Bright finish expected

Press, 21 March 1983, Page 21

Bright finish expected

The last act of the club cricket season looks likely to prove a most exciting one.

The final round for the A.N.Z. Cup began on Saturday, with Lancaster Park leading Old Collegians by nine points. If Old Collegians are to finish first, Lancaster Park will have to lose to Sydenham, on the first innings or outright, and Old Collegians must beat East-Shirley outright.

A desperate finish is in prospect if the games next Saturday follow a similar course to events of the first day.

Sydenham, with six wixkets in hand, needs only 30 to head off Lancaster Park; Old Collegians have a slight advantage over East, although Collegians may not feel that the game is quite far enough advanced.

Scores:— Burnside-West 212/5 dec.; Riccarton 111/3. St Albans 223/9 dec.; Old Boys 108/3. Old Collegians 219/9 dec.; Shirley 70/3.

Lancaster Park 197; Sydenham 168/4.

Four batsmen scored half-centuries. For Burn-side-West David Farrant had a career-best 93, Tony Collins made 88 for Lancaster Park, John Larter 68 for St Albans, Peter Stuart 58 not out for Old Collegians. Bowlers who prospered were Craig Thiele (East) and Mike Dolden (Sydenham) each taking five wickets.

Brisk scoring Seven sixes were hit at Sydenham Park, where the home team acquitted itself well against Lancaster Park. On a pitch which did little in the morning, and on which the ball came through rather low at times, Tony Collins played a typically robust innings. He was in 127 minutes for his 88, hitting 13 fours and two fine sixes.

In an uninhibited display, Collins drove and pulled strongly but things did not go so well at the other end. David Dempsey was out early, Rod Latham was the victim of a superb caught and bowled by Bert Walker, and later batsmen paid the penalty of playing back. There was some fight from John Sanson, Stu Gambles, Mark Chamberlain and David Trist, but it was not a sufficiently substantial recovery to compensate for the earlier losses. Mike Dolden bowled his left-arm spinners very well indeed, with persistent accuracy, and a phlegmatic reaction if he was hit.

Kevin Congdon was out early in Sydenham’s innings, but there was some thoughtful batting by Bill Thomson and some handsome driving by young Peter Kennedy. It was a courageous display by Thomson, who earlier in the day had ben hit in the face while fielding at slip, and a most attractive innings by Kennedy. Together they scored 54 in 66 minutes.

Bob Carter, who had scored a century against Lancaster Park at the teams’ previous meeting was soon dismissed, but Tom White, a left-hander gave a very breezy display. He made some stylish drives, in hitting seven fours and a six. With Ewen Spence, 52 were scored in 47 minutes.

A partnership of 98 for the fourth wicket between John Larter and Mark Priest had St Albans nicely placed by early afternoon, but thereafter, things tailed off rather rapidly.

Larter and Priest both went with the score at 185, and the ninth wicket fell at 223.

With his smothering defensive technique, and his ability to hit the loose ball hard into the right places, Larter accumulated 68 in 148 minutes, with eight fours. Priest looked a most capable young batsman in his 119 minute stay, but his innings was cut short when he was run out. Another St Albans batsman to be run out was John Gully, who had fought well after his captain and fellow opener, Geoff Smith, was out for nought. With Max Bremner, Gully put on 35, then helped the score through to 87.

When Old Boys came to bat in ideal conditions in the final session, Peter Rattray was unperturbed at the loss of two early wickets. Rattay went straight at the bowl-

ing, going for big lofted shots which brought him seven fours. When the ball was outside the off stump, he looked to “flat-bat” it through cover. Rattray was out to a full toss, caught and bowled by Mark Priest. He had had solid support from David Kerr, the pair putting on 63 for the third wicket.

With his first scoring shot, a four through cover off Priest, Cran Bull passed the 500-run mark for the season. Earlier, he had come on to bowl, completing an over for Garry MacDonald, who was briefly injured. Bull was satisfied enough with his performance to carry on for a few more overs, and he finished with two wickets.

A fine score of 93 by David Farrant, his highest in the senior grade, was the feature of the play at Burnside Park where the easypaced pitch favoured the batsmen.

Burnside began badly, losing the first wicket at seven and the second at 29, but then two good partnerships restored the side’s fortunes.

David Boyle and Farrant scored 31 at a brisk pace for the third wicket and then Peter Wallace and Farrant out on 116. Farrant looked in fine touch, curbing his natural aggression, but hitting anything loose with great power. His 50 came up after 78 balls and the 93, which included 13 fours, was scored off 140 balls.

There was little in the pitch for the bowlers. Glen Bateman had the most success, but both Steve McNally and Tim Murdoch bowled medium pace economically.

Riccarton did not take up the challenge of Burnside’s declaration. Whereas Burnside had scored 212 off 64.5 overs Riccarton after 55 overs could only muster 111. Too many runs All the portents were at Burwood Oval for a thoroughly positive match. Both teams need an outright victory to improve or maintain tr.cir present positions, but Old Collegians might have made a few too many, and batted a shade too long, for that to eventuate. Much will depend on the quality of the East-Shirley batting next Saturday, for while there has been some sound and sensible stuff from the openers, Robbie van Zanten, for once outscored, and Keith Morrfield, a first innings lead is still a fairly distant target.

This did not seem the likely case for much of the day, as, after a sound start from the top three in the Old Collegians order, Craig Thiele and Graham Pulley made regular inroads. However, the problems came later in the innings, and chiefly from a youngster, Paul Stuart. His first innings in the grade brought him a duck; since then, he has had 22, 45 not out and 20. This time, it was his highest score, 58 not out.