SHIELD CRICKET

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 7, 10 January 1938, Page 11

SHIELD CRICKET

MATCH AT AUCKLAND

CANTERBURY'S LONG TRAIL

BATSMEN NOT LIVELY

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

AUCKLAND. This Day

Saturday's play in the Plunket Shield match between Auckland and Canterbury placed Auckland in a commanding position. Auckland's first innings ended just before lunch for a total of 590, and Canterbury had lost three wickets for 118 when heavy rain after the tea adjournment caused the postponement of play for the day.

Canterbury started badly,. Hadlee going when the- total was 10 and Cromb chopping a ball from "Matheson 0n...t0 his wicket when the total was 23, Gassori and Menzies, however, commenced to bat freely and attractively- Each showed himself a finished shot-maker and played the bowling, well,: Gasson had run into the thirties, with sound and solid batting when-.he failed to connect properly with a ball from Matheson and gave Whitelaw on the leg side the easiest of catches. 87—3—34 The partnership had realised 64.

Partnered by Stokes, Menzies continued to bat in delightfully free style, timing his shots well and keeping the] fieldsmen oh the move. He showed a liking for an ofl1 drive which he used with effect against Burke, while on defence he covered the ball very well. Stokes showed himself an aggressive batsman who did not hesitate to hit the ball hard. When play was postponed Stokes and Menzies were still together after adding 31 runs to Canterbury's total. TODAY'S FLAX. When Canterbury set out on the long trail today Menzies (46) faced Cowie, the only run coming from the over being a leg bye. Stokes did not have to play to Matheson, who also sent down a maiden to Menzies. Cowie, with a strong off-field, was bowling wide, and Stokes did not attempt to play the first three balls of the second over, and there was ironical applause as he piloted the fourth into the slips. Again it was a maiden. After eight overs, of which three were maidens, only six runs had been added to the overnight score, and at 124 Burke (none for 44) took over from Cowie. There was a cheer when Menzies ran a short single for his hali'-century at 128. In making a defensive stroke Menzies's long innings ended when he was caught and bowled by Burke for 51. Shand, who followed, was, like Scott, of Auckland's century-makers, playing his first Shield game. Twelve overs for nearly three-quarters of an hour of cricket had put oii only a I dozen runs.

The left-hander Carson (none for 11) displaced Matheson at 140, the latter having bowled eight overs today for 16 runs. '

■Shand's stroke play to Burke was uppish and the fieldsmen were on the alert. Stokes reached 40 with a risky shot "between Burke and mid-off, just after pulling the slow bowler for the initial boundary of the day. This brought up 150, of" which the 32 this morning took an hour to compile.'

Stokes ..was displaying anxiety, to open out, but Burke required careful watching.

Postles put himself on in place of Carson at 152 and his "teasers" pegged Stokes down.

Cowie had another try at 157, Burke (one for 68) going off, and Postles nearly had Shand (then 7) stumped.

Stokes took twenty minutes to make one run, but later got Cowie through the slip cordon for a brace to bring up his third half-century in his first season as a representative player.

At lunch, Canterbury had lost four wickets for 174.

Stokes was caught behind the wickets shortly after play was resumed after the luncheon adjournment. Details are as follows: — AUCKLAND. First Innings i 590 CANTERBURY. First Innings. Hadlee, b Cowie 3 Gasson, c Whitelaw, b'Matheson .. 34 Cromb, b Matheson 9 Menzies, c and b Burke 51 Stokes, st Edmonds, b Burke ...,, 59' Shand, not out 29 Extras 10 Total for Jive wickets 195