CRICKET

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25732, 2 January 1945, Page 2

CRICKET

OTAGO v. WELLINGTON

VISITORS LEAD ON FIRST INNINGS At the end of the second day’s play yesterday in the representative cricket match between Wellington and Otago which was commenced at Carisbrook on Saturday, Wellington occupied a favourable position. Tire visitors, holding a first innings lead of 16 runs, went in again yesterday afternoon, and at slumps had two wickets down for 145 runs. The conditions were ideal when play began. The wicket was easy, and, although the outfield was on the slow side, under the influence cf the light breeze and sun it beesrne more lively as the day advanced. The attendance was 1200 on Saturday and 1000 yesterday. The umpires were Messrs J. Port.eous and G. McDonald.

F. H. L. Mooney, the Wellington captain, won the toss and elected to bat on a typical Carisbrook wicket. The side made an excellent start, the first-wicket partnership between S. G. Rowe and J. Duffy putting on 60 runs for an hour s plav. Rowe, who was eventually bowled by' A. W. McDougall for 50, played an attractive innings, scoring all round the wicket.. His stroke-making was of an effortless kind, but there was power behind each shot. Only once did he raise the ball dangerously, and on that occasion it came within easy reach of A. S. Cutler in the slips, but the fieldsman was slow to intercept. After being 88 minutes at (he wickets. Rowe pulled a ball from McDougall into his stumps, and his innings ended with the board showing 75 for three wickets. Duffy’s 20 was a valuable contribution to the first-wicket partner'ship. Bright Partnership

With Rowe’s dismissal, Otago began to a grip of the game, and, although Moonev played a solid and correct innings for 31.'which included some effective onside strokes, and J. Ell, who got in some good cover hits and off drives, made li. seven wickets were down for 142. Prospects for Otago looked promising, but at this stage two young players in H. Chapman and N. Hoar became associated, and in what was perhaps the brightest period in the day’s play added 65 runs before being separated. These two were together for just about an hour, and displayed a varletv of strokes of a crisp nature, baiting with confidence against steady bowling. They were still together at the tea adiournment, while the score was 207 tor seven wickets, Chapman having scored 30. including four 4’s, and Hoar 34, which included five 4’s. Then with one rf those changes which not infrequently take place after an adjournment, the board showed a dramatic alteration in the course of a good over from T A. Freeman. With Ins second delivery after the resumption Freeman clean bowled Chapman without addition to the score, and with the next knocked back Ashendcn’s stumps. The remaining balls of the over beat the last batsman. R. Allen, without, however, dismissing him. The innings closed in the following over, when A. C. Graham got Allen 1 b w. and from seven for 207 the board showed the final total as 208. Hoar being 35 not out The innings occupied 237 minutes. The first 100 runs came in 112 minutes, and 200 was raised after 225 minutes play. Impressive Bowling Figures Graham and Freeman, both right-hand-ers but dissimilar in style, came out with the best bowling figures. Graham, who was making his first appearance m a ieprosentative game. flighted the ball cleverly, and keeping an excellent length, had to be watched all the time. At one period he had taken three wickets tm 10 runs, finishing with four for 22 off 18.4 overs. Freeman, bowling with nis customary fire, kept his length consistenliv, and was easily the best of the faster paced bowlers. He emerged with four for 34 ofT lit overs. McDougall had plenty of bowling—perhaps a little too much —and although he did not slacken in his hostility, he sent up a greater number of half-volleys than is customaiy with him, being rather freely driven by some of the batsmen. His two wickets cost 71 runs oft 26 overs. A feature of the attack was the rapidity of the changes made by the Otago captain, C. D. Toomey, during the second half of the innings, in more than one case a bowler going on for one over and being either taken off or switched to the other end. The changes were generally effcctivc, however, and .the tactics bcltei than those by which bowlers arc kept on for too lengthy a period. Although the stopping occasionally was a little faulty, Otago’s lidding on the whole, was good. A. N. Lawson kept wickets particularly well, and allowed no byes, leg-byes accounting for all four extras. . .... 1 When Otago began its innings at 4.26 the opening batsmen, Cutler and D. Murdoch. took things easily for a while, ana although Murdoch did not appear to

