Powell spearheads Otago’s ousting of Canterbury

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33706, 2 December 1974, Page 32

Powell spearheads Otago’s ousting of Canterbury

(By

R. M. CAIRNS)

Even if he does nothing else for Otago this season, G. A. Powell has already performed a nr»jor duty for his province’s cricket.

At Lancaster Park yesterday, Powell tore the heart from Canterbury’s innings, propelling his team to an easy victory and a place in the semi-finals, against Wellington, in the Motor Corporation knock-out tournament.

But Wellington had to hold out from a thrilling last-hour rally by the Auckland lowerorder batsmen before gaining its semi-final place. Wellington made 199 for eight in its 35 overs; Auckland was out with an over to go for 186.

Morgan in form Wellington started very confidently, faltered when two wickets fell to run outs, then prospered again as J. V. Coney and H. Morgan added 80. The latter scored his 69 from 72 balls and hit two sixes.

Auckland started badly, but L. Sewell blazed away for 50 in 39min to give his team a chance, and Auckland needed 15 in the last three overs, a task which proved beyond it.

The former Canterbury player, R. W. Fulton, put Northern Districts into their first final—they have the bye next Sunday—with his

79, which won him the “man of the match” award and his team a five-wicket victory. Central Districts made a very brisk start but suffered a middle-order collapse. Fulton was well supported in his attacking innings by J. M. Parker; they added 74 for the fourth wicket. Before Powell embarked on his path of destruction for Otago, Canterbury was cruising towards victory, despite Otago having scored 199 for four wickets and B. G. Hadlee being run out at the beginning of the home side’s innings without facing a ball. N. M. Parker did his little bit, though often in difficulties, then P. G. Coman and B. F. Hastings started taking apart the Otago attack. Coman indulged in many of the full and free swings that characterise so many of his innings, but also he showed sensible restraint when it was needed.

Hastings was absolutely superb. There was barely a false stroke as he raced to his 50 in 47min; he faced only 57 balls for his 54, resplendent with glorious cover-drives and crisp placements to leg. Rarely can any batsman outpace Coman when he is in the mood to hit, but Hastings did just that, and their third-wicket partnership of 73 lasted only 38 hectic minutes. After 20 overs, Canterbury had 113—18 more than Otago at the same point—and only two wickets had fallen. Fewer than six an over were required and the depth of the Canterbury batting suggested the win was within the side’s grasp.

Successive wickets Then Coman was bowled by G. D. Alabaster—he had faced 68 balls for his 48— and Powell came on. He had Hastings, trying to swing a short one away, caught some distance behind the stumps by the wicket-keeper, W. K. Lees. Then K. J. Wadsworth swung the next ball into the outfield and was smartly caught, too. As the pitch continued to break up at the northern end, and the ball was sitting up, the Canterbury innings disintegrated still further. K. Thomson gave a straight-forward catch to H. C. Sampson, off Powell; Alabaster intervened to remove B. E. Congdon—again Sampson was the catcher; and Powell ensured his award of “man of the match” when G. M. Turner dived magnificently to swoop the ball off the turf and dismiss D. R. Hadlee.

Deserved award Powell and Lees are the only players to have appeared in each of the four knock-out matches between Canterbury and Otago, and Lees continued his fine run of scores with 51 not out. He has been out only once against Canterbury in the limited-over games and scored 126.

Powell has been just as valuable a performer. He has taken only six wickets, but in the context of this type of game, his conceding of only 67 runs in 25 overs has'meant a great deal to the successive teams.

It was only just he should have been recognised with the $75 award, ahead of Turner, the highest scorer in the match —a gem of an innings—Lees and Coman. For the first hour of Otago’s innings, it seemed Canterbury could do little wrong. P. R. Facoory was dismissed for five, and Otago was a very moderate 27 in 10 overs.

Then, R. W. Anderson took 14 from an over by C. R. Dickel, Turner twice lofted D. W. Bracewell to the shortest mid-wicket boundary for six — he had been dropped off the young off-spinner — and the score raced to 53 from 12.

From that point, Otago did not look back. Anderson was out at 88, and in came Lees,

all business from the start, and just the man to help Turner along.

Turner went to his 50 with a handsomely-lofted on-drive from Bracewell’s last over, and in the next five overs, went on to 75 without ever appearing to hurry.

Lees had his own methods of keeping the score rolling along. Blessed with a keen eye and a powerful hit, he had even the parsimonious B. E. Congdon sometimes struggling to confine him. There was one bludgeoned six from the New Zealand captain which, if Coman had managed to claw it down, as he so nearly did, would have been a miraculous catch instead.

Turner was finally caught and bowled by R. C. Merrin, H. C. Sampson went to the same bowler cheaply, but, to compound his problems, K. Thomson had to take the last two others from the south end himself, Dickel came back from the north end, and in those much less taxing conditions, Lees and K. O. Campbell went on swishing their team to the verge of 200.

Spinners off line Hadlee bowled at something less than his normal pace but was the most restrictive of the Canterbury bowlers. Merrin did his job well, too, but none of the spinners — Coman had a single over for 16 — was able to bowl on a regularly consistent line.

Bracewell was clearly the best, and sometimes' had Turner treating him with grave respect, but the batsmen must always have had the feeling with him that a loose ball or two would come along every over.