Canterbury off to good start in cricket

Press, 7 December 1982, Page 42

Canterbury off to good start in cricket

PA Auckland - Auckland, the holder of the championship, Northern Districts and Canterbury all had clear-cut, if not especially comfortable, wins over Central, Wellington and Otago respectively in the national under-22 cricket tournament at Auckland yesterday. There was a stirring whiff of battle, especially when Auckland and Central Districts were blasting away at each other. Central was quickly at Auckland’s- throat, six wickets taken for 84, and seven for 96, but Derek Scott launched such a lively coun-ter-attack for Auckland that he and James Swift added 57 for the eighth. wicket — to which Swift did not contribute a run, but ample stout defence. So the bristling Auckland bowlers had 154 runs to bowl at, and so stately was the Central batting that the odds were that if Central’s innings ran its scheduled 59 / overs the match would finish in the dark. Very early, lan Fisher took a stunning slip catch from Sean Tracy's bowling, and that was just the spur Tracy, Swift and Richard de Groen, three very sharp musketeers, needed. Tracy had four wickets by the time Central was 35 for five. Fisher ended a long valiant battle by Tony Blain, and Swift finished off the innings at 90. It took just over 37 overs, and went on to 7,10 p.m. ’ Canterbury, a tidy, compact side, was always in command against Otago, which took some time to find the most effective use of . its medium-fast bowlers. After James Leggat (45), David Boyle (36) and Rod Latham (38) started, the innings aggressively, Canterbury raced away to 200 for five wickets and headed for a very large score. However, a slim 17-year-old. Ken Rutherford, the

younger brother of the celebrated lan. settled into such a tidy length that he whipped through the last four wickets. Canterbury was gone for 212, and Rutherford had six for 76. Canterbury’s seamers cracked open the middle of the Otago innings, especially Bill Lawrence with four for 35, and Otago had a long and unsuccessful struggle to its 127. At the end Rutherford, batting at No. 5, was still there, 31 not out in two hours, and very much the man of the day. Wellington rather tied itself in knots against some accurate Northern Districts bowling, especially from Chris Smith from Bay of Plenty. The batting seemed to lack a plantwo men were run out and by the end of the 66 overs Wellington had the modest return of 153 for eight. Batting in much more comfortable conditions, Northern worked solidly along, especially when Mark Stabler (32) and Derek Beard (41) lifted the score to 74 for one.-' , There was a tremor when two wickets fell at this score, and another at 95, but Paul Holder (25 not out) brought in the winning runs comfortably. i ' ... . - In today’s matches Auckland wall play Canterbury, Central meets Northern and Wellington plays Otago. Scores: » Canterbury 212 (J. Leggat 45. R. Latham 38, D. Boyle 36, M. Chamberlain 35; K. Rutherford 6/76, J. Galliven 3/140) beat Otago 127 (K. Rutherford 31 n 0.. T. McKeown 30; W. Lawrence 4/ 35. Boyle 2/6). Auckland 154 (D. Scott 65: J. McGregor 4/51) beat Central Districts 90 (A. Blain 25; S. Tracy 4.20. J. Swift 4,-33). Northern Districts 157 (D. Beard 41. M. Stabler 32, M. Ansford 2/31. G. Larsen 2/29) beat Wellington 153 (G. Larsen 56. C. Smith 3/47). ’