Northern’s dawdle

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34048, 12 January 1976, Page 22

Northern’s dawdle

(N.Z. Press Association)

DUNEDIN.

It was a merciful release for everyone when the umpires eventually abandoned the Otago v. Northern Districts Shell series cricket match as a draw at 6 p.m. at Carisbrook on Saturday.

Light rain wiped out the morning session -and play began at 12.50 p.m., Northern Districts needing 316 runs to win in a maximum of 260 minutes and the mandatory 15 overs in the last hour. The Northern batsmen immediately made it clear they considered the task impossible on a pitch so helpful to spinners, and dawdled to 109 for two during the 193 minutes play. There was a brief flicker of hope for Otago when the Northern opener, John Wright, was caught off his gloves by Keith Campbell at second slip from the bowling of the left-armer, Graeme Thomson.

Northern was then eight for one wicket and Thomson, ironically, was gaining more life and movement from the wicket than any other pace bowler during the game. Rod Fulton, as in the first innings, applied himself diligently, and ensured Otago did hot continue to make early inroads through the Northern batting.

Fulton batted 100 minutes for 19 before he was caught at silly point from the off-spin of Per Petherick, to make Northern two for 40. Tea was taken with Northern 103 for two—the Otago bowlers being handicapped by a wet ball—and no-one seemed particularly anxious to restart the game after the interval. It resumed after the scheduled time, and Roberts and Parker added seven runs in 33 minutes before play was called off for the last time at 5.16 p.m. The man of the match award went to the Otago captain, Glenn Turner, for his innings of 115 and 80 not out.

Cricket.—Sri Lanka has beaten the visiting Pakistan cricketing team by 22 runs in a 40 over, one-day match in Colombo.