AUCKLAND V. CANTERBURY

Evening Post, Volume 105, Issue 4, 6 January 1928, Page 9

AUCKLAND V. CANTERBURY

By Telegraph,—Press Association./ AUCKLAND, This Day. Fine weather prevails for the second Plunket Shield match here, commenced at ,11.30 to-day. The teams are:— Canterbury: Page, (captain), Hayes, Newman, Evans, M'Ewin, Jacobs, Merritt, Nixon, Bead, Hamilton, Gregory. Auckland: 'Dacrc (captain), Bowley, Anthony, Cooper, Garrard, Gillespie, Matheson, Scott, G. L. Weir, Player, Mills. Canterbury won the toss and batted .first on. a fast wicket, Gregory and Hamilton being the opening pair. Matheaoh's first over yielded three singles. Phiyer went on at the other end, Gregory _quare<utting his first ball for three. Playing cautiously, the batsmen raised double, figures- in ten minutes, and Gregory got into double figures in twenty minutes. Neither batsmen was troubled by tho bowling, although Player was keeping a nice length. Hamilton hit the first bounda/y off Player. For half-an-hour's play thirty wan sent up. G. L. Weir replaced Player, Gregory turning him quickly for a; braco and sending , him to the oh* and off -for single..' The Canterbury batsmen ran well between the wickets and scored short ones. At thirty-five Anthony replaced Matheson, Gregory slamming his first ball through the covers to the fence. Weir dropped a short one in the next over, Gregory pulling it to the boundary. Hamilton cut Anthony for a couple and ■then pulled him to the boundary for four, bringing up 5P in .fifty-two minutes. The opening pair wcro playing confidently and brightly, both obviously bent on getting runs. Hamilton was then dropped by Matheson off Weir at leg and that batsman began to open out with hard driving, a couple of good strokes being cut off on the line. Gregory escaped a chance of being stumped off Amthony, and after a byo had been run the trundler got Hamilton leg before. 56—1—27. Jacobs was the incomer and Bowley came on to get him for a single, the Canterbury man playing the ball on. 61—2—1. The game had been, under way exactly an hour. Pago filled the vacancy. Page was never happy, and put the ball into Dacre 's hands at mid-on without scoring. .2—3—6. Newman got moving with a short single, just scrambling home ahead of the return. There was a strong appeal for "run out." Both Newman and Gregory scored off fine strokes, especially the former, who displayed cleverness in forcing good length balls off his logs. . Bowley was angling with a high-flight ball, but his brother professional would <.ot bite. Gregory ran into the. forties with a late cut for three. Like Newman, he found Bowley's flighting slightly deceptive, and a couple of "maidens" went down. Garrard was the next change, Newman pulling for a brace and Gregory glancing one to fine leg, to send up 90. Bowley had Gregory tied up at this stage, and the rate of scoring dropped appreciably. Gregory sent the century up after 97 minutes, with a boundary off Bowley. Auckland's ground fielding was keen, and Dacre persisted with his spin bowler 3, and replaced Garrard with Anthony. Gregory deflected the latter for two, and reached his half-century in 74 minutes. Bowley's next over saw (the end of Newman, the Hants crack being caught in two minds with a slow ball,, and scooped it to fine leg, where Weir had an easy catch. Tho partnership produced 45. . Nixon, the lofthander, followed, and with Gregory played out time till luncheon. The score then was 117 for four ' wickets (Gregory 59). CANTEEBUEY—First Innings. Gregory, not out 59 Hamilton, Ibw, b Anthony 27 Jacobs, b' Bowley 1 Page, c Dacrc, b Anthony 0 Newman, c Weir, b Bowley 24 Nixon, not out 3 Extras 3