Arch Taylor back in Auckland team

Press, 20 December 1978, Page 38

Arch Taylor back in Auckland team

Bv

R. T. BRITTENDEN

It seems to be the year for the return of the Taylors in New Zealand cricket. After an absence from firstclass cricket of five years,! Bruce Taylor, now 35, is I again in the Wellington team for the Shell Series, and Auckland, for the Gillette Cup final against Canterbury at Lancaster Park on Saturday, has brought back Arch Taylor, 37 years of age. This Taylor, who has not been in first-class cricket since 1965-66, was a highly promising right-hand fastmedium bowler and lefthand batsman. But his career was halted through serious injury. Now, however, he is a very tidy me-dium-pace bowler, with a particular place in limitedover cricket.

He will be part of a very useful Auckland attack. The. other bowlers are Warren! Stott, who had an out-! standingly good season for' Auckland last summer with his tight medium-pace bowl- i ing; the left-arm spinner John Mclntyre: the left-

handed Gary Troup, who played one match for New Zealand in England this year, and John Cushen, a strongly-built opening bowler who was in very good form a few days ago against Northern Districts. The talented young John Reid, who made a century against Northern Districts, will keep wicket for Auckland in this match. He is one of a formidable list of batsmen. which includes Peter Webb, who made a half-century against North-

’ em Districts. Austin Parsons ■ j will open with him. He i! made a century against -ICanterbury in the Shell Cup • final last season. i Mark Burgess and Graham > Vivian, the captain, are good • and aggressive batsmen, and ■ Auckland has a trump card

in John Wiltshire, who has had only 10 first-class appearances so far, but who has already scored 447 runs at an average of 44.7. He scored an unbeaten century against Wellington last summer.

Canterbury’, which has won the inter-provincial knock-out contest for the last three years has chosen the same 12 players who met Central Districts last 1 week-end in the opening I round of the Shell Trophy ’competition.