Canterbury side stays on its feet

Press, 9 January 1987, Page 28

Canterbury side stays on its feet

By

JOHN COFFEY

Wellington stayed comfortably ahead on points, but even a cricketing heavyweight with the punching power of Paul Allott could not achieve a knock-out victory over Canterbury when their Shell Trophy match ended at Lancaster Park yesterday.

Although the fast and fiery English professional, Allott, and his more subtle assistants almost had Canterbury reeling on the ropes, Wellington was eventually thwarted by the spirited resistance of Canterbury’s lower-order batsmen.

After trailing by 118 runs on the first innings, Canterbury resumed at 35 for one wicket yesterday morning. When the seventh wicket fell Canterbury was only 96 runs in credit, Wellington had use of the second new ball, and tea was still to be taken.

So effectively did Richard Hadlee, Barry Ward, Andrew Hintz and Stu Roberts block most of Wellington’s best blows, while also mounting their own counter-attacks, that Canterbury had reached 293 for nine when stumps were pulled at 5.30 p.m. The four remaining specialist batsmen — John Wright, David Boyle, Paul McEwan and Rod Latham — kept their opponents at bay for long periods, all the while whittling away at Wellington’s position of superiority.

McEwan, as ever, was aggressive, and his teammates were also in a positive mood. No-one managed to go on to a big total, however, and Wellington breached Canter-

bury’s defences with sufficient regularity to keep the prospect of 16 competition points in its sights.

Before lunch Wright was caught at slip from Evan Gray’s left-arm spin, and Boyle hit the first offspinner he received from Andrew Jones to Gray in the covers.

In the next period Jeremy Coney wafted a ball past McEwan’s legs to have him stumped by Ervin McSweeney, Gray swooped low to his left to accept a return catch from David Hartshorn, Latham suffered from a death wish and a catch at long-off when Jones floated one up to him, and Allott was finally rewarded by having

Vaughan Brown caught behind.

Allott’s workload had been increased when young Jonathan Millmow managed just two deliveries before limping from the field. Allott, intent on making someone suffer for his enforced overtime and with a brisk southerly at his back, injected a nasty nature into an otherwise benign pitch.

Approaching from around the wicket and angling across the batsmen, Allott gave McEwan a particularly torrid time with the lift he wrenched from the turf. But the ball with which he bowled Hadlee hardly left the ground.

It was Hadlee who showed the way to the recent recruits, Ward, Hintz and Roberts. Hadlee capitalised on Allott’s shortish deliveries and drop-kicked a ball from Gray over long-on for six as he personally added 25 runs in 12 minutes after tea.

Ward also displayed considerable spirit, crisply stroking three fours from Allott before becoming that bowler’s third victim when a Wellington victory was still a possibility. Hintz, courageous in ignoring a painful blow to his left forearm from Allott before he had scored, and Roberts had other ideas.

During the next 33 minutes they skilfully col-

lected 29 runs and deprived Wellington of its last lingering hopes. Allott’s. double shift at the salt mines had lasted from 3.20 p.m. until 5.15 p.m., broken only by the tea adjournment. There was insufficient encouragement in the pitch for the slower bowlers to more than prey on impatience. Coney even offered a couple of “donkey-drops” to Hintz and, as if to recognise his impending receipt of the “man of the match” award, Brace Edgar served up the final over.

Scoreboard.— CANTERBURY First innings 265 Second innings J. G. Wright c Allott b Gray 30 A. Nathu c Coney b Chatfield 0 D. J. Boyle c Gray b Jones 42 P. E. McEwan std McSweeney b Coney ...... 64 R. T. Latham c Ritchie b Jones 59 D. J. Hartshorn c and b Gray 2 V. R. Brown c McSweeney b Allott 3 R. J. Hadlee b Allott. ... 33 B. J. Ward c McSweeney b Allott 17 A. J. Hintz not out 20 S. J. Roberts not out. ... 12 Extras (b 6 lbs) 11 Total (for 9 wkts) 293 Fall: 4, 62, 111, 166, 195, 207, 212, 257, 264. Bowling.— J. P. Millmow 3.2, O, 13, 0; E. J. Chatfield 23, 8, 49, 1; P. J. Allott 28.4, 7. 77, 3; E. J. Gray 35, 15, 63, 2; J. V. Coney 7, 1, 32, 1: A. H. Jones 17, 4, 42, 2: B. A. Edgar 1,0, 6, 0. WELLINGTON First innings 387/7 dec. Umpires: B. L. Aldridge and P. F. Carrick.