OTAGO V. WELLINGTON

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 151, 23 December 1938, Page 15

OTAGO V. WELLINGTON

MATCH STARTS TOMORROW

Advantage of the Christmas and New Yeai holidays is taken to stage as many matches as possible in the Plunket Shield competition, and all four main provinces tere to have their representatives ready to commence this season's Shield match series at 11 a.rru tomorrow. The Otago team is here tor its engagement with Wellington at the Basin Reserve, and today the visitors had a final practice. They arrived from the south last evening, having made the daylight trip by steamer express from Christchurch. Otago'b team . not greatly changed from that which won narrowly from Wellington at Dunedin last season, though one of the Otago Stalwarts, J A. Dunning, is not on hand this time, he having accepted an appointment in Queensland. The visitors art led by K. F. M. Uttley, last season's winner ot the Redpath Cup, and their manager is Mr. Armitage. The Wellington team, wftich has X W. Tindill (New Zealand representative at cricket and Rugby) as captain and Mr. W. A. Baker as manager, includes no more than five players who faced the Otago side at Dunedin last season. The coach (J. R. Sheffield) and some others will be making their debut in Plunket Shield cricket. Otago's team will have two men making their first appearance as Plunket Shield players—Cutler (formerly of Manawatu and of Victoria University College, Wellington, with which club he had a season) and Purdue, who are both from Southland. The introduction of new blood should lend added interest to the match, and the form of the more seasoned players will be watched equally as keenly. One to be paying particular attention to form throughout the match will be Mr. T. C Lowry, the New Zealand selector. The hours of play tomorrow and on succeeding days will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.. with the luncheon interval from 1 p.m. to 1.45 p.m., and the tea interval from 3.45 p.m. to 4 p.m. The teams are: — Otago: K. F. M. Uttley (captain), A. Knight, G. Mills, G. J. Robertson, Cr* Elmes, L. Groves. A. H. Cutler, I*. Fraser, V. Leader. J. Purdue, and R. Silver, with C. X Saxton as twelfth man. Wellington: £. W. TindilJ (captain;. J. R. Sheffield, H. F. Rice, J. Ell, W Rainbird, J; A. Ongley, T. A. Harpur, N. Gallichan, D. $. Wilson, T. L. Pritchard, J. Ashenden, and J. McKeown (one to be omitted as twelfth man). The umpires are Messrs. J. B. Watson and C. Moore.