HUTT V. MIDLAND

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 149, 21 December 1936, Page 20

HUTT V. MIDLAND

When Midland, taking full advantage of the good scoring conditions at the Hutt Recreation Ground on Saturday, scored 170 runs in their first innings against Hutt, it appeared that the home side would have a difficult task to reach that figure, but so far from finding it beyond their strength to reach the 170 mark Hutt had scored 210 at stumps for the loss of only three wickets.

Midland batted only ten men, Tindill and Dustin playing in the TownCountry match, and Hutt were without McLeod (who also was playing in the Towrj-Country match), Aim, and Clark. Jack and McCawe opened Midland's innings to Champness and Wright. The bowling troubled the batsmen considerably, and. wickets fell fairly cheaply and quickly until Bezzant and Hepburn, both of whom were batting brilliantly, stayed the collapse. Hepburn particularly was in splendid form, hitting out at everything that was at all loose. He passed the 70 mark in 78 minutes, having hit eight 4's and a 6. In the next over he was well caught by Champness low down in the slips after having made a'valuable contribution to the score at a critical time.

Baker was the only one of the remaining batsmen who showed any form, and the last wicket fell just before 4 p.m., when the tea adjournment was taken, with Midland's total at 170. The outstanding feature of Hutt's innings was a magnificent 87 not out by Capstick, who has never failed this season to knock up a good score. He was dropped behind the wicket at 43, but apart from that he gave no chances. Ross and McCarthy opened, and Ross's wicket fell when Randall held a very difficult catch. McCarthy did not last as long as Ross, being trapped by a ball from O'Neill. Cap-stick.-partnered first by Ross and then by Kemp and Cheevers, was hitting out in brilliant style. Fifty went up in 35 minutes, 100 in just over an hour, and. 200 in 128 minutes. Neither Randall nor O'Neill could make any impression on the batsmen. Cheevers was playing a careful bat, and was content to let Capstick do most of the scoring, but he had compiled a useful 47 not out at stumps, when Hutt had scored 210 runs for three wickets. • Details: — .MIDLAND. : First Innings. Jack, b Wright 1 McCawe, b Wright Crawford, c Capstick, b Champness I Osborn, b Champness H Fay, Ibw, b Champness 4 Bezzant, b Capstick ; ■ ■ • 2* Hepburn, c Champness. b Wright 71 O'Neill, .c Fowler, b Capstick I Baker, not out 24 Randall, b Champness Ji Extras ' Total "0 Bowling.—Champness took four wickets for 34 runs; Wright, three for 55; Muir, none for 20: Capstick, two for 20; Ross, none for 16; Kemp, none for 18. HUTT. First Innings. Ross, c Randall, b Crawford 32 McCarthy, c Jack, b O'Neill 4 Capstick, not out • • • ■ °< Kemp, c Hepburn, b Randall £& Cheevers, not out 4' Extras • Total for three wickets 210 Bowling.—O'Neill took one wicket for 62 runs; Randall, one for 37; Crawford, one for 47; Osborn, none for 28; Hepburn, none for 24.