Top teams gain strong positions in sixth round

Press, 16 December 1985, Page 25

Top teams gain strong positions in sixth round

Sydenham and High School Old Boys, the top two teams in the Trusteebank Trophy first grade cricket championship, worked themselves into strong positions at the end of the opening day of sixth round matches on Saturday. Sydenham, which holds a six-point advantage over Old Boys, made its highest score of the season, after being sent in to bat, against the bottom team, East-Shir-ley, at Sydenham Park. Wayne Higgins (61), Kevin Congdon (59) and Peter Kennedy (57) all made solid contributions to the total of 254/5 declared. East-Shirley, led by a fine 77 from its captain, Ray Jones, was in good shape shortly before the end, but lost three wickets for two runs too end the day at 116 for six. Old Boys laboured for runs against St Albans at Hagley 1, having decided to bat first. It barely managed -to average two runs an over when it declared at 193 for seven at tea, with Ross Bayliss getting his second half century of the summer, 66.

In reply, St Alban crumbled badly to the pace of Stu Roberts and the wiles of Dayle Hadlee to be 68 for seven at stumps. Riccarton found runs an awkward commodity to obtain at Hagley 3 against Lancaster Park A. It batted on until 4.25 p.m. before

declaring at 206 for eight, with Peter Stubbings making 50. Park has its share of difficulties, being 47 for four, and with Tony Collins, Rod Latham and David Dempsey all gone, has an uphill task next Saturday. Duncan Wild made his best score of the season, 89, as Marist got to 238 for nine against Burnside-West at Burnside Park. Darin Cusack and Stephen Jeffery got Bumside off to a fine start, and Cusack’s 60 in particular, has set his team in a good position.

Lancaster Park B has Mark Chamberlain (52) and its captain, Wayne Wilson, with a late flourish, to thank for getting through to 183 against Old Collegians in the first game of the season on Lancaster Park oval.

However, Old Collegians hopes of first innings points rest with Vaughan Brown, whose unbeaten 92 out of 142 for six, was the day’s best score.

No bowler managed five wickets, the closest being Old Collegians’ mediumpacer, Jeff Stuart, with four for 60, and Mark Priest, who took four Old Boys wickets for 58. Scores: Lancaster Park B 183 met Old Collegians 142/6; Sydenham 254/5 dec. met East-Shirley 116/6; High School Old Boys 193/7 dec. met St Albans 68/ 7;

Riccarton 206/8 dec. met Lancaster Park A 47/4; Marist 238/9 dec. met Bumside-West 139/2.

SHAKY START After a shaky start to its innings at Lancaster Park oval, against some fiery, but often loose, quick bowling, Old Collegians managed to get its act together sufficiently to make reasonable progress towards the respectable total of Lancaster Park B.

However, rather embarrassingly for Old Collegians, who might have wanted to present a full bill, the act revolved almost solely around a virtuoso performance from Vaughan Brown.

Launching with great gusto into anything up to him, Brown brought up 50 in 74 minutes and reached an unbeaten 92 after two hours at the crease. Shortly after reaching his half century, Brown was dropped at long leg, the ball richocheting from the fieldsman's hands onto the fence for six

The two main partnerships Brown shared were 49 with Richard Leggat, who scored eight, ahd 40 with Richard Hartshorn, whose contribution was five. Neither of these minor performers were dispoed to dither, rather, it was that Brown kept most of the strike and when he hit the ball, it was usually with spectacular effect Park B’s total was based round two partnerships, one of 72 for the fifth wicket between Mark Chamberlain and Greg Pierce and the other of 48 for the last wicket between Wayne Wilson and Trevor Luke. The No. 3 batsman, Dave Hassett, who retired hurt in the morning, was found to have a

cracked bone in a forearm and was unable to return to the crease. Chamberlain, who struck nine fours in his half-century, drove forcefully and well, and especiaHy sweetly when he angled the blade at the last moment to have the ball sliding off the face through the gaps in the off-side. Wilson smashed two sixes off Brown in a telling and timely knock of 32. BURNSIDE WELL PLACED Burnside-West is well placed, having reached 139 for two in reply to Marist’s first innings of 238 for nine declared, at Burnside Park.

Burnside-West’s openers set about their task with determination and looked for runs at every opportunity. Darin Cusack was in good touch, playing some regal strokes during his innings of 60 which included nine boundaries. He

was caught in an athletic dive by the wicket-keeper, Brent Fleming, off the howling of Gary Hooper who also took the wicket of the other opener, Stephen Jeffrey, who scored 48.

