Leg-spinners take Canterbury to easy victory

Press, 10 February 1981, Page 30

Leg-spinners take Canterbury to easy victory

By

R. T. BRITTENDEN

One would have to turn over some yellowed pages of cricket history to determine when Canterbury last had two right-hand leg-spinners winning a match for them.

But there were two at Lancaster Park yesterday — David Stead and Richard Leggat — as Canterbury went to second place in the Shell Trophy contest with an unexpectedly easy victory Over Northern Districts. They took eight wickets yesterday afternoon, 16 in the match and it was a vast pleasure, in an age of mediocre medium pace, to see the flight and turn of legbreaks and googlies. Leggat, a delightful young cricketer, took five in the second innings, his best return in a brief first-class career. The same two players, with a blaze of aggressive shots and some excellent running, rushed Canterbury’s score on in the morning, so that the captain, Cran Bull, was able to have Northern batting an hour before lunch. The target for Northern was 299 in 330 minutes, which looked reasonable figures. There was, however, the certainty that once the ball had been used for a few overs, the bounce would be low. It was a nightmare of a pitch for wicket-keepers. On the other hand, there was also the certainty that Canterbury would have to use its spinners if it wanted to keep the game open, and any right-hand leg-spinner who is merely mortal is bound to yield ready runs fairly regularly. So Northern must have started its last innings with prospects of making the runs. Canterbury had certainly scored them quickly in the morning, but not in the opening period, when Rod Griffiths, David White and

Barry Cooper yielded only! 18 in 10 overs. Rod Latham, 55 at the start, hit a couple of lovely fours but was out for 67. It was the arrival of Leggat which lit the fuse. He responds superbly to a situation such as this. Within moments, the runs were coming swiftly, Stead casting away his earlier doubts and joining fully in a highly entertaining stand which produced 50 in 28 minutes. There was driving and cutting deflections prettily timed, and with it all, swift and eager, running. Leggat made 33 from 31 balls before Cooper bowled him with a. painfully slow full toss, which the batsman missed when playing it for the second time. But in the context of the match, Leggat’s was a perfect little innings. Stead drove splendidly and with his unbeaten half-century, and more vital second-innings wickets, he took the man of the match award. The pattern of the earlier three innings was repeated when Northern started, runs coming freely off the newball bowling. Grant Gibson and Mike Wright helped themselves to 50 in 33 minutes but at 61 Craig Thiele, as big of heart as of shoulder, dug one in and poor Wright deflected it from bat to head to a catch at gully. But at lunch, with the score 72 for one, Northern had made a telling advance — 227 needed in 270 minutes. Canterbury took control within a quarter-hour of resumption. Roger Broughton was beautifully stumped on the leg side by John Mackie off Stead, Gibson hammered the industrious Thiele to

I Bryan Ritchie at extra cover and both wickets fell at 82. From that point, it was all downhill for Canterbury. Stead and Leggat bemused the batsmen, even the talented Barry Cooper, who was in for an hour and a quarter. There were some finelytimed, strong strokes from him, in keeping with his very high reputation, but he was as 'troubled as the rest by the mysteries of good leg-spin. From 82 for one it became 138 for eight. Cliff Dickeson, hobbling sadly, whacked Leggat for a six, then Steve Scott and Griffiths had a picnic. In 23 minutes they scored £6, Scott, making most of tfie running. Canterbury, it must be said, showed every sign of. relaxation in the field, but there was no real threat and the game ended with Barry Hadlee holding a towering catch at deep midoff.

Scott hit some tremendous blows, others were remarkable for the distance by which they missed, and it seemed a pity that three hours of a perfect afternoon were left unused.