GOOD POSITION

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

GOOD POSITION

DRASTIC MEASURES THE LEG TRAP SMASHED G. L. WEIR'S FINE INNINGS [«Y TKLKGIt Al'H —OWN CO ft ItK.S POND F.NX] CHKJSTCHURCH, Sunday When play closed yesterday in the Plunket Shield match Auckland, with five wickets in hand, required only 21 runs to pass Canterbury's first innings score of 280. This was due primarily t.o the drastic measures adopted by G. L. Weir in order to smash the leg-trap theory of Mulcock, the Canterbury inswing bowler, from whom much had been expected. (joing in when the total was one for with Dunning out for none, Weir had to face difficult bowling from both ends. Roberts bad four men in the slips, while .Mulcock had no fewer than seven fieldsmen gathered almost in a circle on the leg side. Whitclaw was plaving confidently enough, but had difficulty in getting many good shots through the few gaps. Weir was also restrained for two overs and the fieldsmen moved closer in. .Just when lie appeared cramped W'eir's bat moved into action with high speed. First a stinging drive to longon put four on the board. Ihe elieeiing had hardly (.lied down when another great drive hit the fence at long-off. Then, amid further excitement, Weir, stepping out to the pitch of the ball and timing beautifully, sent two more to the fence over the bowler's head. Thus 16 runs came off Mulcock's eighth over —equal to the total number that had been scored off his first seven. Canterbury's hopes, raised by the gallant partnership of Roberts and O Brien in the morning, began to droop from this stage. Mulcock was immediately taken off and his leg-trap was smashed.

Three Successive Fours Cronib, the Canterbury captain, put himself on, but the change failed to cheek the scoring rate and 13 came off the over. Weir was now more than a menace to Canterbury. He attacked Graham as he had attacked Mulcock and sent three in succession to the boundary, while the crowd roared its appreciation. This exuberance, however, proved his downfall. He attempted to hit the last ball of Graham's over into the stand, missed, and was bowled. He had scored 53 in :K) minutes and the partnership had added 7(3 at the remarkable rate of two runs a minute. Later in the innings Cromb again set a leg-trap for Mulcock, but it was not long persisted with. Immediately after the tea adjournment Wallace hooked and drove the in-swing bowler all round the. field and 11 runs came off the over. That was the end of Canterbury's ambitious leg-trap theory. It was shattered completely, first by Weir and then by Wallace. When Mulcock bowled again in the last hour it. was to an orthodox field. His only wicket, a valuable one, was that of Whitelaw, who was caught behind the wickets. Whitelaw's 52 runs were compiled in steady and often brilliant fashion. In fact, he was the backbone of the Aucklanders' batting oyer a critical two hours. His cover-driving was superb and to Roberts' best deliveries he maintained an imperturbable defence.

Magnificent Catch Wallace's fine innings for 46 closed when Roberts brought off a magnificent slip catch inches oft' the ground to give Graham his second wicket. His square and late-cutting had been splendid. After Carson had been dismissed for 12 Vivian and Spring hammered the tired bowling over tho last hour and bustled the field with shrewd placing. There was applause when Vivian hit Cromb for a six and four toward six o'clock. This lively batting carried the total from five wickets for 205 to five for 257 at stumps. Neither batsmen seemed in any danger of going out and a good Auckland lead on the first innings can be taken for granted as the pitch is wearing well.

MATCH AT WELLINGTON

EVENTFUL DAY'S PLAY MOLONEY MISSES CENTURY [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION-] WELLINGTON, Sunday In a day of eventful cricket at the Basin Reserve yesterday 14 wickets fell for 312 runs in the Plunket Shield match between Wellington and Otago. The latter lost four wickets for 93 runs after 249 had been scored by Wellington. Wellington batted in the morning on a wot but easy wicket. However, the outfield was slow. After lunch both tlio wicket and the outfield were faster and 13 wickets fell for 226 runs. Wellington' scored 179 for the loss of three wickets, but the last seven wickets fell for 70 runs. D. A. R. Moloney (Manawatu) played a very sound innings for 91 and E. W. Tindill batted steadily for 40. L. Groves, the new Otago slowbowler, kept the ball well up to the batsmen and made it turn sharply in taking four wickets for 68 runs. I!. Silver, a, fast bowler, took the last tliree wickets quickly, finishing with three for 34. J. A. Dunning and l l '. T. Budcock bowled with commendable steadiness on the easy wicket. Otago's opening was sensational, two wickets falling in the third over, but A. R. Knight and C. <). Klines wore associated in a creditable partnership, which realised 78 runs. Both were dismissed just before stumps and the batsmen who usually go in late in the innings were sent in to play out time. Scores: — WE I jLING TOX. —First Innings E. W. Tindill, llnv, b Dunning . . 40 J). A. R. Moloney, c Seandrett, b Groves 91 E. G. McLeod, b Dunning . . . . 23 S. Ward, st Mills, b Groves . . . . 22 N. Gallichan, e Silver, b Groves 2 J. R. Lamason, lbw, b Elmos . . 5 C. Parsloe, b Groves 17 J. A. R. Blandford, b Silver . . 12 W. Tricklebank, not out . . . . 12 B. Griffiths, b Silver 1 E. D. Bltmdell, c and b Silver . . 12 Extras 12

Total 2-19 Bowling.—R. Silver took three wickets for 31 runs, F. T. Badcock none for 28, J. Dunning two for 64, C. J. Elmos ono for 35, L. Groves four for 68, G. McGregor none for 3, A. K. Knight none for 5. OTAGO. —First Innings F. T. Badcock, b Parsloe .... 8 A. R. Knight, e Blundell, b Gallichan 33 F. B. Kerr, b Parsloe 0 C. J. Elmes, c Moloney, b Gallic-han 42 J A. Dunning, not out „ . . . 2 G. Mills, not out 2 Extras (5 Total for four wickets . - . . 93 Bowling.—C. Parsloe took two wickets for 32 runs, E. D. Blundell none for 31, AY. Tricklebank none for 5, N. Gallichan two for 4, B. Griffiths none for 15.