Otago Should Have Strong And Well-balanced Side In Plunket Shield Games

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27262, 13 December 1949, Page 10

Otago Should Have Strong And Well-balanced Side In Plunket Shield Games

Sports Commentary

By the Sports Editor

Otago cricket has been on the up-grade over the last three years and the team chosen for the first Plunket Shield match of the season against Wellington at the Basin Reserve next week appears to be an even stronger combination than usual. It promises to be one of the best batting sides Otago has had for some years. There are five players who open for their clubs —B. Sutcliffe, R. T. Hunt, E. Watson, W. S. Haig, and G. H. Mills—and S. N. McGregor, A. W. Roberts, L. J. Groves, and L. D. Smith are all recognised batsmen, while I. Walsh and G. W. F. Overton can also make runs.

The most pleasing feature of the selection is the fact that all the players chosen have been in form, and, contrary to the experience of many previous seasons, the team has had play on hard and fast wickets before its first shield game. It has several capable all-rounders in the captain, Smith, the former New Zealand representative, Roberts, Groves, and Watson, while,.if necessary, Sutcliffe can be called upon to support Smith with his left-hand slow bowling.

The fast-medium attack will be in the hands of I. Walsh and G. W. F. Overton, and the latter will probably bear the brunt of the attack, though if Walsh reproduces his last season’s performance against Wellington and finds a wicket to his liking on the Basin Reserve he may prove even more hostile than the Southlander. Watson will provide the medium-paced bowling, and the slow spinners are Groves (right hand) and Smith (left hand), both of whom have been taking wickets in the club games. Roberts, apart from his outstanding ability with the bat and his brilliance as a slip field, can be called upon to provide a further link in the attack, and, if the occasion demands it, can make the batsman play him all the time.

Mills was the obvious choice as wicket-keeper. He is showing just as good form behind the wicket as when he went so close to selection in the New Zealand team last year.

The side promises to develop into a well-balanced and powerful combination, and with the example of Smith, the captain, Sutcliffe, and Roberts to inspire the players, it should be as strong in this department of the game as it has been during the last three years.

Judiciously handled, and backed up by keen fielding, the Otago attack may prove even stronger than the less optimistic Otago supporters may think. It does not lack variety, and should perform with credit.

Only two of the players are new to shield cricket—Haig and Watson—and both have fully earned their selection. Of last year’s side, L. A. Watt, T. A. Freeman, and D. S. St. John are missing. Watt, who is still a brilliant fieldsman and a good batsman, has had a lean patch, and is twelfth man on this occasion. Freeman is not available for the shield games, which is unfortunate, because he has been in particularly good form with bat and ball. St. John has not been playing this season owing to indisposition. Of those who did not gain selection; the most unlucky was A. M. Moir, a fine all-round cricketer. It was evident that the choice of a spin bowler would lie between Moir and Groves, and possibly Groves’s greater experience earned him the preference. Moir, however, should undoubtedly receive further consideration before the shield series is completed. Botting’s Form In England

“ lan Rotting is doing well on the wing for Oxford, although he has appeared a little sluggish, according to newspaper reports,” writes a former Dunedin Rugby enthusiast in a letter from London to the sports editor written the week before the match between Oxford and Cambridge. “This is* understandable, after the strenuous tour of Sonth Africa,” he adds. “ Rotting, by the way, has had a mixed reception from the sports writers, as do most prominent athletes. One writer described him as having the speed and grace of a gazelle and a particularly vicious hand-off. Another said that lie was obviously experienced, but seemed to lack the speed necessary in a wing three-quarter! ” Otago Batsmen Shape Well

Unquestionably the feature of the batting in the representative ci'icket match between Otago and Southland last week was the form displayed by the brilliant New Zealand left-hander, Bert Sutcliffe, whose performance in scoring a century before lunch in his first game' since leaving England was outstanding. Sutcliffe watched the ball carefully, playing all the bowling on its merits, add his ‘placement to square-leg of the ball that was pitched well up was a treat to watch. W. S. Haig, who opened with Sutcliffe and was associated in a partnership of 158, he played’ a solid if somewhat cautious innings. He displayed excellent concentration, and this must have considerably enhanced his claims for representative honours. R. T. Hunt batted with his usual polish and was not worried by any of the bowling. He used the back cut effectively, and generally his stroke play was as good as anything likely to be seen in the shield games this season. The colt of the side, S. N. McGregor, appeared to be in run-getting vein, but in chasing a ball from G. W. F. Overton was well caught in the slips. McGregor is a player who' has every possibility of being selected in the next New Zealand team to tour overseas. He is only 18, but is already in his second season of Plunket Shield cricket, and should now be displaying the concentration necessary for success in first-class cricket. He is one of the most correct stroke players in the senior competition, and if lie can exercise a little more judgment as to the ball to hit he should soon be amassing big scores in shield games.

Successful Southland Batsman J. Gill, a promising young cricketer, and his captain, C. V. Shirley, were the only Southland batsmen to show any confidence against the Otago attack last Saturday, although P. Giles and G. A. Wilson provided some entertaining cricket when using the long handle. Gill, who is only 21, is a lefthander who hits the ball hard and shows distinct ability. Shirley, who has given outstanding service for Southland, is still a first-class batsman and his wicket-keeping was also of a good standard. Fostering Junior Cricket

The Otago Cricket Association is fortunate in having several members who show great keenness and enthusiasm in their efforts to further the interests of junior cricket. Mr W. J. Braithwaite, a selector of the Otago Bra bin Cup team, is one who devoted much of his spare time and energy to fostering the game throughout Otago. He is invariably to be found at the junior games, offering a word of advice and encouragement to players, and ms efforts to raise the standard, particularly of Brabin Cup cricket, is going to bear fruit for Otago in the Plunket Shield series in years to come.

