OTAGO LEFT IN BOX SEAT Canterbury’s tail-end defiance foils Wellington

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33740, 13 January 1975, Page 20

OTAGO LEFT IN BOX SEAT Canterbury’s tail-end defiance foils Wellington

(By

R. T. BRITTENDEN)

Canterbury achieved a draw against Wellington and a victory for Otago in a dramatic last-ditch stand at Lancaster Park yesterday.

The keener of hearing could detect a faint cheer carrying from Carisbrook as Chris Kirk and Russell Merrin saw out the last over of a 90-minute battle with determined Wellington bowlers, and left Otago on a handsome lead in the shield competition.

It was not a match which will be remembered for the splendour of its batting. In three full days of sunshine, only 787 runs were scored for 33 wickets.

Some of the best of it came from Canterbury in two distinctive battles fought on the last day. The first brought a spectacular victory within at least distant sight. But when Wellington recovered its control of affairs, Kirk and Merrin were there to thwart the shield-holder of a victory which it would have won on points, if cricket did not demand a final knock-out. Lively lift It was Wellington nearly all the way. On Saturday morning, Ewen Chatfield was again impressive with his lively lift and movement, and Canterbury, a sorry 66 for six, declared at 87 for nine to deprive Wellington of a fifth bowling point. Kirk, struck two painful blows in the first few minutes, batted bravely for half an hour, and Cran Bull extended his vigilant defence to 100 minutes.

Canterbury made Wellington fight hard for runs, although the pace bowlers could not find nearly as much life as Chatfield had discovered in the pitch. John Morrison was beautifully taken by Brian Hastings in the gully, but Grahame Bilby and Robert Smith saw to it that Wellington’s lead of 90 was substantially extended. Calm progress For Wellington, a win was desirable, but for Canterbury it was a necessity. So Wellington’s tactics were based on the need to squeeze the life out of Canterbury. Calm and ordered progress was made, with attacking strokes being made only at intervals. Bilby had a couple of splendid hooks off Dayle Hadlee, but after play had been in progress four hours, the day’s yield was only 111 runs.

In mid-afternoon, Canterbury used spin for the first time in the game, and the runs came a little more freely. But Wellington went to tea at 142 for one — a tremendous lead.

Wickets began to fall after that: Bilby and Smith shared a stand of 139 in three hours and a half before Bilby departed. Then Smith was run out for the second time in the match.

Canterbury gave a quite remarkable display. Although none of the bowlers threatened swift wickets,

they all stuck to a trying task wonderfully well, and their accuracy finally forced a few errors.

Runs held down

There was, briefly, some splendid driving from Bruce Smith, but Canterbury did very well to yield only 89 runs and take five wickets in the final 130 minutes. Hadlee had very little luck and Merrin bowled with admirable steadiness.

Wellington went on for another half-hour yesterday morning, leaving Canterbury the enormous task of scoring 352 runs in 375 minutes. And Canterbury made a depressing start. Peter Coman, obviously intent on offering a challenge to Chatfield, Wellington’s principal threat, hooked for 4 in the first over. He positioned himself for a similar shot a moment later, but the ball came through much slower than might have been expected and struck him on the jawbone. He was taken to hospital but returned an hour or so later, with a suspected fracture. Sneaky dismissal

Then Barry Hadlee was victim of misfortune. He was out, leg before, to a ball which hardly left the turf after pitching. Congdon also went early, but Hastings and Murray Parker batted with resolution and skill.

They say out Chatfield, whose very high and athletic delivery, again made things awkward. And when he was rested, Stewart Cater and Brian Cedarwall gave nothing away. Canterbury, which needed a shade over four runs an over at the start, made 57 for two from 21 overs before lunch. In the early afternoon, there was some very fine cricket. Hastings and Parker sought runs eagerly, played some handsome strokes, and

ran with speed and fine judgment. Wellington bowled with spirit and fielded magnificently. Twice, Michael Coles dived almost into the fence to save fours. Cedarwall was also outstanding. Vital blow

John Morrison, who began a Canterbury collapse in this match two years ago, had his first bow’l of the shield season—and dismissed Parker in his first over. It was a splendid catch from a hard-hit full toss. Hastings and Parker had added 76 in two hours.

Bilby and his cheerful band —even in the fiercelycontested last hour the game was played in the best of spirits—won full marks for their bowling and management as Bruce Smith, with off-spin, Morrison, with slow left-arm, and Jeremy Coney, with an interesting mixture of swing and spin, kept Canterbury interested in making runs. Disciplined innings Hastings and Bull put on 30 in even time, and Hastings, calling on his vast experience and punishing strokes, went to 67 before he hit Smith straight to Morrison deep at point. Hastings, in this form, is one of the finest sights of a season.

Ken Wadsworth; clearly determined to atone for some recent failures, disciplined himself to a very difficult task. He was sound in defence, but when the occasion permitted, he hit some booming drives.

He and Bull took Canterbury to 184 for four at tea —l6B needed in 130 minutes. It was still only a faint possibility, but it disappeared when both batsmen were winkled out within the first 15 minutes of the final period.

Coman came back to a hero’s welcome, and batted with poise and purpose. But a splendid throw by Bilby had him run out, and with his departure went Canterbury’s final chance.

Dayle Hadlee defended for a while, but when Merrin joined Kirk, there was time for about 20 overs, and the new ball was available. When this was taken, at 229 for eight, Kirk stagemanaged affairs firmly. He and Merrin never changed ends during their long battle with the bowlers. He saw it, properly, as his duty to keep out of danger of Chatfield. Strangely, Chatfield could not rekindle his earlier fire. He bowled well and beat the bat on occasion, but Kirk, with an innings of much character, stoutly refused to yield. Merrin, too, batted with tremendous determination. They put on 45 runs, but could have had many more had they taken all the runs offering. The policy of keeping their own ends was paramount, however. Catches missed They kept the ball away from crowding fieldsmen for over after over. Wellington went back to spin at one end, reverted to pace again, but the two left-handers doggedly saw it out.

It was strange that Wellington, which had fielded so well, should finally fail because of missed chances. Kirk gave one early, off Coney, and another, a very difficult one from his gloves, in Chatfield’s last over. In the ninth of the .15 overs, Merrin hit Coney straight to Bruce Smith on the square-leg boundary: but that went to ground. It was a splendid fight, and the Wellington players could still be amused when Merrin withdrew once, because Cater, starting his run-up, had sent skyward a school of seagulls which had been nodding learnedly in the outfield — an area to which they had had every right of occupation.