Canty plays well in front of sparse crowd

Press, 11 February 1983, Page 30

Canty plays well in front of sparse crowd

By

R. T. BRITTENDEN

Canterbury performed well on the first day of its Shell Trophy cricket match against Northern Districts at Lancaster Park yesterday, but the only record endangered was that for attendance. There were so few at the game, on a lovely sunlit day, that it looked as if a couple too many had arrived for a bridge party.

Sent in on a green and lively pitch. Northern did well’ to score 175; Canterbury. with less spite in the pitch, had scored 158 for six wickets at the close of play. In the early stages, Northern Districts batsmen bit the dust with the regularity of Redskins in a John Wayne epic. Half the side was out for 40. Order was restored by stands of 39 between Barry Cooper and Craig Presland. 50 between Presland and David White, and a lastwicket partnership of 45 between White and Mark Carrington. Craig Thiele thundered in enthusiastically with the southerly breeze at his back, and very quickly he had both the Northern opening batsmen. It was not only the readiness of the ball to move sideways which confused the batsmen. There was a sharp variation in bounce from time to time, the odd ball steepling and a few shooting through very low. With the outfield a lush green, the ball kept its rosy glow much longer than usual. Glenn Bateman, playing his first game for Canterbury this season, jerked one back abruptly to bowl John Parker, and. Dayle Hadlee, having his first representative match for three years, soon accounted for Andy Roberts. When Paul McEwan, in an act of self-preservation, held a fierce slash in slips from Roger Broughton, Northern looked likely to be out for a very small score. There was a period, however, when Bateman and Thiele lost direction, and wasted too many deliveries.

Cooper attended to his duties efficiently, and White stuck it out for an hour and a half after being hit on an elbow by Hadlee’s second ball, and having to retire for a while. Carrington gave a lively display at the end. taking nine from an over by Hadlee which cost 13. Presland made a profound impression. Most of his shots came straight out of the coaching manual, and he hit them with cheerful power. He struck seven boundaries, and if he was missed in slips off Hadlee when he was 19, it was a fine introduction to Lancaster Park. It was good to see Thiele putting so much into his work, to have Bateman back in the side and bowling well, and Hadlee taking four wickets. The last of them was through a superbly athletic caught and bowled. Hadlee still looks athletic and has not lost his fine action. It was clear, after two leg before appeals in his first over, that he had not lost his voice either. Canterbury lost its four wickets for 65 to generally well-directed bowling. Presland again caught the eye. He bowled four quite ordinary overs into the wind, then switched ends and mustered a very lively pace. The persistent Steve Scott picked up three wickets, making the batsmen play him consistently. There was a typically breezy 30 from David Dempsey, who faced only 30 deliveries and played some delightful shots. Canterbury's sagging fortunes were restored by David Stead, who was with Vaughan Brown

while 42 were added. Then he had Richard Leggat as his partner as 38 more were added. Leggat was still there at the end with Canterbury only 17 runs behind. NORTHERN DISTRICTS First innings I. M. Crocker lbw b Thiele 0 M. J. E. Wright lbw b Thiele 1 R. D. Broughton c McEwan b Bateman 18 J. M. Parker, b Bateman. . 1 B. G. Cooper c Hart b Brown 25 A. D. G. Roberts lbw b Hadlee 0 D. J. White not out 33 C. M. Presland c McEwan b Hadlee 52 C. W. Dickeson lbw b Hadlee 0 S. J. Scott b Bateman.... 0 M. S. Carrington c and b Hadlee 23 Extras (b 3. Ib7. w2. nblO) 22 Total 175 Fall: 0. 7. 11. 37. 40. 79. 129. 129. 130. Bowling- C. H. Thiele 10, 2. 33. 2: G. C. Bateman 20. 6. 50, 3; D. R. Hadlee 19.2. 6. 58. 4: V. R. Brown 4. 0. 12. 1. CANTERBURY First innings D. A. Dempsey c Broughton b Scott. 30 R. M. Carter c Cooper b Presland 11 P. J. Rattray c Dickeson b Presland’ 3 V. R. Brown c Wright b Dickeson 16 P. E. McEwan c Wright b Scott 9 D. W. Stead lbw b Scott . . 51 R. I. Leggat not out 16 D. R. Hadlee not out 3 Extras (lb!3. w2. nb4). . . 19 Total for six wickets 158 Fall: 41. 44. 51. 65, 107. 145. Bowling.— M. S. Carrington 10, 1. 38. 0; C. M. Presland 12, 7. 18. 2; S. J. Scott 13, 2. 38, 3: A. D. G. Roberts 12, 4. 22, 0; C. W Dickeson 8,2. 23. 1.