Australian Officials For Empire Games

Twenty-seven Australian sports administrators, most of whom have outstanding records, have been nominated as officials for the Empire Games at Auckland in February. The list of 12 swimming officials is headed by Mr W. Berge Phillips; chief judge and a member of the Jury of Appeal and Management Committee at the Olympic Games in London last year. Mr Phillips is a member of the FINA Bureau. Apart from Mr Phillips, the most prominent swimming officials named are Mr L. Claxton, a judge at the London Olympics; Mr J. H. Morison, a former chief judge at Australian national championship carnivals; and Mrs Mary Chambers, chaperon of the Australian Olympic team in 1932. Mr Morison is a vice-president of the Australian Swimming Union. Mrs Chambers, who has been secretary of the New South Wales Women’s Amateur Swimming Association for nearly 40 years, is one of Australia’s outstanding authorities on the sport. The other nominees include men who have officiated at national championships, either as judges, timekeepers, starters or diving judges. Mr H. Murphy is secretary of the New South Wales Diving Committee. Best known of the athletic officials are Messrs Frank E. Andrews, a finish judge at the 1938 Empire Games in Sydney, and William Treloar, a timekeeper at the last British Empire v. USA carnival at the White City. The sole rowing representative is Mr Edward Kenny, who was an umpire at the 1938 Empire Games. Useful Performances

Ivan Walsh was the chief wickettaker in the match between Otago and Southland, and his seven wickets for 73 runs was an excellent effort. Walsh appears to be bowling with more hostility than was the case last year, and if he pays a little more attention to direction he should take many wickets for Otago. All-rounders in the Otago side who did well were A. M. Moir and E. Watson. Moir, with 25 not out and six wickets for 70 runs, had a successful match. He is a right-hand slow-medium paced bowler who' is developing more variation of pace and flight and spins the ball well from leg, as well as bowling an occasional wrong ’un. Watson scored 40 and his two wickets in Southland’s second innings were well deserved. Watson, a medium-paced bowler, gets considerable lift from the wicket and bowls an out-swinger to advantage. As he is also a first-class slip field, his value to the Otago side in the shield games should be considerable. Decisive Win

In poring rain- at the Newmarket Olympic pool the long-awaited meeting between “ Buddy ” Lucas and Michael Amos in the Half-mile Auckland Freestyle Swimming Championship resulted in a decisive win for Lucas by some 11 yards, writes Noel Crump in a special message to the Daily Times. Lucas recorded lOmin 50.4 sec, an outstanding time for this pool, and better than Colin Chambers’s existing mark, but slower by 24sec than his own new time established in the Tepid Pool. Amos did very well in his first senior outing to record lOmin 57.55ec, but had a hard struggle all the way, stroking much faster than Lucas, who had the race in hand after the first 110 yards. Peter Blomfleld appeared at the meeting on his return from Australia, but will have a long way to go to recapture the form whicn earned him two second places in the Dominion championships in 1947 at Nelson. Overton Impresses

G. W. F. Overton was the most successful ' Southland bowler in the match against Southland, and finished the first day by capturing wickets for 87 runs off 31 overs. It was noticeable, however, that his bowling improved in the latter stages, but then this is a peculiarity of last year’s successful Plunket Shield bowler. He has heaps of determination, and his ability to rise to the occasion has been a noteworthy feature of many, of the Plunket Shield games-in which he has appeared for Otago. G. A. Wilson, who performed so well for the Otago Brabin Shield team last season, is a fast-medium-paced bowler of promise, and would be well advised to use the full bowling crease and bowl from his full height. Playing for Southland last week, he had several distinctly hostile spells. He should appear in Plunket Shield cricket in the near future provided he pays attention to the fundamentals for a bowler of his type—run up, correct delivery action, and a more definite follow through.

Fast Half-mile N. T. O. Wilson, the New Zealand junior half-mile champion and record holder, recorded lmin 54.65ec for the Half-mile in the annual athletic contest between Auckland and Waikato recently. It was an impressive run in a strong wind. and on a damp track. C. Parker won the luO Yards in lO.lsec, and the 220 Yards in 22.55ec, good times under the conditions. Surf Life Saving

With the object of raising funds to cover the cost of new life saving equipment, valued at £ 150, the St. Clair Life Saving Club is presenting an aquatic variety show at the Municipal Baths tomorrow evening. The varied programme, which includes . Dunedin’s foremost Hawaiian Band, promises to be most interesting. The carnival will be officially opened by the “ Mayor of White Island,” escorted by pipers and attendants. Novelty events include a greasy pole erected on the high diving tower, surf ski and punt fights. The swimming events have drawn some of New Zealand’s best sprinters, and it will be interesting to see how near W. J. Jarvis can get to his Australasian record of 23 l-ssec for 50 yards. Swimming at Mosgiel

More than ordinary interest will be taken in the Taieri Swimming Club’s carnival at Mosgiel tomorrow afternoon, as it will be the venue of a water polo match between the Otago team for the national championships and the Rest. Members of city clubs have supported the carnival liberally, and the fields promise to be the best for many years. The. 50 yards freestyle event, for instance, has attracted an entry of 28 swimmers, including most of the province’s best, and with the organisation that is always a feature of the Taieri Club's activities, this year’s carnival promises to be one of the most successful to date.