DISMISSED FOR 150 N.Z. easily beaten in knock-out final

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33450, 4 February 1974, Page 30

DISMISSED FOR 150 N.Z. easily beaten in knock-out final

(From D. J. CAMERON) MELBOURNE. Bleary-eyed New Zealand cricketers were forced to concede their Australian knock-out crown to Western Australia in the Gillette Cup final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground yesterday when the West Australians won with seven wickets and 14 overs to spare.

Suffering from all sorts of problems, few of their own making, New Zealand was bundled out for 150—and this would have hen much smaller had not J. F. Morrison scored a splendid 50—in 36.6 overs and Western Australia hit ofl' the runs for three wickets oft’ 26.6 overs.

It was not quite the disaster the one-sided scoring would suggest, because what luck was about certainly did not go with the New Zealanders.

The West Australians were able to fly to Melbourne after their match on Saturday night, but the New Zealanders could only fly from Adelaide to Melbourne yesterday morning. This required a 5.30 a.m. reveille yesterday — not improved by a cold and bleak morning — and then fussing about in buses and planes and airport buildings.

Rush to ground

The New Zealanders had time for a short visit to their Melbourne motel, and then had to rush to the ground with time for only a brief practice. This was hardly the ideal preparation for such a key game, with $lOOO as well as must prestige going to the winner, and the New Zealanders were not helped by B. E. Congdon losing the toss for the umpteenth time. After spending weeks on the placid pitches of Tasmania, Perth and Adelaide, the New Zealanders were put on to a grassy pitch from which the ball jumped and moved about most disconcertingly. The early bird got the worm, so to speak. The West Australians had already seen the pitch, dropped their one spinner, and prudently picked six men of medium or faster pace.

to make matters worse G. M. Turner was out to the second ball of the innings and; the first he faced — how he i must dread this ground, for this was his fourth nought] in seven innings there. This triggered a collapse of disastrous proportions. None of the batsmen could make any progress with the ball lifting and seaming about, and some of the strokes made one wonder

(whether the New Zealanders’ eyes were really wide open. M..J. Shrimpton went lbw, B. F. Hastings and then J. M. Parker lobbed up easy catches as they tried to hit their way out of trouble, and in no time at all New’ Zealand were 21 for four when R. W. Marsh made a brilliant diving catch across in front of third slip to remove Congdon. Wadsworth flashed across the scene like a comet, hitting 16 from one over from W. Clark before he went. New Zealand was 60 for six. but Morrison, batting soberly, and R. J. Hadlee, going for his shots when he

could, staged a valiant attempt to salvage something ’from the wreck. They scored 56 together, and then while wickets fell lat the other end, Morrison went sublimelv on to 50 befor he was last out. All the Western Australian bowlers had their moments, but G. D. McKenzie, the former test bowler, was by far the best with his three for 20. and he fittingly won ithe $lOO “man-of-the-matcb” I award. i The pitch was losing its! 'sting with the New Zealand 'bowlers hardly gambolling about like spring lambs, so Western Australia started easily. G Watson drove powerfully, and W Edwards hitting lustily to leg

Semi-final*

The runs raced in, Western Australia was 74 for two by iea from only 11 overs, and when the crowd moved because the big hitting Marsh did not appear, R. Langer provided the last-minute fireworks, including an enormous 'six over mid-wicket. How different were the :dramas and tensions of the 'semi-finals on Saturday, with Western Australia—mainly

[through a lightning 99 by 1 Marsh —beating New South [Wales 263 to 262, and the [New Zealanders, after scoring 217 chopping down the ’last seven South Australian [wickets for 50 runs and winning by 40. Tne New Zealanders went [through their usual earlyinnings traumas of losing the toss and then an early wicket, which had the 6000 crowd scenting a South Australian win. But a small gem of an innings of 47 by Turner, supported by a sound 31 from Shrimpton, got the innings back on to safe ground, even if the scoring rate was rather deliberate. The loss of both Turner and Shrimpton at 85 and 95 was a set-back but a dashing 31 by Hastings lifted New Zealand to four runs an over.

Recovery

Again the crisis as T. J. [Jenner removed both Hastings and Congdon in his last over, but once more the recovery—splendidly led by the hard-hitting of Wadsworth and R. J. Hadlee. With a man of I. M. Chappell’s fire power, South Australia had the talent to score the 11 runs every two overs needed for the win—that is until Turner caught him. Scores in the final were:— NEW ZEALAND G. M. Turner c Watson b McKenzie 0 J. M. Parker c Harkley b Baker .. n M. .1. F. Shrimpton lbw b McKenzie .. 2 B. F. Hastings c and b Clark 2 B. E. Congdon c Marsh b J. F. M. Morrison b Clark 50 K. J. Wadsworth c R. Edwards b Baker . 21 R. J. Hadlee c W. Edwards b McKenzie .. 30 D. R. Hadlee run out . 7 D R. O’Sullivan c Marsh b Yardley o B. L. Cairns not out .. .11 Extras (lb 6 wl, nb2) .. 9 Total 150 Fall of wickets: 1, 12. 15, 21, 35. 60, 116, 130, 150. Bowling.—G. D. McKenzie, 8, 1, 20, 3; D. Baker 8, 0. 22 2; W. Clark, 8. 0, 38, 3; B. Yardlev, 8. 1, 28, 1; G. D. Watson, 5,0, 25, 0; I, Brayshaw. 1,0, 8 0. WESTERN AUSTRALIA W. Edwards lbw b Congdon 54 G D. Watson b Cairns . 54 R. J. Inverarity not out .. 31 R. Edwards b Congdon .. 18 R. Langer not out .. . 27 Extras (Ibl, bl, nb4) . 6 Total (for S wickets) .. 151 Fall of wickets: 39, 74, 112. Bowling.—R. J. Hadlee, 5,0, 37. 0; B. L. Cairns, 4,0, 19, 1; D. R. Hadlee, 6,0, 36 0; B. E. Congdon, 8. 3. 31, 2; D. R. O’Sullivan, 3.6, 0, 22, 0,