Easy cricket victory

Press, 7 December 1985, Page 80

Easy cricket victory

Canterbury gained an easy ten-wicket win over Otago in the under-20 cricket match which was completed at Hagley Oval yesterday. From its overnight total of 184 for five, Canterbury moved to 242 without further loss, with Blair Hartland taking his score from 99 to 136. Hartland’s innings, which featured fluent stroke play and delightful timing of the drives, was fashioned from 241 balls, and included ten fours and two sixes.

The final partnership, with Grant Dicksori, was worth 84 runs. Hartland had featured in earlier stands of 67 with Gary Lund and 74 with David Hartshorn.

The best of the Otago bowlers were Michael

Parker, a 16-year-old offspinner who flighted the ball well, and the lively leftarm seamer, Murray Griffin.

Otago, in its second innings, struggled again on an easy-paced pitch, leaving Canterbury only eight runs to score for victory, a task which Lund completed in partnership with his fellow opener, Jon Preston. The stoutest resistance from Otago came in the form of a gritty partnership of 64 for the fourth wicket between the captain, Shane Robinson, and the young English player, Nick Adams. The Canterbury spinners, Hartshorn and David Aitken, picked up seven of the wickets between them, with the seamer, Mark

Hastings, providing valuable support. Two other Canterbury seam bowlers, Stephen Hawker and Richard Petrie,, suffered groin injuries on the first day. Hawker’s condition is the more serious, and a replacement will be sought for the remainder of the national tournament. Scores:— Otago 113 (P. Dobbs 22, M. Griffin 18; D. Hartshorn 4/37, M. Hastings 2/16, D. Aitken 2/ 18) and 136 (S. Robinson 36, N. Adams 31, P. Nicholson 22, Aitken 4/49, Hartshorn 3/19, Hastings 2/23). Canterbury 242/5 declared (B. Hartland 136 not out, G. Lund 35, Hartshorn 26, G. Dickson 29 not out; M. Parker 2/70, M. Griffin 2/30) and 9/0.