Well deserved one-day win to Wellington

Press, 16 December 1985, Page 44

Well deserved one-day win to Wellington

By

DAVID LEGGAT

Wellington had just four balls remaining when it achieved the victory it deserved against Canterbury in the annual one-day representative cricket match at Burnside Park yesterday.

While Canterbury deserved credit for stretching the match right down to the one hundredth over with some tidy bowling and excellent fielding, self inflicted wounds earlier in the day cost it dearly. Chasing 181 for the win, Wellington lost five wickets before Andrew Jones speared a ball from Sean Tracy through where second slip’s head would have been —had there been one — to the boundary as the rain drizzled down.

Three run-outs among the

first six batsmen — two from direct hits — had Canterbury tottering at 100 for five with just 20 overs remaining. Having been sent in, Canterbury got off to an excellent start, with its captain, John Wright, and Anup Nathu, sharing an entertaining, sensible stand of 77 for the first wicket. The pitch offered bounce and movement to the faster bowlers all day and while Wellington’s English import, Paul Allott, impressed with a sharp turn of pace and a good line, especially in his second spell, Canterbury undeniably had the better of the first hour. Wright was particularly strong on the leg side, flicking Wayne Aberhart over the square leg boundary, bringing a moment of anxiety to the spectators in front of the beer tent, and worked the ball efficiently into space. Nathu impressed with his willingness to loft the ball and drove firmly. He despatched Allott over mid off, then elegantly through mid-on for boundaries off successive balls.

Canterbury’s problems began in the twentieth over. Nathu, running to the bowler’s end, was beaten by

a fine throw from short third man by Gavin Larsen; and Wright departed on the next ball, caught on the square leg boundary. Five balls later, Paul McEwan flicked David Molony, an . 18-year-old medium pacer, to backward square leg. Rod Latham looked impressive, cracking Evan Gray through cover point twice in an over, before pushing a ball from Larsen to short cover. He was late setting off for the run and was beaten by Gray’s direct throw.

That lesson was clearly not absorbed shortly after. Peter Kennedy failed to get home when Vaughan Brown pushed a ball to short midwicket. Canterbury clearly had to shorten its sights and Brown combined with David Stead in a valuable, if unspectacular, 52-run partnership. Had Stead been caught on one, the ball bouncing just in front of the fieldsman on the mid-wicket boundary, the Canterbury scoreboard would have worn a truly ragged look. It was hard work for the two left-handers. Gray’s economical left-arm spin conceded just six runs in his last five overs, and when Brown holed out at midwicket, only six overs remained. Richard Hadlee, shackled by some tight bowling, and Ash Hart went in the 49th over, leaving Wellington satisfied with the first half of its job well done. In sharp contrast to Canterbury’s middle order, Wellington exhibited a solid

approach to the task. Justin

Boyle impressed with his technique and determination. He was clearly happy to hit the ball in the air,

putting Brown over backward square leg, before holing out on the wide mid-on boundary, Kennedy taking a good catch.

Robert Vance and Evan Gray continued in the same vein and while the required run rate crept up to a shade under six an over, Wellington had wickets in hand. Vance was caught at long off, trying to repeat the six he hit to the same position two overs earlier, at 113 with 12 overs left.

Andrew Jones proved the right man for the situation. His driving was strong and stylish, and Gray followed the lead by taking 10 runs off Craig Thiele’s ninth over. When Jones hit Hadlee, who worked up good speed, over mid-off, 38 was needed off seven overs.

Stead dropped Jones off Hadlee at backward point, and just when Wellington’s target was looking a shade difficult, the batsmen picked up 10 off Tracy, leaving 20 to get off four overs. Hadlee then set up a fascinating climax by removing Gray and Ervin McSweeney in his last over. Jones and Tim Ritchie then picked 14 runs from the next two overs, leaving four to get from the final over.

The crowd, of between 2000-2500, got the last over finish they wanted, if not the right result, and Canterbury got the shakedown it needed before the more important events of the firstclass season.