OTAGO IN LEAD

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 113, 6 February 1939, Page 11

OTAGO IN LEAD

First Innings Advantage Over Canterbury MATCH IN DUNEDIN By Telegraph—Press Association. DUNEDIN, February 5. After ending the first day in the promising position of having dismissed Otago for 266 and started in reply with 83 runs for no wickets, Canterbury were outplayed on the second day of the Plunket Shield match being played on the Carisbrook ground. The morning’s play was disastrous for the visitors. The first wicket fell ut 102, but five more batsmeu were out with only 24 runs added, and the List wicket fell ut 202, 64 runs beniud Otago’s first innings score. Otago batted for most of the afternoon and scored 146 for five wickets before bad light caused the abandonment of play for the day, 15 minutes before the scheduled time for the drawing of stumps. Considering that conditions gave the batsmen a good opportunity to score well throughout the day, the score sheets were not impressive. The weather was overcast, and there was light rain for some time during the luncheon adjournment, aud for a little time during play. The wicket ,was in good order, but the ram was sufficient to make the ouficld heavy. Play started with J. L. Kerr, ana k. W. Bellamy continuing Canterbury s innings, and they -brought 100 up for the first wicket by good cricket. Theu R. Silver and D. A. R. Moloney, last and slow bowlers respectively, took charge of the game aud for half an hour or so wickets fell at a rate that wow alarming to the visitors. K. C. Shand and U. C. Webb were associated in a partnership that added 43 runs for the seventh wicket, but Canterbury at no stage looked like recovering sufficiently to head Otago s to Kerr’s 73 was easily the best performance of the innings. He played strokes all round the -wicket like a good -batsman in top form, and he had bad luck in -’etting out to a brilliant catch off a harddriven ball. The Otago side was altogether more impressive m the field than it was on the first day. The bowling was handled with more appreciation of the value of variety in attack, and Silver and Moloney both bowled at their best They were responsible for the collapse which resulted through the dismissal of such good batsmen as M. F. Donnelly. R. E. J. Menzies, and I. B. Crom'b, for contributions of only J, 0, and 6 respectively. Both kept a good length, and .Moloney was turning the ball sufficiently to make all the batsmen play him carefully. He finished with four wickets for 53 rung in 18.6 overs, an excellent performance for a slow bow' er who is really not a stock bowler. Silver earned his three -wickets, and G, J. Robertson and V. J. Deader also bowled W Otago’s fielding was first-rate, and the catching good, nothing being missed, and very few runs being given away in the field. . Otago’s Second Innings.

Otago were given, a fair start in their second innings, A. R. .Knight some good cricket in scoring 41. He was going for his strokes confidently and hitting the ball crisply and some of his shots were delightful. _ , , It was not till Moloney and Robertson became associated, though, that the batsmen were in full charge of the game. Moloney immediately settled down to play most attractive cricket, producing a wide range of strokes with great freedom and taking full value from anything loose. The pair added 73 run? in an hour and of those Moloney had scored 51. Robertson was not always happy, but is not a free type of batsman. Both used their feet well to the slow bowlers and hit the ball as though they meant it, which was a welcome innovation m Otago cricket this season. V. G. Cavanagh s innings on the first day was the only other chapter of aggressiveness with which the side can be credited this season. Robertson was unfortunately run out in almost exactly the same way as Moloney was run out against Auckland when the same partnership was broken. Then two wickets fell quickly, C. J. Elmes scoring only 3 and G. 11. Mills, scorer of a century against Auckland, getting a “pair” for the match. Moloney finished the day with 53 not out to add to Ins valuable bowling performance and the side’s total was 146 for five wickets. The game is in an extremely interesting position. Neither side can be said to have an advantage, though the fact that E. Mulcock, Canterbury’s stock bowler, suffered a recurrence of leg trouble and had to leave the field was not a favourable omen for Canterbury’s prospects. If he be unable to bowl on Monday as well as he can, Canterbury’s attack, which is not strong in any case, will be very weak inTl’ie position is that Otago has a lead of 210 runs with five wickets in baud. Runs on the slate are always an advantage but Canterbury has a strong batting side'and it cannot be considered likely that so many good batsmen will be dismissed So cheaply a second time. I here is material in the visiting side to score a big total and still two days’ play. Scores: — OTAGO. First innings 266 . Second Innings. K. F. M. Uttley, b. Mulcock 14 A. R. Knight, c. Donnelly, b. Cromb 41 G. J. Robertson, run out 2J D. A. R. Moloney, not out C. J. Elmes, c. Menzies, b. Donnelly 3 G. 11. Mills, c. Davis, b. Cromb ■■ 0 Extras Total for five wickets 146 Bowling Analysis.

O. M. R. AV. 11. Davis 13 1 38 0 E. Mulcpck .... 10 3 36 1 F. IV. Newton .. 5 1 IS 0 I. B. Cromb ... S.2 0 2 4 M. I’. Donnelly . 10 1 21 i CANTERBURY. First Innings. J. L. Kerr. e. Cavanagh, b. Moloney 73 F. AV. Bellamy, b. Silver , . . 38 M. P. Donnelly, c. Knight, b. ; Silver 1 R. E. .1. .Menzies, b. Moloney 0 I. B. Cromb, b. Silver 6 AV. McD. Anderson, run out . 0 R. C. Shand, c. Knight, b. Leader .. s >*> K. C. Webb, l.b.w., b. Moloney .... 40 D. II. Davis, not out 11 E. Mulcoek, run out 1 F. W. Newton, b. Moloney .. 0 Extras 8 Bowling Analysis. 0. M. R. AV. R. Silver 20 4 05 3 0 . G. Lemin . . 4 1 15 G. J. Robertson 7 1 2 J 0 \ . «I. Lender . . 11 2 21 1 D.A.R. Moloney .18.6 1 » ; 4 C. J. Elmes .... I o 18 0