Patel ton fails to stop Canterbury

Press, 13 January 1987, Page 36

Patel ton fails to stop Canterbury

PA Auckland Canterbury withstood a dashing 102 by Dipak Patel to prevail over Auckland in a nail-biting finish to their Shell Trophy cricket match at Eden Park yesterday.

Auckland, starting the day at six for one wicket and needing another 224 for victory, was finally out for 217, giving Canterbury victory by 12 runs. It took Canterbury 40 minutes at the start of the day to remove the nightwatchman, Danny Morrison, and from that point onward the balance of the game changed.

Derek Scott went to a questionable umpiring decision, and just before lunch Canterbury removed Jeff Crowe, who was beginning to look dangerous. Auckland by then was 84 for four and then 96 for five as David Hartshorn began to get the Aucklanders in a tangle with his legspin. The game seemed to have gone completely towards Canterbury when Hartshorn bowled Peter Webb at 123 for six.

However, Patel, ; who had just reached his 50 from 112 balls with a brace of fours, then started a counter-attack which had a six from the off-spin of Vaughan . Brown, sailing over midWickfet Canterbury struck back with John Bracewell’s wicket, splendidly caught by Richard Hadlee at deep backward square, at . 138 for seven. Then Patel really hit out. Hartshorn had hadthe batsmen so tied down he had three wickets for eight runs from 13 overs.

Patel replied with two fours, and 11 from a Hartshorn over.

A swept four at Brown was followed by two more fours from Hartshorn. By the time Gillespie had scored his first single

their partnership was worth 33. Another four from Hartshorn took Patel to 99. A single completed his century. While Patel’s first 50 had taken 112 balls, his second took only 46 balls, and Auckland’s winning chance improved as Stuart Roberts dropped Gillespie in the deep. However, with his score at 102, Patel lofted Brown and this time Roberts took a fine catch low down. At 193 for eight Auckland still had a chance, with Gillespie hitting out strongly. When Hadlee returned with the new ball, Gillespie clipped him for four, while Paul Kelly gave two very difficult chances in Hadlee’s' first over.

But Hadlee was not to be denied, and Kelly was lbw at 214 for nine.

Hartshorn puttee final nail in the Auckland coffin when Troup tried for a big hit and Roberts held the catch just inside the mid-wicket boundary. So Canterbury won a match that had had sev-

era! remarkable changes of fortune.

And it had a remarkable end, with Gillespie, who took just one wicket but had a batting double of 73 and 26 not out, named man of the match, ahead of the centurymaker Patel, and Bracewell, who had two fivewicket bags. CANTERBURY First innings 186 Second innings 197 •AUCKLAND First innings 154 Second innings R. MacKinlay lbw Hadlee. 4 D. Scott c Latham b Brown 17 D. Morrison c Ward b Roberts. . . 3 D. Patel c Roberts b Brown 102 J. Crowe c Ward b Hartshorn 22 A. Hunt c Ward b Hartshorn 7 P. Webb b Hartshorn. .. . 11 J. Bracewell c Hadlee b Brown 2 S. Gillespie not out 26 P. Kelly lbw b Hadlee. . . 6 G. Troup c Roberts b Hartshorn -3Extras (5b,. 71b. 2nb).... 14 Total 217 Fall: 6. 14, 39, 84, 96, 123, 138, 193, 214, 217. Bowling: R. J. Hadlee 19, 7, 29, 2 (Inb), V. R. Brown 25, 7, 73, 3, A. J. Nuttail 18, 6, 35, 0, S. J. Roberts 8,,1, 23,1 (Inb), D. J. Hartshorn 21.2, 10, 45, 4.