I be very comfortable, the pair stayed on. I Cutler was developing soundly and makI ing some strong shots on both sides of I the wicket when he was run out from I a stroke by Murdoch to deep point. It is ; questionable whether Murdoch, who is a fast runner, should have called his partner, who is not speedy between the wickets, and Cutler was out by a yard or more after scoring 23. He batted for 43 minutes. Murdoch, who had been partnered by Toomey. had scored 19 when he was taken by Mooney behind the wickets off a rising ball from the first delivery by DufTy, a slow left-hander. He had been ■at the wickets for 73 minutes. With two wickets down for 62 the position was still satisfactory from an Otago point of view, but with four minutes to go Toomey, who had been joined by L. Miines, let a fast one from Chapman through and was bowled. In scoring 17 he made some graceful strokes to fineleg and to the on-slflc- generally. Wnen stumps were drawn three wickets were down for 82, Miines being 12 not out and G. H. Mills 0 not out. Moonev, following the same system as that employed by Toomey, made rapid changes in his bowling, and in the hour and a-half during which Otago was at the wickets employed no fewer than seven bowlers. Of these, Allen, the slow left-hander, who succeeded in turning the ball either way, troubled the batsmen most. Yesterday’s Play When plav was resumed yesterday morning, the wicket was affected by the previous day’s rain, followed by a hot sun in the morning, and as the play P ro_ ceeded it was obvious that the batsmen would find it somewhat difficult. The turf was sodden, and within half an hour ol the start it began to cut up a little, making any sort of aggressive batting rather risky. . When the Otago innings was resumed.

however, Milnes began brightly with two 4’s to the leg boundary off the slow bowler, D. Knapp, and he and Mills, who was very watchful, went on to bring up 100 in 119 minutes. Milnes was playing freely, but in attempting to on-drive A. M. Matheson he skied the ball and was easily taken bv Rowe at mid-on. He had made 24 quite attractively. Grah.lm came in to experience a narrow escape from the first ball, which he scooped over Duffy’s head at mid-off, only just out of reach. He got in a nice offdrive for 4, but was bowled off his pads without attempting to play the ball. He had scored 8. and five wickets were down for 114. With the addition of five runs, Freeman was well taken by Duffy low down at mid-on before he had scored. Useful Partnership

With six wickets down for 118. the position did not look promising for Otago, particularly as the wicket was still proving uncertain, and one or two of the slower balls came up dangerously. 1 McDougall, the newcomer, gave no indication at thb start that he was likely to stay, his forward reaching presaging an early dismissal. He settled down nicely, however, and with Mills went on to establish a useful partnership, both batsmen watching the ball Closely, and taking advantage of the few badly pitched deliveries which were sent along. The bowling, however, was accurate and maidens were plentiful, eigh't being registered from the first 12 overs of the day. When the luncheon adjournment was taken, the board showed 168 run for sixwickets, 86 runs being added for two hours' plav in the morning—Mills 28 not out, McDougall 130 not out. McDougall and Mills, resuming after | lunch, continued to play the careful game, but towards the end of his knock McDougall opened out to the slow bowler Allen and drove strongly, though runs were restricted by the slow outfield and deeply placed fieldsmen. McDougall had reached 34 when he played forward to and over one of Allen’s slow deliveries The partnership of 58, which was a useful one. lasted 80 minutes, and McDougall hit

only one 4. It was not long before Mills followed his partner to the pavilion, his innings of 39 being a patient but valuable one. He hit two 4's. and was at the wickets for 156 minutes. J. Ashenden, who had come on a few overs prior to this, was bowling j extremely well. He got Mills Ibw. and clean bowled Lawson before he bad ' | scored. Allen finished Hie innings off' by , j bowling E. Kruskopf, who went lor a > big hit after scoring 1. L. Smith was . 8 ' not out. The innings, which closed . for 192. occupied 254 minutes. The wickets were well distributed. ’ Allen and Matheson each bowled 20 * overs, the former taking two for 29 and ' Matheson two for 36, while Ashenden in > his 16 overs captured two for 16. Knapp, y Duffv. and Chapman each took one i wicket. All the bowling was steady, and although there was no life in the wicket, , I fine accurate length attack and the state I of the wicket made caution necessary. , Wellington’s Second Innings i ! The wicket was much easier when Weil j li/igton’s second innings commenced at 2.46 with Rowe and Duffy opening. The I eooo length bowling kept the batsmen ; fairly quiet, but Rowe later indulged in * ' some good driving. played eare- » l fullv and after just on an hour's play k had scored 16, the tea adjournment heing

