Aggressive Otago batsmen picked to meet Canty

Press, 23 December 1978, Page 36

Aggressive Otago batsmen picked to meet Canty

By

R. T. BRITTENDEN

Too much should not be read into Otago’s defeat by Wellington in the first round of the Shell Cup cricket contest. A side batting last at Invercargill usually has to have plenty of players padded up and Otago’s fourthinnings failure was by no means uncommon on that ground. The Otago team which will meet Canterbury at Lancaster Park on Boxing Day will offer a strong challenge. The match is likely to be played on purposeful lines. Both sides ended the first round 12 points behind Wellington, and they will ne very' anxious not to lose further ground. Otago is well equipped to give an assertive performance. In the 12 players it has named for the match, the'e are five batsmen of a oarticularly aggressive bent, some very fine fieldsmen, and a varied, resting attack. The players most ikely to hammer anything oose m the Canterbury bowling a>e the captain. Warren Lees, the little left-hand opener Stuart McCollum, the hi'ter, Lance Cairns, another lefthander. Bruce Blair, and one

of the country’s best drivers,! Keith Campbell. Otago’s batting does not] end there. lan Rutherford,] although only 21, is in nis j fifth season of first-class I cricket, and he is a fine competitor, with a very good record. He scored a splendid century for Centra] Districts against Canterbury last summer. Wayne Blair has also batted with consistent success, and Paul Facoory compensates for a lack of height with his very determined approach to the game.

There is the promise of runs, too, from the newcomer, John Bracewell, another of New Zealand cricket’s new fraternity. Otago has an interesting selection of bowlers. A new recruit, Peter Hills, is a lefthander said to have considerable pace. Cairns had spectacular success against Wellington with his swing i bowling, and there is a, steady right-hand medium-] pacer. Robbie Hill. Bracewell] provides the off-spin, and] Otago again has Stephen] Boock, who set a national record last summer by tak-i ing 66 wickets and who] started this season by codec-; ting 10 against Wellington.

There is still a little doubt about the quality of Canterbury’s bowling. Richard Hadlee presents a very strong threat to the Otago batting. His seam-bowling associates are all able to do something with the ball, they all look highly promising, but they all need a little more accuracy to make them top-class performers.

There is comfort for Canterbury in its spin section. David Stead bowled particularly well against Central Districts and Vaughan Brown is clearly a young player of particular potential-

Canterbury has a very useful batting team, with Barry Hadlee in excellent form and his new partner, Geoff Smith, having started the season well by sharing two half-century partnerships against Central Districts. Murray Parker, the side’s most consistent batsman last summer, is due for a big score and there are

high hopes that Paul McEwan will continue to progress. He has it in him to become an outstanding success.

I Rod Fulton, Maurice Ryan, 'Stead, Richard Hadlee and i Brown give the Canterbury 'batting considerable depth.