Canty taken to two-wicket win over Otago

Press, 20 November 1989, Page 34

Canty taken to two-wicket win over Otago

Special correspondent Richard Petrie arrested a batting collapse by Canterbury to steer his side to a two-wicket win over Otago, in the limitedovers cricket match at Centennial Park, Oamaru, yesterday. Canterbury’s win appeared a formality after Otago had been dismissed for a meagre 138, and Canterbury cruised to 80 for one wicket.

But then Stephen Boock, Aaron Gale, Ken Rutherford and Vaughn Johnson all struck vital blows and Canterbury slumped to 119 for eight to leave the game in the balance. But Petrie settled the issue quickly and decisively, with the normally swashbuckling Chris Flanagan an admiring but quiet partner.

Petrie scored an unbeaten 19 off just nine balls in 12 minutes before the players raced from the field to escape the chill and the rain which has been threatening for much of the day.

But Otago had its chance. When Petrie was nine and the total 131, he swung a ball from Johnson high to the mid-wicket boundary but Richard Hoskin, normally among the safest of fieldsmen, dropped a swirling skier. That would have left Canterbury with eight runs to win and the last man in, but Petrie profited from the mistake. He swung the next ball from Johnson backward of square for four, and struck Peter Hills magnificently for four through extra cover to win the game with 3.3 overs to spare. Canterbury gained a useful advantage by winning the toss and fielding first on a pitch on which the ball did not come on with any pace. Otago lacked a major partnership — the best was 29 for the third wicket between Kevin Burns and Ken Rutherford — and the innings fell away after Otago had reached 101 for four at the end of 30 overs.

Rutherford played the most accomplished innings of the day and he made 41 off 66 balls (three fours) before he top-edged a sweep from Mark Priest and was caught by Paul McEwan at square leg. Rutherford played some elegant drives, square cut Chris Harris, lofted Priest to long-on, and conveyed the air of the batsman in form.

But the wickets continued to fall regularly and, after Priest had bowled two consecutive maidens, Rutherford was dimissed trying to lift the tempo. Burns took little time to settle but then struck some powerful blows and he made 27 off 41 balls (three fours) before he was bowled trying to chop Priest backward of point. That was about the sum total of the effective Otago batting, although Shane Robinson batted tidily for 13 off 39 balls before he had his stumps knocked back by Stu Roberts to be ninth out.

Roberts had a quite remarkable second spell to claim four wickets for three runs off 2.5 overs. He bowled two batsmen, and had two lbws as, with the very strong wind at his back, he bowled with genuine pace. CANTERBURY

B. R. Hartland lbw b Boock 35 D. J. Murray c Austen b Gale 13 P. G. Kennedy c Blair b Boock 38 P. E. McEwan b Gale... 2 R. T. Latham c Robinson b Rutherford 7 C. Z. Harris c Bligh b Rutherford 1 M. W. Priest c Rutherford b Johnson 6 L. K. Germon lbw b Johnson 9 C. W. Flanagan not out . . 4 B. G. Petrie not out ... . 19 Extras (b 5 lb2) 8 Total (for 8 wkts) 142 Fall: 29, 80, 89, 97, 101, 102, 119, 119. Bowling.—P. W. Hills, 8.3, 2, 24, 0; V. F. Johnson, 7,2, 33, 2; (wl), K. R. Rutherford, 6,2, 13, 2; (wl), A. J. Gale, 10, 2, 29, 2; S. L. Boock, 10, 3, 19, 2; M.

Austen, 5,0, 18, 0. OTAGO M. Austen lbw b Flanagan 26 B. R. Blair run out 6 K. J. Bums b Priest .... 27 K. . R. Rutherford c McEwan b Priest ... 41 R. N. Heskin c McEwan b Harris 4 A. W. Bligh lbw b Priest . 5 S. A. Robinson b Roberts. 13 A. J. Gale b Roberts. ... '4 P. W. Hills lbw b Roberts 0 S. L. Boock not out 3 V. F. Johnson lbw b Roberts 0 Extras (lb 7 wl, nbl). ... 9 Total 138 Fall: 25, 60, 69, 88, 103, 118, 129, 129, 136. Bowling.—C. W. Flanagan, 10, 1, 24, 1; S. J. Roberts, 7.5, 0, 24, 4; R. G. Petrie, 8,1, 31, 0; M. W. Priest, 10, 2, 19, 3; C. Z. Harris, 10, 1, 33, 1.