FAST SCORING AGAINST TIME N.Z. Defeats Lancashire By Nine Wickets

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 August 1949, Page 5

FAST SCORING AGAINST TIME N.Z. Defeats Lancashire By Nine Wickets

[From

A. W. MITCHELL,

N.Z.P.A. London Correspondent.]

LONDON, August 22 (Rec. 10 a.m.).—New Zealand beat Lancashire by nine wickets in a-glorious finish, in which 153 was scored in 73 minutes. Sutcliffe hit 79 not out.. It was a satisfying end to a match which at lunch-time looked like ending tamely in a draw. Lancashire in the second innings made 224 for five wickets, at which stage they declared. Deducting New Zealand’s first-innings lead . of 72, this left Wallace with the problem of hitting 153 in 80 minutes. He sent in Sutcliffe and Donnelly, and in 55 minutes they had 120 on the board. s

Then Donnelly was stumped, but Reid and Sutcliffe went on to win with seven minutes to spare. Sutcliffe and Donnelly gave; a model exhibition of fast scoring, which was full of delightful strokes and firm judgment. / The New Zealanders will ’ now travel for six hours to reach Canterbury just before midnight to be ready for the match against Kent tomorrow morning. Rabone In Form

Washbrook and Ikin scored freely for the first hour with a pleasant variety of shots and reached a 100 partnership in 110 minutes. Though the wicket was tricky, neither Cowie nor Cave were able to derive much advantage from- it. Rabone and Burke kept the two Lancashire men moderately subdued and of the two Rabone was bowling the better. He was spinning the ball rather quicker from the off than was Burke from the leg. He drew two men in to silly leg for Washbrook, whose heavy self-complacency was rather irked by such attention. He pulled Rabone for six and straight-drove him for six; but Rabone got him in the end with a “yorker.” Washbrook playing over the top. He also bowled Ikin who was “yorked” in advancingup the wicket and at this stage was two for 30. Place and Edrich put on 45 in 40 minutes against Rabone and Burke, and then Rabone bowled place with a good length ball. Edrich reached 52 in just over an hour and Burke, who was not quite the same steady machine of Saturday, had Wharton well caught by Sutcliffe on the midwicket boundary. When Cowie took the new ball at 220 Rabon had bowled for two and a half hours with lunch as a break, taking three for 69. Cowie soon had Edrich caught by Donnelly in the slips off a ball that popped and hit the shoulder of his bat and Howard, the Lancashire captain, declared the innings closed. ; Graceful Batting

Donnelly and Sutcliffe went for the bowling from the first over, but there was never anything reckless about their haste. Indeed they were almost leisured in their gracefullness. The New Zealanders had 26 on the board in a quarter of an hour, 50 in 25 minutes. Hilton was used for Stone and Tattersail for Greenwood, but the scoring rate never fell below two per over. It was a delightful scene, these two left handers, peers in their own class, hitting so freely and easily, driving to the boundary or galloping singles, while the crowd watched them with quiet pleasure. Tattersail, ' bowling accurately, gave one away in an over and the clock began to gain; but 14 came from Hilton’s next effort, Sutcliffe making one perfect cover drive and slashing the bowler there again

when he dropped one so short that it bounced twice. This gave New Zealand 80 with 45 minutes to go and 73 to make. Fast Scoring Tattersail was worth 10 in the following over. Donnelly straight-rdroye Hilton and turned ’ him to leg and New Zealand was' 99. Sutcliffe was 50 in threequarters of an hour and the century came up in the same time. Donnelly hit Tattersail for three other boundaries and his 50 came in even time; 16 came from the oyer. With 25 minutes left, 36 runs were needed. Then Donnelly advanced too far to Tattersail, missed the ball and was stumped; one for 120. Donnelly scored 56 in 55 minutes. Thirty-three were wanted in 26 minutes In came Reid and thumped Tattersall to mid-wicket boundary. Sutcliffe followed his lead and 18 were required in 15 minutes. On they went and Sutcliffe lofted Tattersall to the on boundary for the winning hit. ________________