Canterbury hopes to relinquish underdog role against Auckland

Press, 16 January 1979, Page 24

Canterbury hopes to relinquish underdog role against Auckland

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R. T. BRITTENDEN

Without a win this season, Canterbury will go into its Shell Trophy match with Auckland, at Lancaster Park today, as underdog—a role to which it is quite unaccustomed—but there are signs and portents pointing to the possibility of a recovery.

Auckland’s win at Eden Park in the Shell Cup competition was its first against Canterbury in seven matches and five years, and it will be a confident team, even if it has lost its assertive captain, Graham Vivian. Auckland also beat Canterbury in the final of the Gillette Cup earlier in the season.

There is likely to be some| life in the pitch on the first morning, and Auckland has a useful quartet of seamers from whom to choose — John Cushen. Gary Troup, the very promising young! Martin Snedden, and the tai-] ented. persistent and demanding Warren Stott. Canterbury’s seam bowling has been sadly lacking in quality this summer.

Richard Hadlee has looked his best self, now and then, and Stephen Bateman has shown glimpses of form. He bowled, accurately against Pakistan on Sunday, and he may well provide the tightfisted sort of bowling Canterbury has lacked this summer.

But Canterbury’s worries do not end with the all too regularly loose bowling of its seamers. The fielding nas not been sharp, and there have been some sorry failures among the tbp-line batsmen.

Barry Hadlee has been

outstandingly good, but only Rod Fulton, of the others in the top half of the order has better than 30; Murray Parker, after a depressing start, batted beaujtifully at Eden Park, alI though handicapped by havI ing cracked ribs. He is not a I certain starter for today’s match If he can not play, he I will be replaced by Lindsay !Thorn, of the Riccarton club.

It would be a strange ! quirk of fate should Parker have to withdraw: Thorn’s 'first senior selection came about because Parker, then [playing for the club, was injured. Bateman has also had fitness troubles, but his bowling against Pakistan suggested he will be able to take his place in the team. Auckland has an impressive array of batsmen, with Peter Webb, Austin Parsons, — who made a century at Christchurch in the Shell Trophy final last year — John Reid. Wiltshire and Mark Burgess all having been among the runs recently. Burgess has already scored close to 500 runs in first-class games this summer.

Other popular visitors in the Auckland team, include the cheerful John Mclntyre and the new national record holder, Hedley Howarth. And there will be particular!

interest in young Snedden, a member of the New Zealand under-23 team which will meet Pakistan. Canterbury has a hard task ahead. It certainly needs more sustained application from the batsmen, much more concentration in the field, and tight bowling. If Auckland bats first, Richard Hadlee might be a handful while the ball is hard and shiny. But again there is likely to be a heavy work-load for the leg-spin-ner David Stead, who has already, this season, bowled about 70 overs more than in any other of his representative summers. The return of Philip D’Auvergne is an interesting one. He did enough on Sunday to suggest he might be in the final eleven today. It would be difficult to see Vaughan Brown dislodged, for he has bowled tidily enough and is developing into a fine attacking batsman. But one of the seamers might go, to leave Canterbury with Richard Hadlee, Bateman and Paul McEwan to look after that department. It will provide food for thought for the selectors this morning — especially if the pitch looks as if three bowlers sharp of pace and [movement will be needed.