Untimely declaration, fine century aid Wellington

Press, 2 January 1979, Page 20

Untimely declaration, fine century aid Wellington

Bv

R. T. BRITTENDEN

An almost flawless century by New Zealand's new young batting star. Bruce Edgar, kept Wellington at the top of the Shell Cup competition yesterday. At Lancaster Park Edgar’s 134. his first century’ in New’ Zealand, was the centrepiece of a highly interesting day’s play which ended with five overs unbowled, and Wellington beating Canterbury by two wickets.

It was a very strange natch, played on a pitch which lasted so well that the Canterbury Cricket Association has sent a mestage of congratulation to the Victory Park Board. Throughout three days, it encouraged stroke making, it held together splendidly, and tven at the end the ball sever turned savagely. Strange it was, for the first two days produced some dreadfully inept tricket by both sides. Bowlers were allowed to dictate almost unchallenged. Only yesterday did the batsmen tonv’.nce themselves that they were in clover, and not i minefield. On the first day 251 runs aere scored for 12 wickets to 390 minutes. On the second. the vieid was a shameful 241 for 14 wickets in 410 ninutes. In a further 410 ninutes yesterday, 362 were nade for the loss of eight (rickets. Most of the runs in Canterbury's 200 on the first lav came from Barry Hadlee J 96) and Rod Fulton (48). They came together at 30 lor 'three, and added 121 in 166 minutes. They both bailed extremely well against aery tight bowling from Ewen Chatfield and Jeremy Eonev. then from the offipinner Peter Petherick and the left-hander. Evan Gray. Hadlee was watchful but fluent in a very pleasant innings. marked particularly ky beautifully timed forcing strokes off his legs. Fulton rontinued his run of good innings and locked a fine (laver. But both got themselves put trying to hit across a slow bowler’s line, and so aid Vaughan Brown. There was remarkably little effort to get to the slow bowlers tnd hit them straight. Siow bowling domination, and an easy pitch, continued when Wellington batted. Wellington was 51 for two at the end of the first day, 70 for lix early on the second tnomir-g. Only some stouten keartec batting from Gray tnd Allan Hewson cut Weltngton's deficit to 36. Stead had career best figures with five wickets, and he exploited the batting diffidence expertly. He had excellent control, and his googlie was always a worry. Canterbury gave another lorry display in the second

■ innings. Barry Hadlee was.] i out early, when only 53 runs, I . short of breaking' Graham li ■ Dowling’s Canterbury record is aggregate, and Murray Park-,1 er. still struggling to find I' form, was in 150 minutes j] ’for 27. Only at the end of,l the second day did reality li return to the proceedings. Richard Hadlee, watchful but!] strong of stroke, and Vang- | ban Brown added 46 in 52j] minutes. Yesterday morning, after j the heavy roller had flat-] 'tened the pitch to make itfi even more amiable, Hadlee I] and Brown played out three < maiden overs, then set aboutlj the bowling heartily, and'] they were vastly enter-! i tairiing. There was some j superb driving from Hadlee,!; and it was heartening to see i so young a player as Brown], producing an innings ofquality and charm. ( Suddenly, there were ID ini, an over from Petherick, and], that persuaded John Morri- j, son to take the new ball. (j The first 10 overs with it L :yielded 72 runs from mag-!] nificent attacking batting by j both Canterbury players. \ t Their stand was worth 143 L in 138 minutes when Barry’i] Hadlee declared. His decision was a start-!, [ling one. His batsmen had!’ just demonstrated that the j I

pitch was replete with runsj but he gave Wellington 325 minutes to score 262. Natur-i ally he wanted to have as] long ss possible to bowl Wellington out, but his dee-] laration hinged on Welling-; ton’s batting with the ttm-| idity of the first innings: I Richard Hadlee and Brown] had given the game a trans-] fusion, and Wellington must have started the fourth in-1 nings confident in its ability! to make the runs. A declaration 20 minutes] and 30 runs later would have put much more pres-] sure on a side which had to] seek victory, because Otago' had wen its match against! Northern and gone to the] top of the table. Wellington, in the end, was eight down,; but it always looked like! winning. Wellington’s more asser- i rive attitude had its effect' on the bowling, just as Rich-, ard Hadlee and Brown had] thrown Wellington into con-. fusion. Everything depended! on Stead, and he again, bowled very ably. But he' had a lot of work in this’ match, and yesterday after-] noon there were occasional] lapses in length which Edgar! and Jeremy Coney punished] severely. With plenty of time to I build the innings, Edgar and! Graham Newdick took an hour and a half over an i opening stand of 69. The] I third wicket fell at 112. but! i Edgar and Coney added 84 'in 95 minutes for the fourth wicket. Coney looked sound, and Edgar, after a quiet start, batted beautifully. He] is a fine timer of the ball,| his footwork put him into; position easily, and in mak-; ing his best first-class score,] he looked a class player.] Little wonder critics in Eng-'

[land likened him to Donnelly and Sutcliffe. Edgar had to carry a 'heavy burden of respbnsiibility. but he responded [splendidly in an innings of five hours. He gave one almost impassible chance at 155. and he was still there ! after Brian Cederwal! bad [been well caught by Barry [Hadlee, trying to hit Stead, ]and Bruce Taylor had succumbed to a ball from Gerjaid Cumming well wide of jhim. ; Stead kept trying, Richard [Hadlee made a determined jeffort. but only 18 were (needed when Edgar fell. At [that stage Richard Hadlee was sharing a new ball with i Stead, but Kevin Collins had some unhappy moments letting byes through and a 'square cut for four by Gray (off Hadlee levelled the 'scores. There was a last [flurry of excitement when [Geoff Smith threw the wick-' [et down to run Gray out — i his second such feat in this match — but Petherick turned one fine for four to 'end the match. ] Edgar was a deserved [winner of the man-of-tbe-I match award. But when the [batting and bowling and the [result are distant memories, [the game may well be re- ] called by the’ catch Brown [took to' dismiss Coney in 'Wellington’s first innings. [Coney tried to hook a bounicer from Richard Hadlee, [but the ball looped over the [head of Brown, at short leg. (He had to cover a considerable distance, running backwards, then flung himself on to his back, his right Shand at full stretch behind ;him to hold it. There has I not been a better catch at [Lancaster Park in many a year.