-balls 5) ... .. 10 Total for 5 wkts .. 179 Bowling: R. P. M. Howell, 4, I, 32, 1; A. C. Nottingham, 7, O, 39, 0; G. D. V. Pulley, 13, 1, 68, 3; V. Pollard, 9,2, 30, 1. West-University v. H. 5.0.8. WEST-UNIVERSITY R. K. Allen c Henry b Chambers .. 2 G. T. Dowling e Bull b HounseU ... 17 M. A. Fisher lbw b B, G. Hadlee 53 B. F. Hastings c Stevens b Hounsell 14 B. K. Bhang st Henry b Calder . 3 A. R. G. Byrne c Calder b Chambers 16 D. C. Saunders c Henry b D. R. Hadlee .25 D. G. Trist b D. R. Hadlee 15 C. M, Kirk not out . 14 P. A. Sharp P Mowat b Hounsell 6 J. Daveys not out 1 Extras (byes 5) 5 Total for 9 wkts dec. 170 Bowling: S. T. Chambers. 13, 3, 34, 2; A. R. Hounsell, 16, 5,

32, 3; D. R. Hacuee. ».t>, i, z; J. W. Calder, 8,2, 33, 1; B. G. Hadlee, 3,0, 29 1. OLD BOYS First innings J. H. Christensen c Hastings b Trist 0 M. J. Mowat c Saunders b Kirk ... 22 C. J. Stevens c Byrne b Trist 51 B. G. Hadlee c Allen b Sharp 9 C. L. Bull not out .. .. 27 J. W. Calder not out .. 7 Extras (byes 1, no-balls 3) 4 Total for 4 wickets 120 Bowling: D. G. Trist, 10, 2, 34, 2; J. Davys, 3,1, 15, 0; D. C. Saunders, 3,0, 13. 0; C. M. Kirk, 12, 5, 30, 1; P. A. Sharp, 7,3, 24 1. St Albans v. Old Collegians OLD COLLEGIANS First innings R. W. Button c and b Ferries 67 G. J Mathias c Lindsay b Walklin .. 46 D. S Banks b Walklin .. 12 D. A. Pickering b Walklin .. 3 E. H. Newton b Ferries . 11 A. E. R. Morten c Ferries b Burtt .. 12 D. H. Macdonald b Harrison 8 M. G. Lester c Leach b Burtt 8 R. C. Constable not out 7 T. D. Gibson run out .. 1 N. F. Curtis c Leach b Harrison 0 Extras (byes 6, leg-byes 1, no-balls 11) .. 18 Total .193 Bowling:—G. J. Walklin, 11, 1, 51, 3; M. C. Leach, 3,1, 12, 0; J. A. Harrison, 12.2, 3, 28, 2; K. I. Ferries, 17. 7, 37, 2; J. W. Burtt, 9, 0. 47, 2. ST ALBANS First innings J. M. Ruston c Pickering b Constable 31 L. A. Smith c Newton b Constable 43 M. C. lieach lbw b Gibson 9 J. W. Biirtt lbw b Constable 0 G. Nicol c Pickering b Constable 4 J. W. Whitehead not out .. 8 K. J. Lindsay not out .. 0 Extras (byes 2, leg byes 8) 10 Total for five wickets 105 Bowling:—R. W. Fulton, 6. 2, 11, 0; N. F. Curtis, 3,1, 11, 0; T. D. Gibson, 10, 2, 40, 1; R. C. Constable, 8. 3, 33, 4. Lancaster Park v. Sydenham LANCASTER PARK First innings A. E. Collins c K. Thomson b Glen .. 58 A. M. McKendy b Gallop .. 59 M. L. Ryan not out .. 84 C. K. Baker lbw b Glen .. 10 R. M. Gearry c McHarg b Wilson .17 R. E. Gearry run out .. 2 R. J. Hadlee b Wilson 4 M. J. Smith not out .. 26 Extras 3 Total for 6 wkts dec. 263 Bowling:—A. Rule, 8,1, 67, 0; I. D. Wilson, 8,0, 48, 2; A. D. J. Glen. 17, 0, 70, 2; B. J. Salt, 10, 1, 48, 0; D. L. Gallop, 7,1, 27, 1.

SYDENHAM First innings G. S. Gray b Wilson 0 W. A. Thomson b R. M. Gearry 16 D. C. Burrell c Jackson b Hadlee 0 K. Thomson lbw b Wilson 13 J. Larter lbw b Irving .. 11 D. L. Gallop bR. M. Gearry 0 R. L. McHarg c Hadlee b Ryan .. .. 31 B. J. Salt c Collins b Irving 5 I. Di Wilson c Baker b Irving 1 A. D. J. Glen not out .. 3 A. Rule lbw b Ryan .. 1 Total . 81 Bowling:—R. J. Hadlee, 7. 3, 23, 1; W. R. Wilson, 6,2, 24, 2; R. M. Gearry, 5,1, 14. 2; B. C. livii£, 5,2 t l5 3; M. L. Ryan, Second innings W. A. Thomson not out 4 G. S. Gray not out .. 3 Extras (byes 4, leg bye 1. no-balls 2) ..7 Total for no wicket 14 Bowling:— R. J. Hadlee, 4,1, 3,0; W. R. Wilson, 3,0, 4,0; B. C. Irving, 1,1, 0, 0.