PLUNKET SHIELD

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22612, 28 December 1936, Page 12

PLUNKET SHIELD

CHRISTCHURCH MATCH CANTERBURY SCORES 280 AUCKLAND STARTS WELL FAST BOWLERS SUCCESSFUL [by t elk GRAPH —Pit ESS ASSOCIATION] CHRISTCHURCH, Sunday Auckland has a commanding position in the Plunket Shield cricket match with Canterbury. The home team, through a good partnership between Roberts and O'Brien, brought its total to 280, and at stumps Auckland had scored 2">7 for the loss of five wickets, Vivian being unbeaten at 10. Roberts and O'Brien gave a fine exhibition of cautious batting against accurate bowling and keen fielding. Although Roberts made a greater score the honours were not all with him, as O'llrien played a waiting game to which lie is not accustomed. O'Brien hold his wicket up while Roberts collected runs.

it was an excellent day for cricket, the morning being still and sunny, but in the afternoon a brisk easterly breeze sprang up and the sky became overcast. The pitch had dried considerably and Vivian was able to use his faster attack to much better advantage than on the previous day. Vivian bad a fewovers but failed to get any more ■\\ iekots.

McMahon was used for a short spell and claimed one wicket, a very valuable one, as lie howled O'Brien round his legs in the last over before lunch and broke the partnership. Cowie and Matheson shared the bowling honours yesterday. Cowie, in particular, was bowling with much more pace and was much harder to play than on the previous day. He kept a- good length and the ball which dismissed Roberts would have accounted for many better batsmoil.

Carson was given one or two overs, but seldom appeared troublesome. Matheson bowled consistently but with little success, and the same applies to Spring. Batsmen Subdued Roberts and O'Brien did not play a had stroke until they were dismissed. It was hard to recognise in O'Brien the player who made 100 in 127 minutes on the previous Saturday. He discarded his breezy style completely and although ho attacked loose balls when they came along he made sure that lie kept his drives and cuts along the ground. It was an excellent, restrained innings. Roberts was in a restrained mood at the start, but took more liberties with any but very good balls than O'Brien. The weakness of the Canterbury bowlers was shown by the visiting batsmen in the way in which they were hit all round the field. Mulcock" started by appearing to beat the opening batsmen, Dunning and Whitelaw, but Weir hit him round the field in great style, scoring four boundaries off one over. Mulcock packed a ve.ry close leg field, having three fine legs within 12 yards of the bat, two short square-leg and a silly mid-oil.

Vigorous Hitting Weir set about breaking up this formation, and with his vigorous hitting it was not long before all but the fine legs had moved back. Roberts was the only bowler to command much respect. Except in later stages, when his length became erratic, the batsmen had to watch every ball. Graham bowled consistently, maintaining his usual length most of the time, and finally trapping Weir with a slower ball. His other wicket was due to a very fine catch by Roberts in the slips. Cromb did not look dangerous at any time, whether bowling fast or slow lobs. Weir's was a fast and attractive innings. Whitelaw and Wallace played correct cricket, with the latter scoring considerably faster. Vivian also batted correctly, although at the start he seemed tempted to "feel" for some of Mulcock's deliveries outside the off stump. Spring was not comfortable facing Roberts. Hard as was Cronib's task with a poor supply of bowlers at his command it was made no easier by tho Canterbury fielding, which can best be described as slovenly. Pago and Roberts can be excepted, as these players lot nothing -pass. Vivian, who hurt his foot when stopping a fast shot from Page on the first day, was limping badly in the field and shortly before lunch he left tho ground to have it examined by a doctor. He did not field again. Details of the scores are as follows: — CANTERBURY. —First Innings J. L. Kerr, c Whitelaw, b Vivian 17 M. L. Page, c Matheson, b Vivian 73 C J. Oliver, c Carson, b Vivian . . 35 W. A. Hadlee, c Wallace, b Spring 0 F. P. O'Brien, b McMahon . . .. 40 T. B. Cromb, c Carson, h Vivian . . .2 R. E. Mcnzies, c Marshall, b Vivian 5 A. W. Roberts, b Cowie .. .. 75 C. K. Jack man, b Cowie 4 M. Graham, c Dunning, b Matheson 6 E. Mulcock, not out 0 Extras . . . 1-5 Total 2SO Bowling.—Cowie took two ■wickets for 33 runs, Matheson one for 55, Vivian five for 80, McMahon one for 35, Spring one for 45. "Weir none for 3, Carson none for 13. AUCKLAND.—First Innings E. J. Dunning, c Cromb, b Roberts 0 P. E. Whitelaw, e Packman, b Mulcock 52 G. L. Weir, b Graham 53 M. W. Wallace, c Roberts, b Graham 40 H. G. Vivian, not out 4(5 W. Carson, c Jackman, b Roberts 12 L. R. Spring, not out 10 Extras 25) Total for five wickets . . . . 257 Bowling.—Roberts took two wickets for 61 runs, Mulcock one for 70, Cromb none for 54, Graham two for 34.