Latham leads Canterbury to victory

Press, 19 December 1988, Page 40

Latham leads Canterbury to victory

By

JOHN COFFEY

Paul McEwan’s bank balance, Rod Latham’s batting average, and confidence in the Canterbury cricket team ail received a boost at Elmwood Park yesterday.

A spectacular century by Latham in his first appearance since being appointed Canterbury captain carried his side through to a five-wicket win over Auckland with plenty of overs to spare. The match lived up to its billing as a highlight of McEwan’s benefit season. An attendance of about 3500 exceeded those recorded at limited-over fixtures in Christchurch in recent years. McEwan took his place in the Canterbury side in spite of having stitches inserted in his left hand, an injury suffered while fielding in club cricket the previous day. His innings lasted just 17 deliveries, but four of those were sent scudding across the boundary lines in typically forthright fashion. It was Latham, though, who reduced Auckland’s seemingly satisfactory total of 202 for seven wickets to Lilliputian size. Canterbury was 33 for two when Latham made his entiy. He was quickly into stride and never lost his momentum, so much so that Latham contributed 103 runs to a 128run partnership with Blair Hartland.

Two of Auckland’s medium-pacers, Steve Brown and lan Fisher, suffered the indignity of having fours taken from three consecutive balls. There were 10 fours in Latham’s half-century, 14 — plus sixes off Dipak Patel and Brown — when he reached three figures from just 86 deliveries in 85 minutes. There was precious

little the Auckland captain, Jeff Crowe, and his bowlers could do to stem the run-rate as Latham imperiously drove the ball through extra cover, or lay back to fiercely cut or hook.

Meanwhile, Hartland grew in stature at the other end and it was unfortunate he needlessly threw his wicket away with victory in sight. Peter Kennedy, having plundered 16 runs from an over by Patel, could also have kicked himself for skying a full toss and providing Richard Reid with one of his most memorable moments in cricket.

Latham was a logical “man of the match,” but Canterbury could derive considerable encouragement from the efforts of its fastest bowler, Stu Roberts, and the left-arm spinners, Andrew Nuttall and Mark Priest.

The disconcerting bounce and sharp spin obtained by Nuttail troubled all of the Aucklanders and gave him a remarkable analysis, of the kind he is accustomed to returning at club and second XI levels. Only eight scoring shots were extracted from him.

Priest was hardly any more expensive, while Roberts was fast and straight in an opening spell of six overs which cost just 13 runs.

None of the Auckland batsmen was able to wrest more than temporary ascendancy. Patel was the most impressive and was stroking the ball fluently until run out by a smart

pick up and throw by David Boyle. Crowe also enjoyed valuable match practice, and Steve Brown and Stu Gillespie added 59 runs for the seventh wicket.

Canterbury’s fielding was uniformly efficient and Paul Winter, behind the stumps, could be content with his effort even if one kicking delivery from Nuttall cost him a stumping. Martin Pringle, of Auckland, was later to make a series of scoring saves on the boundary to be “fielder of the match.” Scoreboard.— AUCKLAND P. A. Horne lbw b Roberts . 6 R. B. Reid c Winter b Chamberlain 18 D. G. Scott c Winter b Nuttall 21 D. N. Patel run out 30 T. T. Crowe c Latham b Petrie 32 M. R. Pringle std Winter b Priest 14 S. W. Brown b Roberts . . 35 S. R. Gillespie not out. . . 27 Extras (b2, IblO, w5, nb2) 19 Total (for 7 wkts) 202 Bowling.—M. C. Chamberlain 10, 1, 53, 1; S. J. Roberts 10, 1, 39, 2; A. J. Nuttall 10, 5, 17, 1; R. G. Petrie 10, 1, 56, 1; M. W. Priest 10, 1, 25, 1. CANTERBURY B. R. Hartland c de Groen b Patel. . . 42 D. J. Boyle lbw b Gillespie. 0 P. E. McEwan c Crowe b Brown 19 R. J. Latham b Patel ... 103 P. G. Kennedy c Patel b Reid 25 M. W. Priest not out... . 5 R. G. Petrie not out ... . 6 Extras (lb2, w2, nbl). ... 5 Total (for 5 wkts) 205 Bowling.—R. P. de Groen, 7, 1, 20, 0; S. R. Gillespie 9,2, 32, 1; S. W. Brown 9,0, 40, 1; I. D. Fisher 4,0, 29, 0; D. W. Patel 8, 0, 52, 2; D. G. Scott 5,1, 22, 0; R. B. Reid 1,0, 2,1; P. A. Horne 0.1, 0,6, 0. Umpires: B. L. Aldridge and R. L. McHarg.