Webb, Kelly fashion fine 160 partnership

Press, 30 January 1986, Page 36

Webb, Kelly fashion fine 160 partnership

PA Auckland Peter Webb has had his critics for playing too far down the Auckland batting order, but yesterday he and the wicket-keeper, Paul Kelly, fashioned a superb reply. Both bespectacled batsmen scored 84 after a splendid 160-run stand for the sixth wicket in the Shell Trophy match against Canterbury. Auckland was 114 for five when Webb and Kelly came together. “I am aware of the critics, but having so many young guys in the team this year makes a bit of difference,” said Webb after his fine innings, which included 12 fours.

“We have Trevor Franklin at the top of the order, Dipak Patel going in at No. 4, and I think we need someone with a bit of experience going in at six.”

Webb, aged 28, says that playing at No. 6 probably damages any chance

he has of returning to international cricket. He has scored 265 runs at an average of 66.25 this season and is a far cry from the dash-and-smash young man who first won his international spurs. When Webb and Kelly arrived at the crease Canterbury’s captain, Vaughan Brown, was showing why he was chosen for New Zealand — in one of the recent tests against Australia —- bowling his off-spinners with masterly control. Brown found a great deal of turn, dug them in flat into a stiff breeze and bothered all the batsmen. Only Trevor Franklin, whose 51 underlined his recent excellent form, got out from under the bowlers’ thumbs, and it was a surprise when Sean Tracy, who bowled much too short, had him out leg before.

Auckland, after declaring at 292, could have taken two Canterbury wickets, Kelly and the

first slip, Derek Scott, put down catches off Anup Nathu. AUCKLAND First innings P. Horne lbw b Thiele . 1 D. Scott c Kennedy b Thiele 27 T. Franklin lbw b Tracy 51 D. Patel c MacDonald b Brown 2 M. Greatbatch c Nathu b Brown 12 P. Webb b Brown .... 84 P. Kelly c McEwan b Brown 84 G. Troup not out 8 D. Momson not out .. . 5 .nExtras (blO, lb 8). ... 18 Total (for 7 wkts dec.) 292 Fall: 1, 69, 80, 88, 14, 274, 280. Bowling.— S. Tracy 16, 3, 64, 1; C. Thiele 22, 7, 49, 2; S. McNally 13, 6, 27, 0; V. Brown 30, 12, 46, 4; D. Stead 9,2, 30, 0; G. MacDonald 8,1, 29, 0; P. McEwan, 8,3, 29, 0. CANTERBURY First innings D. Boyle b Patel 0 A. Nathu not out 7 P. McEwan not out . . . 5 Total (for 1 wkt) 12

Bowling.— D. Patel 5,2, 9, 1; G. Troup 4,2, 3,0; M. Bradley 1,1, 0, 0.