Otago scores supreme first win

Press, 17 January 1989, Page 38

Otago scores supreme first win

PA Alexandra Stephen Boock bowled himself to the brink of exhaustion and Neil Mallender produced one of the finest performances of his career as Otago beat Central Districts by an innings and three runs in the Shell Trophy cricket match at Molyneux Park yesterday.

The Central middle and lower-order batsmen provided prolonged and stubborn resistance on a day of searing heat but their fight ended at 5.20 p.m. when Boock had Terry McKenna caught behind by a jubilant Ken McKnight. It was Otago’s first trophy win.

Boock and Mallender claimed 19 of the wickets to fall to the Otago bowlers, Mallender taking 10 wickets in a match for the second time. He finished with a

match analysis of 10 for 107 from 44 overs and Boock with nine for 126 from a phenomenal 98:5 overs.

The 37-year-old former test left arm spinner bowler was unchanged yesterday — apart from one over to change ends — as the sun blazed and temperatures reached the mid-thirties. If he lacked match practice before the Shell Trophy he more than made up for it on Sunday and yesterday. Only five players in history have sent down more than the 67.5 overs Boock delivered in Central’s second innings. It was Mallender who broke the back of the Central • second innings yesterday and set Otago on the path to victory.

His first seven overs brought the prize wickets of Scott Briasco, Mark

Greatbatch and Martin Crowe and, when Central lost its fifth wicket at 63 at 11.45 a.m., it seemed the game could be over before lunch. Briasco was lbw shuffling half forward, Greatbatch chased a delivery he had no need to play, and gave a catch to McKnight, and Crowe played over a full-length delivery and was bowled middle and leg stumps.

It was a rare double failure for New Zealand’s leading batsman — just eight runs from two innings — but at no time did he display the assurance in his batting evident when he made 125 on the same ground against the same team two weeks ago. Mark Douglas was stumped when he went down the pitch to John Lindsay and John Smith’s

dedicated innings of 29 in 153 minutes and 134 balls ended when he gave a catch to slip. There was some tenacious and dedicated batting from Tony Blain, Stuart Duff, Gary Robertson and Greg Logan which threatened as time moved on to deprive Otago of outright points. Duff and Blain added 93 in 114 minutes before Mallender produced a magnificent delivery with the second new ball to knock back Blain’s offstump. Blain had made his 80 runs in 120 minutes from 141 balls with 10 boundaries — a fine innings considering the state of the match. Duffs vigil of 153 minutes and 157 balls ended when he was adjudged lbw pushing half toward to Boock.

OTAGO First innings 404 for 6 dec. CENTRAL DISTRICTS First innings 156 Second innings S. Briasco lbw b Mallender 16 J. Smith c Rutherford b Boock 29 M. Greatbatch c Mcknight b Mallender 2 M. Crowe b Mallender. . . 3 M. Douglas std McKnight b Lindsay 5 T. Blain b Mallender. ... 80 S. Duff lbw b Boock .... 21 G. Robertson b Boock ... 52 K. O’Dowda lbw b Mallender 0 G. Logan not out 19 T. McKenna c McKnight b Boock 2 Extras (b 5 lb 7, nb4)... . 16 Total .....; 245 Fall: 37, 39, 50, 61, 63, 156, 180, 181, 239. Bowling.—N. Mallender 29, 5, 69, 5 (nb3); S. Boock 67.5, 31, 75, 4; V. Johnson 3,0, 4, 0 (nbl); J. Lindsay 34, 8, 74; 1; B. Blair 1,0, 5,0; T. Wilson 3, 1.6.0. • Otago won by an innings and 3 runs. "■ Man of the match: N. Mallender (Otago). - Umpires: D. Cummings and R; McHarg. .