Serious side to McEwan’s benefit game

Press, 17 December 1988, Page 88

Serious side to McEwan’s benefit game

By

JOHN COFFEY

While the match with Auckland at Elmwood Park tomorrow is a celebration of Paul McEwan’s service to Canterbury cricket it does have serious undertones for the home side. Canterbury, fielding its Shell Cup side apart from the absent John Wright, simply cannot afford to perform badly against an Auckland combination soon to be bolstered by five New Zealand representatives. In three previous warmup games Canterbury has lost to Central Districts and Wellington before salvaging some pride by narrowly beating the cup holder, Otago, at Burwood Park last Sunday. Last summer Canterbury carried out

a most impressive preparation only to fail when the representative programme began in earnest. It was last in the cup competition after a countback. One of Canterbury's two successes was at Auckland’s expense, by the emphatic margin of 10 wickets at Lancaster Park. Andrew Hintz, Chris Flanagan and Michael Holding combined to dismiss Auckland for 119, and David Dempsey dominated an unbroken first-wicket partnership with David Boyle. Once again, Auckland has suffered far more than Canterbury in terms of New Zealand team commitments. Five Auckland players, Bill Fowler, Steve Brown, Paul Kelly, Richard de

Groen and lan Fisher, have not been retained for the Shell Cup series which begins on December 27. They have been replaced by John Bracewell, Martin Snedden, lan Smith, Willie Watson and Danny Morrison. Auckland’s sixth member of the New Zealand team in India, Trevor Franklin, has been rested until the Shell Trophy. Auckland will instead rely on the aggressive Phil Horne and frequently violent Richard Reid to give its innings a rolling start. Horne and Reid tomorrow set the tempo for two other internationals, Jeff Crowe and Dipak Patel, the highly promising Martin Pringle, and Derek Scott, the holder of Auckland’s record

limited-over highest score of 140. It would surprise then, if Auckland, is not able to muster a sizeable total at Elmwood Park. In theory, Canterbury should be just as prolific against a province which has four of its frontline bowlers toiling on the Indian subcontinent. But Canterbury’s batting has not always bloomed in recent summers Many of those charged with the runscoring are very much on trial, and there is still the need to decide who will open with Wright. Even the two most experienced Canterbury players come under special scrutiny. Rod Latham might ponder upon

cricket’s contrasting fortunes as he leads the team out for the first time since his appointment as Canterburycaptain. Only 12 months ago he was relegated to the provincial second XI. But the individual spotlight will focus most on McEwan, whose day tomorrow is designed to be. Teams. — Canterbury: Rod Latham (captain), David Boyle, Blair Hartland, Paul McEwan, Peter Kennedy, Chris Flanagan, Mark Priest, Richard Petrie, Paul Winter, Andrew Nuttall, Stu Roberts. Auckland: Jeff Crowe (captain), Phil Horne, Richard Reid, Dipak Patel, Martin Pringle, Derek Scott, Steve Brown, Bill Fowler, Peter Kelly, Stu Gillespie, Richard de Groen, lan Fisher.