Canterbury in good position

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33427, 8 January 1974, Page 18

Canterbury in good position

(Neto Zealand Press Association'

DUNEDIN. Canterbury, still with a chance of winning the Plunket Shield, batted itself into a strong position on the first day of its match against Otago at Carisbrook yesterday.

Winning the toss, and batting on a pitch which gave the bowlers little or no aid. Canterbury scored 263 for six de> dared, and at the dose of play Otago was nine without loss.

Canterbury might have I been in a far stronger position had the team chased the runs after 200 was passed before the fifth wicket fell to a bowling attack which was depleted and tired. Otago took the field with only four regular bowlers, B. J. McKechnie being named twelfth man (R. M. Gearry was twelfth man for Canterbury), and suffered a great setback before lunch.

G. A. Powell, in his fifth ■ over, broke the opening partnership of P. E. Wallace and [N. M, Parker by trapping ! Wallace leg-before with the total at 76. In the same over, he suffered a deep wound between the middle and third fingers of his right hand. This required three stitches, and ! has put him out of the attack (for the rest of the match. This left the fast bowler, M. G. Webb, the medium-fast, left-armer G. B. Thomson, and the slow left-arm spinner, S. Boock, to carry the burden of the attack. All were forced into stock rather than attacking roles, and all it needed was for one to be hit out of the attack and Canterbury must have scored more heavily ar a faster rate. None of the three was so treated.

THOMSON PROMINENT It took the team 380 minutes to make 263. Canterbury gained three batting performance points in the process and Otago two for bowling.

One Canterbury batsman looked for runs from the outset. K. Thomson top-scored with a fine 85 made in 143 minutes, including one six and seven fours.

From the beginning of his innings he played with assurance, being cautious when it was necessary to sum up what the bowling was like, and then scoring freely. The chunky right-hander played Webb comfortably, and the only bowler to give 'him any trouble was Boock, while he was sizing up the left-arm spinner's flight variations. Just when he seemed certain of his century, he was out leg-before to a delivery from Thomson which scurried through low on a pitch

■ which had some uneven bounce at one end. At the beginning of Canterbury’s innings, Parker played several delightful cuts while ’ Wallace was taking 45 mini utes to open his account. , Then Wallace scored freely while Parker’s innings became bogged down as soon b as Boock was introduced to : the attack, although the spin- ■ ner was gaining little turn. > But the two batsmen did . give a solid foundation to the Canterbury innings with their 1 76-run partnership. CANTERBURY First innings N M. Parker c Milburn b I ' Webb 43 P, E. Wallace lbw b Powel! 41) B. G Hadlee b Webb .. 8 V. Pollard b Lees 31 K. Thomson lbw b Thomson 85 C. L. Bull c Hendry b Thomson 23 C. R. Hickel not out .. .14! R G. Newton not out .. 3! Extras <b». Ibtti nbl) .. 16 Total for six dec. .. 263 Fall of wickets. —76. SB. 101,184, 233 249 Bowling.—-M. G, Webb. 24, fi, 74 2: G B. Thomson. 22.2, 4, 64 2; G A. Powell 4.6, 0. 23, 1; S.'Boock. 18, 3. 52. 0; W. K. Lees, 9. 1, 34, 1. OTAGO First Innings W. L. Blair not out .. .. 2 R. N. Stewart not out .. 6 Extra (bl) ■ • •. 1 Total 9 Bowling.—K. I. Ferries. 4. 1,5, 0; C. W. Aldridge. 2 1. 3,0; C. R. Dickel, 1. 1. 0. 0.