Central pair stop rot

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33421, 31 December 1973, Page 16

Central pair stop rot

(New Zealand Press Association)

ROTORUA.

Northern Districts lost the initiative when Central Districts went on to make 254 runs after being six down for 94 at lunch, on the first day of the Plunket Shield match at Smallbone Park yesterday.

With the pace-bowler, H. Unka, claiming four of the early-order batsmen, Central was steadily going downhill.

But after lunch, R. Pierce and T. Patterson consolidated the Central innings, Pierce making a fine 73 runs. Their work was further supported by the tail-enders, R. Ellis and R. Wylie, who linked in a 58-run partnership before Wylie was caught and bowled by Unka for 29. CHEAP DISMISSALS The day was shaping up as a red-letter one for Unka who, in his first eight overs, sent back D. Morland, W. Burtt, I. Snook and R. Schofield at a cost of 15 runs. He

returned near the end of the Central innings to take another wicket and finish with five for 50.

D. Neal, who scored 46, produced the only bright patch in the morning’s batting for Central, but it was the Pierce-Patterson partnership that produced the real break-through. They looked impenetrable until an error by Pierce, chasing the one run he needed for his 50, that had Patterson run out. Ironically, Pierce was also run out with his score 73.

In the 65 minutes it batted, Northern comfortably went to 45 without loss. CENTRAL DISTRICTS First innings D. Morland c Gibson b Unka 0 G. Edwards c Dickeson b White 7 W. Burtt c Dunning b Unka 5 I. Snook c Mountain b Unka o D. Neal c Gibson b White 46 R. Pierce run out 73 R. Schofield c Gibson b Unka s T. Paterson run out .. .32 R. Ellis c Warrington b Dunning 38 R. Wylie e and b Unka .. 29 M. Brown not out .. .. 5 Extras ij Total 254 Fall of wickets: 1,7, 12. 15 75, 92. 152, 183, 241. Bowling.—Unka, 23. 7. 53. 5; White, 23, 6, 71, 72; Dunning, 5.1, 1. 26, 1; Dickeson, 16, 3, 48, 0; Kennedy, 9,3, 33, 0; Llovd 5,0, 12. 0. NORTHERN DISTRICTS First Innings D. Lloyd not out ..15 J. Warrington not out .. 23 Extras 4 Total for no wkt .. 42 Bowling.—Wylie, 5. 1, 17, 0: Ellis, 6, 1. 13, 0; Morland, 3, 0,4, 0; Brown, 2,1, 4, 0.