Otago spinners carry day

Press, 9 January 1987, Page 28

Otago spinners carry day

PA Auckland The new Otago spin twins, Stephen Boock and John Lindsay, carried their side to a comfortable 66-run win over Auckland in the Shell Trophy cricket match at Eden Park No. 2 yesterday.

Auckland started the day needing 275 to win from at least 122 overs on a worn pitch and with heavy clouds being swept along by a gusty wind. However, the rain stayed away and the Otago spinners were quickly on to attack with Boock having Derek Scott leg before wicket in his first over with the total at 25.

Richard Reid had another brief innings before hitting a return catch to Lindsay. This brought together Auckland’s two main hopes, Phil Home,

the opener batting with a broken finger, and the experienced Dipak Patel. Home seemed in agony with his finger injury and frequently escaped with risky strokes, plus two edges to John Wilson’s bowling in one over that the wicketkeeper, Warren Lees, could not hold.

Patel seemed to have lifted the siege when he hit Lindsay for two fours in one over, but he soon went to the same bowler, squeezing a catch to Neil Mallender around the corner.

Horne reached his 50 from 90 balls, which included seven fours. Auckland hearts lifted a little when Jeff Crowe, badly out of form before this innings, began to hit Lindsay to the fence. But the Otago spinner

kept plugging away and, after his 132-minute battle, Home went to Lindsay, bowled when trying to sweep. The wicket fell at 113 for four and five runs later Crowe was gone, smartly caught by Stuart McCullum at short leg. Auckland battled through to lunch at 119 for five, but then Peter Webb and John Bracewell produced a defiant rally. It required Mallender to come back to have Bracewell play on at 163 for six.

Martin Snedden and Paul Kelly went in one Boock over with the total at 183 and Boock’s faster ball finished Gary Troup at 193 for nine.

Auckland just had time to celebrate Webb’s solid 50 from 104 balls when, at 3.27 p.m., Boock secured

the victory by bowling Danny Morrison. Scoreboard. — OTAGO First innings 218 Second innings 213 AUCKLAND First innings 157 Second innings P. A. Home b Lindsay . . 62 D. G. Scott lbw b Boock. 13 R. B. Reid c and b Lindsay 3 D. N. Patel c Mallender, b Lindsay 10 J. J. Crowe c McCullum, b Lindsay 25 P. N. Webb not out ... . 53 J. G. Bracewell b Mallender 16 M. C. Snedden c and b Boock 3 P. J. Kelly c Lindsay b Boock 0 G. B. Troup b Boock. ... 4 D. Morrison b Boock. ... 5 Extras (b 9 lb 4, wl) .... 14 Total 208 Fall: 25, 42, 74, 113, 118, 163, 183, 183, 193, 208. Bowling.—N. A. Mallender 13, 3, 17, 1; T. J. Wilson 17, 5, 43, 0 (wl); S. L. Boock 24.1, 7, 64, 5; J. K. Lindsay 20, 5, 71, 4.