AUCKLAND ON TOP

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 2, 4 January 1937, Page 5

AUCKLAND ON TOP

OTAGO'S POOR DISPLAY FORMIDABLE HURDLE (By Teleftrach —Press Association.) DUNEDIN, January 2. when play was resumed in the Plunket Shield match between Otago ami: Auckland today, Auckland decided not to continue their innings and declared with five wickets down for 550 runs. The outfield was very slow when Otago started their first innings, but the batting was much slower, and th" whole innings, which finished shortly before the close of the day's play, realised only 181 runs. Otago followed on and had no wickets down for 5 runs when an appeal against the light was upheld at 5.45 p.m. Although the wicket was still fairly easy, conditions were not favourable for batting when Otago commenced their first innings. J. Cowie and A. M. Matheson opened the bowling for Auckland, and F. T. Badcock hit the first ball he received from Matheson into Vivian's hands at mid-off. One wicket was down fo. 3 runs, and the position did not inprove as the game went on.

The Otago batting was unenterprising and runs came very slowly. Th<! bowling, although accurate, was by no means dangerous, but the position of the game seemed to affect Otsgo's batsmen, and they put up a very poor showing. A. R. Knight, who hac opened with Badcock, showed

sound defence until he was bowled by Cowie with a ball that kept low. His 24 was made by very patient batting, but five wickets were down for 49 runs at lunch, and it was then obvious that Otago could not avert a follow-on. K. F. M. Uttley, who was not out with 56, was the only batsman to make any kind of a stand, but he played anything but an aggressive game until he was joined late in the innings by G. Mills, Otago's wicket-keeper. Uttley took 82 minutes to reach double figures, and Otago's 100 was not hoisted until after 207 minutes' play, but when eight wickets had fallen for 117 Uttley and Mills put on 64 runs for the second-last wicket. What little sting the bowling had possessed it had lost by then, and the partnership was by far the most lively of the day, most of the runs being made off G. L. Weir and Matheson, although Vivian, who had been treated with too much respect during the day. came in for a little punishment. Mills was caught by G. Hook off his own bowling when he had scored a rather meritorious 35, and the last wicket fell without any addition to the score, which stood at 181. Knight and Uttley opened Otago's second innings, but only 5 runs had been scored when the day's play was finished owing to the failing light. Vivian and Cowie shared the burden of Auckland's attack. Both were accurate and kmt a good length, but in different conditions a great many more runs should have been scored off them. The other bowlers were not impressive. Details:— AUCKLAND. First innings 550 (Declared closed for five wickets.) OTAGO. First Innings. F. T. Badcock, c Vivian, b Matheson 1 A. R. Knight, b Cowie 24 F. B. Kerr, b Cowie 9 C. J. Elmes, b Vivian 12 K. F. M. Uttley, not out 56 G. McGregor, b Cowie 2 T. Chettleburgh, c Carson, b Vivian 18 J. A. Dunning, c Mathieson, b Carson 12 L. J. Groves, c Weir, b Cowie ... 5 G. Mills, c and b Hook 35 R. Silver, b Hook 0 Extras 7 Total 181 Bowling Analysis. O. M. R. W. J. Cowie 37 13 36 4 A. M. Matheson ... 20 9 34 1 W. Carson 11 4 10 1 A. G. Vivian 39 18 52 2 Li. R. Spring 6 4 6 0 G. L. Weir 10 0 27 0 G. Hook 4 0 9 2 Second Innings. A. R. Knight, not out 5 K. F. M. Uttley, not out 0 Extras . Total, for no wickets 5