PLUNKET SHIELD.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24, 30 January 1911, Page 11

PLUNKET SHIELD.

AUCKLAND v. CANTERBURY. GOOD SCORING. [BY TELrGBAPH— PBESS ASSOCIATION.! AUCKLAND, 28th January." Fine weather prevailed for the match between Auckland and Canterbury for the Plunket Shield to-day. The wicket was true, but a little slow. . The attendance numbered about 2000. The teams were : — Canterbury— D. Reese (captain), J. H. Bennett, C. Boxshall, A. Sims, A. Norman, E. R. Cay--gill, W. Patrick, D. Sandman, W. Carlton, T. Carlton, and H. B. Lusk. Auckland — L. G. Hemus (captain), W. Brooke-Smith, G. Hayward, A. Hadden, E. V. Sale, C. Oliff, A. Anthony, N. C. Snedden, F. A. Pearson, A. Kerr, and E. Horspool. Auckland won the toss and, batting first, made good use of the wicket, staying in the whole afternoon for the total of 349 1 runs. - THE OPENING. Hemus and Anthony opened to the bowling of Bennett and Sandman. The bowling was good, both being on a length, but the pace of the wicket troubled the trundlers for a while. The batsmen were very cautious, while the perfect fielding of the visitors also contributed to keep. the runs down. Runs came chiefly, in singles, .the first half only producing 18 runs, but play then livened up a little, and at 32 the first change was tried, T. Carlton replacing Bennett. The score, assisted by an occasional boundary, crept slowly up, Sandman, breaking right across the wicket, especially keeping runs down. Hemus reached half a, century for an hour and .twenty minutes' play, and then began to score at a fairly fast rate. With the total at 95, the Auckland skipper lifted one into long-field, but Patrick misjudged the hit and, only getting one hand to it after a long run, dropped the ball. Ihe century came for ninety -five minutes' play, and eight runs later, off the last ball of the morning, Anthony pulled W. Carlton hard to mid-on, where T. Carlton brought off a splendid catch. He had played sound but' very cautious cricket for his 39. FREER CRICKET.After lunch, Pearson joined Hemus, both playing much freer cricket than in 1 tho morning. Pearson scored three three's in quick succession, but at fourteen, Bennett got him leg before. The score then stood 136—2—14. Sale followed, and on -the next over from Bennett, Hemus sent along aa easy chance to Lusk in the slips, but the fieldsman dropped it. After this "let-off" Hemus continued to bat confidently, and reached his century, amid great applause, at tha end of two and a half hours' play. After notching fourteen, Sale hit a slow leg-break from W. Carlton on to his pad, where it cannoned into the wicket. 3—183—14. Sneddon was next, and a lively partnership followed, the second century being hoisted for two hours' play. Both batsmen j pasted all the bowling, although Reese maintained a policy of quick changes, resting each bowler after three or four overs. With the total at 230, Reese, who so far had only bowled two overs, put himself on again. Hemus hit five off his first over, but shortly after the Canterbury skipper beat his brilliant opponent, -n ho snicked one into his wicket with his total at 142, which was made in three and a half hours. The score was 257 when Brooke-Smith, the hero of the Wellington match, camp in, but he only survived a couplo of balls and then sent a soft one back to Reese and made the first "duck" of the match. Horspool and Hadden took the score along by free cricket, but with two wanted for the third century; Hadden stepped in front of one from Reese and retired for a chanceless 61. END OF THE INNINGS. Snedden raised 300 for four and a half hours' play, but he had only, made five when T. Carlton knocked the bails down. 7—313—5.7 — 313—5. Oliff and Horspool, mostly by singles, scored in a deepplaced field, raised the total to 342, when Horspool, after scoring 36, missed a well-pitched ball from W. Carlton and was clean bowled. . After Reese had dropped an easy chance off Kerr, he got a fine fast, low ball past Oliff, and one run later he ended the innings by clean bowling Kerr. Reese bowled very well indeed. Canterbury had the good fortune not to require to go in in the fading light and after an afternoon's keen fielding. The following are the scores :—: — AUCKLAND.— First Innings. L. G. Hemus, b Reese 142 A. Anthony, c T. Carlton, b. W. Carlton 39 F. Pearson, lbw, b Bennett ... 14 E. V. Sale, b W. Carlton 14 A. Hadden, lbw, b Reese 61 W. Brooke-Smith, c and b Reese ... 0 Snedden, b T. Carlton 5 E. .Hoi-spool, b W. Carlton ... 36 C. Oliff, b Reese -11 A. Kerr, b Reese 2 G. Hayward, not out 0 Extras 25 Total 349 Bowling Analysis. — Sandman, 27 overs, 6 maidens, 80 .uns, 0 wickets; Bennett, 31 ovei-s, 8 maidens, 72 runs, 1 wicket ; T. Carlton, 23 overs, 11 maidens, 41 runs, 1 wicket ; W. Carlton, 17 overs, 0 maidens, 70 runs, 3 wickets ; Reese, 21 overs, 8 maidens, 43 runs, 5 wickets ; Patrick, 6 overs, 1 maiden, 18 runs, 0 wickets.