Canty, Central should be evenly matched

Press, 27 December 1982, Page 18

Canty, Central should be evenly matched

By

R. T. BRITTENDEN

Canterbury’s only outright win in the Shell Trophy competition last season was against Central Districts at Palmerston North, but when the teams meet at Lancaster Park today there will be no firm favourite.

On a hard and grassy pitch, Canterbury will no doubt be well served by its temporary captain, Richard Hadlee. But Central Districts has on call the very promising fast bowler, Derek Stirling, and with him Gary Robertson — just returned from the New Zealand visit to Australia — Stephen Gill, a very capable left-armer, and Dennis Aberhart, one of the most consistently successful bowlers in New Zealand cricket these last few years. That is the seam attack. It will be supported by the leftarm spin of the experienced and sagacious David O'Sullivan and perhaps by the offbreaks of Matthew Toynbee. It is an impressive line-up.

Central will be led by John Wiltshire, a steadily successful right-hand batsman. lan Snook, who returns to firstclass cricket after an absence of seven years, the highly promising Scott Briasco, Toynbee, and Roger

Pierce lead the batting. Gill did well as a batsman in his first season a year ago; there is the flamboyant lan Smith, and the highly regarded Tony Blain (Nelson) who will be making his first class debut. The Central Districts side was described by its manager, the former test player, Mike .Shrimpton, yesterday as having had a very satisfactory build-up to the Shell Series,, in terms of trial matches this season, clinics and indoor practice during, the winter, and the presence of a physiotherapist, Tony Snell. Central Districts has always had a particularly good team spirit. This side, under Wiltshire, a former Auckland captain, will not be lacking in this essential ingredient either.

The Cooper Henderson Canterbury team, fourth in the Shell Trophy last season, will be eager to do better this time, first under Hadlee, then led by the 22-year-old

Richard Leggat. Hadlee, perhaps not at his full match fitness yet, has the lively Craig Thiele and the tall, improving Stephen Bateman as his principal seam bowling allies, although the Northamptonshire professional, Bob Carter, may get a turn if there is life in the pitch. Canterbury’s twelve includes four spinners, and one of them will almost certainly be left out today. David Stead and the coming captain, Leggat, are sure, of places. So is the all-rounder, Vaughan Brown, so that Andrew Nuttall, a tall lefthand spinner, may have to wait for the northern matches which follow to make his Shell debuf. The winner of the Shell Trophy may not come from this match, but it will be keenly contested, and on a good pitch — with an outfield which argues quick scoring — it should be a very entertaining fixture.