WALLACE, REID IN RECORD N.Z. STAND

Northern Advocate, 20 May 1949, Page 6

WALLACE, REID IN RECORD N.Z. STAND

CAMBRIDGE, Thu. (11.30 a.m,). —A fourth-wicket partnership of 324 by Wallace and Reid—a record for New Zealand cricket, eclipsing that established by Wallace and Donnelly at Leicester last Saturday—allowed Hadlee to declare the New Zealand first innings against Cambridge University closed at 441 for 5.

This gave the Dominion team a lead over Cambridge on ihe first innings of 334. In nearly two hours of play remaining on the second day, the University scored 78 for one, leaving it lo get another 257 to avoid an inning's defeat. Wallace made 197 and Reid 188 not out. - . •, , Wallace now has scored 727 m eight innings—an average of nearly 91**-- and has placed himself in an excellent position to join the ranks of the illustrious by scoring 1000 runs in May. Wallace batted for 4 hours 50 minutes, which was the period of his partnership with Reid. . The New Zealand innings lasted b hours 25 minutes; at the crease for 6 hours 10 minutes. It was a batsman s wicket, hard and true and allowing slow spin. The weather was warm, inclined to be muggy, and the forecast is for rain tomorrow.

ONLY ONE • LIFE" The wicket suited both Wallace and Reid, who brought the number of centuries scored by the team in its five matches to eight, to which the Aucklander contributed four. Wallace went lor the bowling with a will when play resumed this morning and in the first hour 73 runs were added to the score, of which he contributed 47; Reid was content with 21. Wallace was 100 in two hours 10 minutes, and 150 in four hours. Wallace gave only one chance, ,and that was a hard return off a full toss from Morris when he was 131. He hit the ball with the middle of the bat straight back at the Cambridge bowler, who made a vain second attempt as it bounced off the palm of his hand. Apart from, that one incident, Wallace played every shot with firmness and precision. His cover driving was particularly good, and Cambridge could counter .'t only by setting a deep defensive field. The New Zealander frequently hit the; ball hard, and fast straight to cover-point, standing 30 to 40 yards out from the wicket; the Cambridge fielding was good and quick. Clean returns prevented singles being taken from these strokes. LARGER BOUNDARIES Wallace indeed, had to work harder for his runs than he did at Leicester, for one boundary was much deeper and this resulted in his funning 17 threes in addition to 16 fours. This tended to tire him, and he scored more slowly and sedately in his last hour,.

The Cambridge bowlers were also often sending the ball down well off the stumps, obliging him to use his feet more frequently than earlier in his innings. Indeed, it was playing forward to a ball from Warr about a yard wide of his off stump, that Wallace snicked and was caught behind the wickets by Popplewell.

SHEER DELIGHT It was bad luck for him that he missed his double century so'narrowly, for he had worked hard for it, and his strokes—he has them all—were a sheer delight to watch. They drew a continuous “Ah!” of appreciation from spectators, a sound as tun«i>le to the cricketer’s ear as the "clock” of the ball striking the middle of the bat.

It was a fine innings, worthy of comparison with any contemporary giants of the game, and, to particularise further about any aspect of it, or to dig for superlatives or adjectives, would be monotonous—and his innings was anything but monotonous.

Reid played an entirely different type of knock, '

REID GAINS CONFIDENCE

The Wellington boy was, first of all, batting to establish confidence in himself. He has found conditions in England different from those to which he is accustomed, and has been inclined to criticise himself for not "seeing” the ball sufficiently well. His purpose, therefore, was to stay at the wicket and gain experience. He was careful, cautious, and waited for the loose ball; and, when that arrived, he punched it—hard. ' He was quite content to stay there for four hours 25 minutes to reach three figures—surely the slowest century he has ever scored. His next 50 came in one hour,, and his final 38 came in 35 minutes. In that last half-hour, all care cast aside, he went for the bowling and completed his Innings by scoring off every stroke. It was a fine effort and it was a joy to see him using his powerful shoulders and following through his strokes with his bat outlining a semi-circle.

Reid hit 12 fours iii his century, and finished with 23—one of them nearly a six, just wide of the sight-screen—-and five threes.

' DEWES CLEAN BOWLED

Donnelly batted brightly for threequarters of an hour and, knowing that a declaration was not far distant, looked for runs.

He was caught behind the wicket. Cambridge made a much better start in their second innings, and Dewes and Morris put on 71 in one hour 35 minutes.

They were more purposeful than yesterday, and, with the wicket giving the New Zealand bowlers no more assistance than it allowed the University, they dug themselves in. Hayes put an end to their association when he knocked over Dewes’ offstump, clean bowling the left-hander for the second time. The fall of the New Zealand wickets was: One for 4, two for 9; three for 19, four for 343, five for 412. Scores were:

■ NEW ZEALAND First Innings Sutcliffe, c Morris, b Warr 2 HadJee, c Popplewell, b Warr 4 Smith, c Insole, b Warr 9 Reid, not out fBB Wallace, c Popplewell, b Warr 197 Donnelly, c Popplewell, b Doggart .. 37 Kabone, not out 1 Extras 13 Total (for 5 wkts dec.) 441 Bowling: Warr, 4 for 81; Hawkey. 0 for 44; Insole. 0 for 16; Pryer. 0 for-69; Stevenson, 0 for 95; Doggart. 1 for 62; Kimsil, 0 for 37; Morris, 0 for 24. CAMBRIDGE First Innings 107 Second Innings Dewes, b Hayes 32 Morris, not out 36 Doggart, not out 5 Extras 5 Total ffor 1 wkt) 7K