RUNS IN THE HEAT

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 80, 29 December 1930, Page 10

RUNS IN THE HEAT

Auckland Does Well CANTERBURY’S TASK Weir’s First-class Batting By Telegraph—Press Association. Christchurch, December 27 In sweltering heat the Auckland team knocked up the huge score of 537 runs in their second innings of the Plunket Shield match. The edge was off the Canterbury attack—a long day in the field in a blazing sun and scorching breeze 1 telling its cruel tale. Canterbury is left with the big task of scoring 474 in the fourth innings to win. They scored 22 for no wickets before stumps were drawn for the day. Weir’s innings to-day gave abundant evidence that he is in the first flight of New Zealand batsmen. For soundness and correctness and all-round excellence of scoring strokes his innings would challenge comparison. His batting was throughout 1 singularly free from incorrect strokes. Few better innings have ever been seen at Lancaster Park. Vivian’s innings was of such all-round excellence as to mark him as a batting prodigy, for he is only 17. His defence was not so sound as Weir’s, but he showed a splendid equipment of 'scoring strokes. He will soon take a leading place among New Zealand batsmen. Allcott in scoring his 81 played soundly and confidently. The surprise-packet of the Auckland team was Mathieson. During his urot few overs he gave the impression of being a typical tail-ender, but he. rapidly improved and when fairly into his stride he played the bowling thoroughly well. Bowling Never Collared. . - The Canterbury bowlers stuck heroically to their task, which was a cruelly severe one. The bowling was never really collared. Talbot seemed to trouble the batsmen most, and always appeared most likely to get wickets. Lester was erratic in length. Merritt was a comparative failure. He probably bowled as well as usual, , but he relies • usually on the batsmen being tempted to get themselves out. The Aucklanders were not of this class.. They played him perfectly, taking no risks at all. Burrows was the steadiest and most accurate of all the bowlers, but never. looked like getting wickets, and it was indeed °my at the tail end of the innings that he did get a wicket. The scores are as follow: — AUCKLAND. First innings •.■v; 16t Second Innings. J. Ef. Mills, b. Cromib A. Postles. c. Dorreen, b. Lester « H. G. Vivian, b. Lester si G. L. Weir. b. Roberts H. D. Gillespie, b. Talbot W A. F. Wensley. 1.b.w., b. Cromib C. W. Allcott. b. Merritt A. W. McCoy, b. Talbot A. M. Mathieson. not out ™ D. Cleverley, c. Dorreen, b. Burrows . 4 H. Hunt, c. Dorreen. b. Burrows .... 0 Extras ™ Total * • ”73 Bowling Analysis.—R. O. two wickets for 70 runs, J. ® u .9 r 7 °. W q’ two for 80; W; E. Merritt, one G. Lester, two for 73; I. ?lobfI6;.M. L. Page, none for 44, A W. RooertV one for NTBKBX j ßy> First Innings 229 Second Innings. „ J. L. Kerr, not out J. M. Hamilton, not out “ Extras _ Total for no wickets •••• 23