taken with 41 runs showing for the loss of no wickets. Rowe’s contribution was 2j. { “ Fitt.v was raised after 74 minutes’ .play, but with the score at 64 a good opening partnership was dissolved, Duffy, -.who had taken 91 minutes to reach 26, being finely caught in the slips by McDougall off Miines. Rowe, who had been joiped bv Mooney, fell soon afterwards to another brilliant catch in the slips by Freeman off McDougall’s bowling. Rowe, with a score of 43 made in 98 minutes, completed a good double. With two wickets down for 74, Bain and Mooney carried on, the pair bringing 100 up in 115 minutes. During the last hour of plav the Otago bowling lacked Sting, but neither batsman showed any inclination to take risks. By stumps, however, they had added 71 runs for the partnership in 76 minutes, and the Wellington score was 145 for two wickets — Mooney 43 not out, Bain 28 not out. For some reason. Smith, the only slow bowler in the Otago side, was not used at this stage. ~ , . Both sides fielded smartly, but the throwing in was erratic, particularly in the case of Otago. The match will he concluded to-day. The scores are as follows: —

WELLINGTON First Innings S G. Howe, b McDougall 50 J. Duffy, b Graham .. 20 D. Knapp, c Lawson, b McDougall,.. 1 F. H. L. Mooney, c Miines, b Graham 31 G. Bain, c McDougall, b Freeman- .. 5 A. M. Matheson, lbw, b Freeman .. 15 J. Ell, b Graham 17 H. Chapman, b Freeman 30 N. Hoar, not out 3.) J. Ashendcn, b Freeman 0 R. Allen, lbw. b Graham 0 Extras 4 Total 208 Fall of wickets: 1 for 60, 2 for 64, 3 for 75. 4 for 97, 5 for 117, 6 for 135, 7 for 142, 8 for 207, 9 for 207, 10 for 208. BOWLING ANALYSIS <

Second Innings S. G. Rowe, c Freeman, b McDougall 43 ■T. Duffy, c McDougall, b Miines .. 26 T. 11. L. Mooney, not out 43 G. Bain, not out 28 Extras 5 Total (for two wickets) .. .. 145 Fall of wickets: 1 for 64, 2 for 74. BOWLING ANALYSIS

OTAGO First Innings D. Murdoch, c Mooney, b Duffy 19 A. S. Cutler, run out 23 C. D. Toomey. b Chapman 17 L. Miines, c Rowe, b Matheson .. .. 24 G. 11. Mills, 1 b w, b Ashendcn .. .. 39 A. C. Graham, b Matheson 8 T. A. Freeman, c Duffv, b Knapp... 0 A. W. McDougall. b Allen 34 L. Smith, not out. 8 A. N. Lawson, b Ashendcn 0 E. Kruskopf, b Allen t Extras 19 Total 192

Fall of wickets: One for 39, 2 for 62, 3 for 82, 4 for 103, 5 for 114, 6 for 119, 7 for 177, 8 for 185, 9 for 185, 10 for 192.

O. M. R. w. T. A. Freeman .. 19 10 24 4 A. W. McDougall 26 10 71i 2 E. Kruskopf 16 4 34 — A. C. Graham 1B.4 8 22 4 L. Smith ‘ . .. 10 2 23 —

T. A. Freeman .. O. 18 M. 6 R. 35 W. A. C. Graham .. 15 5 34 — E. Kruskopf 7 2 11 — A. VV. MeDougall lfl 7 38 1 L. Milncs .. .. 10 3 24 1

Bowling Analysis O. M. R. VV. N. Hoar 6 i IS — J. Ashcnden 11 2 16 2 R. Allen . .. an 8 2!) 2 A. M. Mathcson.. an 6 36 2 D. Knapp .. .. 18 5 45 1 J. DufTy .. .. 8 2 16 1 H. Chapman.. Hoar bowled one 8 no3 ball. 16 1