Both men went in quick succession after settling in well against a spirited but not particularly penetrative Marist bowling attack and built up a good foundation for the remaining batsmen to build on. Earlier in the day, Duncan Wild provided the highlight and anchor of Marist’s innings with a hard-hit 89 after his side had been sent in to bat

While not chanceless, Wild’s innings included some majestic shots, especially in the latter stages as he chased his century before tea and his side’s declaration. His innings included 15 fours and one colossal six before he was caught by Andrew Boyle when trying to go-over-the-top off the bowling of Jeffrey. Marist’s opening batsman, Paul Bateman, sowed a patient and valuable 38 on a pitch that provided some early assistance to bowlers but settled down to become a batsman’s strip. BurnsideWest’s bowlers-contained Marist well in the early stages and it was only Wild who was able to master the bowling in midafternoon. Most successful of the Burn-side-West bowlers was Chris

Marks who took three wickets while only conceding 16 runs in his 16 overs. The mediumpacer, Andrew Hintz, also took three wickets and dismissed both opening batsmen. BATTING DISASTER

Another inept batting display by St Albans in the final period left High School Old Boys very much in command of their match on Hagley No. 1.

St Albans had laboured long and hard on an extremely hot day to restrict Old Boys who batted first after winning the toss.

The progress in the first period was pedestrian, 80 off 46 overs, and Mark Priest, with his gentle, flighted leftarm spinners was able to pin down the batsmen who remained leaden footed in their crease.

Priest was given plenty of work. He sent down 30 successive overs, his only spell being for the lunch break, and took four wickets for 58. Lin Sparks shared the workload at the northern and he, too, kept the batsmen contained.

At 112 for six, St Albans had reason to feel well pleased. But Ros Bayliss and Daye Hadlee changed that with a fine partnership in mid-after-noon. They added 71 in even time, with Bayliss, who survived an early chance, removing Priest from the attak with two sixes.

Hadlee offered a broad bat in defence and played several classical drives as he gave valuable support to the aggressive Bayliss, who inluded eight boundaries as well as the two sixes in his excellent contribution of 66.

After being in the field most of the day, the St Albans batsmen could hardly have relished the two hours after afternoon tea. The Old Boys bowlers did, however, Stu Roberts and Sean Tracy put plenty of shoulder in their opening spells and gained the early breakthrough. Chris

Flanagan kept the momentum going and the introduction of Dayle Hadlee only compounded, the St Albans batting woes.

Hadlee, with four fieldsmen clustered round the bat, caused problems for all batsmen, and he beat and bowled the one person to show any signs of defiance, Geoff Smith. Smith played several elegant shots behind the wicket and was the only batsman to reach double figures. PARK STRUGGLING • The foolish run out of the dogged opener, Ross Calder, started a slide which left Lancaster Park A battling to avoid the follow-on at the end of the first day of its match against Riccarton at Hagley No. X The hart-hitting trio, Dave Dempsey, Tony Collins and Rod Latham, soon joined Calder back in the pavillion, and Bob Cusdin survived a veiy difficult chance in the gully shortly before the end. As it was, Park was poorly placed at stamps and will need to show more appliation in its batting on the second day. Riccarton batted slowly on a pitch which was difficult to score freely on. But it was hardly the minefield it was made but to be by the early Riccarton Batsmen. Of the first 12 overs, 11 were maidens, six by Craig Thiele and five by Glenn Bateman. At lunch, Riccarton had pro-

grossed painfully to 76 for three.

A number of Riccarton batsmen got good starts, but only the experienced Peter Stabbings, went on to reach a halfcentury. It was his first 50 of the season and it was an innings of character, with good footwork and confident stroke play. Lindsay Thorn, Danny Halligan and Chris O’Malley all made useful contributions before being dismissed in the thirties. Thorn’s long innings was ended by a brilliant catch at slip by Collins. The five bowlers used by Park all kept a tight rein on the Riccarton scoring, Latham proving the most successful Park found runs just as jard to come by as Riccarton when it batted. Enthusiastic bowling and fielding enabled Riccarton to get four wickets and end the day in command. FEAST OF RUNS

Sydenham, sent in to bat by the East-Shirley captain, Ray Jones, gratefully accepted the invitation by scoring its highest total of the season. A variable bounce on the Sydenham Park pitch did not unduly worry the Sydenham batsmen who went about the business of accumulating runs with good purpose. The opening stand between Wayne Higgins and Kevin Congdon, realised 96 in 90 minutes, although Congdon

should have been caught when on IX Higgins mixed sound defence with typical aggression and there were five fours « and two sixes in his 61, the ? team’s top score. Sydenham was ideally < Saeed at lunch, when 130 for io, and the runs came freely , in the afternoon as Peter Ken- . nedy and Ash Hart combmed - in a fourth-wicket stand of 88 2 in 72 minutes.

Kennedy compiled a chance- - less half-century, although he : was dropped soon after, and j Hart bluugeoned two sixes in. « his 43. Robbie Van Zanten was ' given a long spell in the , searing heat and, although he « was the most expensive, he attacked the batsmen and , worried them more than any * other East-Shirley bowler. Jones set about the Syden-. , ham bowling to good effect, ■> but found little support Although dropped when on 27 ; and 36, he batted attractively « for his 77, an innings which > included 14 fours and which . lasted under two hours. >

East-Shirley was soundly placed at 103 for three, but . three wickets fell for only two . runs, including the vital one of ■ Jones, and with East-Shirley 116 for six at stumps, Syden- t ham has the chance to force the follow-on. ;

Mike Dolden bowled very tightly and accurately for Sydenham and Bob Carter proved a good foil.