Otago Leading In Plunket Shield Game

Northern Advocate, 3 January 1939, Page 10

Otago Leading In Plunket Shield Game

CRICKET

IPer Press Association. Copyright! DUNEDIN, This D,ay.

The first two days of the Plunket Shield cricket match between Otago and Auckland, whi'ch is being played on the Carisbrook ground, have sufficed to re-establish the Otago side in firm favour with supporters of the province. ,

By batting for most of the two days, and scoring 427, and then capturing two of the most valuable Auckland wickets for only 53 runs in the last threequarters of an hour yesterday, Otago proved that its form in the Wellington match was too bad to be true.

D, A. R. Moloney was batting in the form which has won him such a high reputation, when he was badly fun out. His 48 was a model innings, and at that stage he looked like going on to a big score, C. J. Elmes and Knight both contributed useful thirties, and then Fraser worried his way through a scratchy start and added a good 54.

Tiie Auckland attack was not impressive, There was little variety, the slow, left-hand bowler, H. G. Vivian, being practically the only contrast to the pace of J. Cowie and the medium paced bowling of A. M. Matheson and G. L. Weir.

Cowie did not bowl at full pace on Saturday, being handicapped by the wet approach, but yesterday he came through more quickly, and looked more like the bowler who was rated in England last year as one of the world’s best. He bowled 36 overs in the innings for five wickets at a cost of 79 runs, and always looked the most dangerous of the bowlers. Auckland’s Poor Start Auckland’s start was not encouraging. There were 45 minutes to play when Whi’telaw and Postles opened. Whitelaw was caught behind the wicket in the first over. Wallace gave a delightful exhibition of confident stroke play for 35 minutes, in which time he made runs and was then bowled off his pads.

It was left to the steady Postles and Pearson to play out time. The light was not good when Auckland batted, but Wallace’s innings, brief as it was, was really the highlight of the match at this stage. He shaped with the utmost confidence, and played his strokes all round the wicket as though he had been batting for hours. Otago’s prospects must be considered excellent. The gate takings .on Saturday totalled £7l, and there was an attendance of nearly the same size a*j yesterday. Details of the scores are as follows: OTAGO. First Innings Uttley, b Cowie 17 Robertson, c and b Matheson .... 73 Saxton, b Cowie 0 Moloney, run out 48 Elmes, low, b Weir 34 Knight, st. Jackman, b Vivian .. 33 Mills, c Pearson, b Matheson ... 121 Fraser, b Cowie 54 Leader, b Cowie 6 Silver, b Cowie 7 Purdue, not out 3 Extras 31 Total 427 Bowling:—J. Cowie took 5 wickets for 79 runs; A. M. Matheson, 2 for 94; H. G. Vivian, 1 for 55; G. L. Weir, 1 for 98; V. Scott, 0 for 23; A. Postles, 0 for 32; V. S. Sale, 0 for 15. AUCKLAND. First Innings Whitelaw, c Mills, b Purdue 0 Postles, not out 11 Wallace, b Robertson 35 Pearson, not out 3 Extras 4 Total for two wickets —. • S 3