Vance hits century

Press, 15 January 1986, Page 56

Vance hits century

PA Wellington Wellington’s cricket captain, Robert Vance, took particular pleasure from his 114 in the Shell Trophy match against Canterbury at the Hutt Recreation Ground yesterday. In the corresponding match last year at the Basin Reserve, Vance was dismissed leg before wicket for 99. Yesterday’s century was his third in first class cricket and matched his previous best. Wellington, after winning the toss and looking in a decidedly healthy position for two sessions, suddenly fell apart in the last and were all out shortly after 5 p.m. for 278. After 72 minutes batting, Canterbury was 39 for one in reply after 20 overs. Vance, who made his debut for Wellington in the 1976-77 season, recently passed the milestone of 3000 runs in first class cricket, and but for him yesterday the Wellington innings might have tottered earlier than it did. He forged half-century partnerships with Evan Gray in 55 minutes from 102 balls and with Tim Ritchie in 60 minutes from 112 bails, and brought up his three figures in 222 minutes batting from 201 balls. Vance hit 15 fours and a six. He fought the vagaries of the sub-standard pitch with intense determination and concentration and went through the doldrums twice when the Canterbury war horse, Craig Thiele, produced penetrating spells with his down-wind medium-pace right-arm deliveries. Gray, Ritchie and Ross Ormiston all looked in good touch and early thoughts of a tally in excess of 300 were fully justified. Stephen McNally and Thiele took four wickets each, the latter bowling into the wind after his first spell with the strong northerly at his back. Vaughan Brown and Paul McEwan did the bulk of the up-wind bowling, with the captain, Brown, deciding against using his other spinners, David Stead and David Hartshorn. If only because of the awkard nature of the pitch, there seems every chance of one side taking outright points. Both captains agreed last night that the strip was doing so much, there was a lot of hard graft and care to be taken yet.

WELLINGTON First innings R. Ormiston c Hart b Thiele 31 J. Boyle c Hartshorn b . Tracy 3 R. Vance lbw b McNally. 114 E. Gray c Hart b Thiele. 44 A. Jones c Hartshorn b Thiele 10 T. Ritchie b Brown .... 41 G.Larsen lbw b McNally . 2 J. Milne b McNally .... 0 S. Maguiness not out .. . 19 F. Beyeler b McNally. . . 6 W. Aberhart c Hart b Thiele 4 Extras (lb2, nb2) 4 Total 278 Fall: 16, 60, 138, 174, 229, 237, 249, 249, 261, 278. Bowling—S. Tracy 14, 0, 51, 1; S. McNally 18, 4, 39, 4 (nbl); C. Thiele 26.5,7, 74, 4; V. Brown 23, 8, 63,1 (nbl), P. McEwan 13, 3, 49, 0. CANTERBURY First innings P. Kennedy lbw b Gray . 15 A. Nathu not out 19 A. Hart not out 1 Extras (lb2, nb2) 4 Total (for 1 wkt) 39 Fall: 33. Bowling.—F. Beyeler 7, 4,13, 0; W. Aberhart 6,1, 20, 0 (nb2); S. Maguiness 5,3, 4,0; E. Gray 2,2, 0, 1.