Outstanding young batsman faces bleak six weeks

Press, 4 February 1987, Page 72

Outstanding young batsman faces bleak six weeks

By

JOHN COFFEY

A serious injury to the outstanding young Canterbury opening batsman, Blair Hartland, made miserable an already unrewarding afternoon of Shell Trophy cricket at Dudley Park, Rangiora, yesterday.

Neither Auckland nor Canterbury appeared likely to claim the 12 win points after the home side had been set to score 329 runs in 66 overs, and Hartland faces a bleak six weeks with his left arm in plaster. Hartland’s wrist was broken by a ball from Danny Morrison when he had scored just three runs. Having received treatment, Hartland bravely attempted to carry on. He defended one delivery, then staggered away from the pitch in obvious pain after cutting the next for four.

The injury will cause Hartland to not only miss the final trophy round,

but will also cost him the vice-captaincy of the New Zealand team to play Australia in an international youth limited-over and four-day series. Justin Boyle, a former Wellington representative, has been promoted from the Canterbury B side for the game against Central Districts at New Plymouth, starting tomorrow. It will be his first fixture as a team-mate of his younger brother, David. For Auckland, Phil Horne had the pleasure of his second century of the summer and Dipak Patel unveiled an impressive array of strokes in racing through to 70 from 64 balls. But Morrison had most

reason, to celebrate. He kept flogging some life from an unwilling pitch right to the last over, and it was his eight wickets in the match, not sentiment, which earned him the “man of the match” award on his twenty-first birthday. AUCKLAND First innings 323 Second innings R. B. Reid lbw b Roberts. 5 P. A. Horne not out ... . 119 P. N. Webb c Ward b Roberts 44 D. N. Patel c Latham b Farrant 70 J. J. Crowe not out 10 Extras (lbB, nbl) 9 Total (for 3 wkts dec.) . . 257 Fall: 5, 89, 210.

Bowling.— R. J. Hadlee 13, 4, 16, 0; S. J. Roberts 17, 3, 64, 2 (nbl); V. R. E.-own 24, 8, 76, 0; D. J. Hartshorn 3,0, 13, 0; R. T.

Latham 4,0, 25, 0; D. G. Farrant 11, 0, 55, 1. CANTERBURY First innings 252 Second innings B. R. Hartland run out . . 7 J. G. Wright c Hunt b Morrison 0 P. E. McEwan c Reid b Bracewell 41 D. J. Boyle c Kelly b Bracewell 29 D. J. Hartshorn c Reid b Snedden 1 V. R. Brown c Kelly b Bracewell 66 R. T. Latham c Hunt b Bracewell 18 D. G. Farrant not out .. . 6 R. J. Hadlee not out... . 0 Extras (lbs, nb6) 11 Total (for 6 wkts) 179 Fall: 2, 70, 71, 108, 147, 179. Bowling.— D. K. Morrison 19, 5, 59, 1 (nb3); M. C. Snedden 15, 2, 48, 1 (nb3); J. G. Bracewell 25, 9, 53, 4; P. A. Horne 3,0, 10, 0; D. N. Patel 4,1, 4, 0. Umpires: P. F. Carrick and R. L. McHarg.