AUCKLAND START CAUTIOUSLY IN SECOND INNINGS TO-DAY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18992, 11 February 1930, Page 10

AUCKLAND START CAUTIOUSLY IN SECOND INNINGS TO-DAY .

East Bowling And Keen Fielding Make Batsmen’s Task Difficult.

Per Pre«» Association. AUCKLAND, February 11. On a faht wicket that was beginning to crumble to dust at both ends, the third and final day s play between Auckland and the M.C.C. commenced this morning at Kden Park in bright, sultry weather. The attendance was small at the start. Faced with the task of getting 90 runs to square England’s opening score, Mills and Anthony pioneered the way. Allom opened from the pavilion end to Anthony, who pulled the third ball to square leg for a brace. The Surrey man was swinging the new ball and required careful watching. Barratt Bowls Fast. Barratt, the Notts man of pace, took up the attack at the other end and rocked them in at a great pace, with four slips in a crescent set very deep. Mills got a single and Anthony saw the rest of the over out. Allom struck a good length, and was hard to play. In his next over one kept low and shot in just clear of Mills’s off pin. Anthony had a swing at a ball from Barratt which rose high, but he failed to connect. The next ball he brilliantly square cut to the fence, the pace beating Benson, who was at extra deep point. The last ball was a dead shooter wide of the sticks. Going Cautiously. Both batsmen were feeling their way cautiously in an endeavour to get the sight of the ball. Allom began to angle for Mills with a going away ball, but the Eden crack steered a single neatly through the slips cordon. Through a well set field runs were hard to get, Gilligan having a third man deep on the fence to save fours. Burly Barratt began to work up a great pace, and Mills, coming down on a rising one, made the ball fairly flash to the fence behind point. An Escape. Anthony snicked a bumping ball from Allom high in the slips. Duleepsinhji leaped in the air and the ball ricocheted off his fingers for a single. It was a great effort to gather a wicket for England, the fieldsman showing uncanny anticipation of the stroke. Both men got singles and Anthony survived an lbw appeal to Allom’s bowling. In five overs there were only five runs.

Allom’s length was perfect at this stage and he sent them down with nobody fielding behind him. Mills was going along in imperturbable style, but Anthony did not trust the wicket and was playing very carefully. The Eden man swung Allom nicely for a single and Anthony turned the following ball for one amid cries of ‘‘Go on” from the hill, where the opinion was that it could just as easily have been a two. Partnership Broken. When Anthony faced. Allom again a swerving ball beat him all the way. and went off his pad and spread-eagled the wickets. The Parnell man had never settled down and his departure w r as not unexpected. The opening Auckland partnership had lasted just half an hour, 18—1—8. Gillespie opened with a single and then forced Allom to the on for two. The Surrey man was making the ball occasionally nip from the pitch in disconcerting fashion. stills was playing with great confidence on the off, but could not pierce the field and a couple of overs only yielded leg bye. The only exciting thing at this period was the clanging of a neighbouring firebell. Barratt began to mop his face with a large handkerchief, and Worthington gave him rest. The- Notts fast trundler had sent down seven overs for twelve runs. Double Change. With a sharp burst of speed Worthington whipped along a very fast over to Gillespie. It included one dead shooter. Gilligan made it a double change by bringing on Woolley, vice Allom, and Mills placed the man from Kent neatly to the leg for a single. Woolley was bowling round the wicket, and his colleague, Cornford, appealed loudly lor lbw when Gillespie stopped one of the angle deliveries with his pad. Another Wicket Falls.

With the score at 28 Mills departed clean bowled by af ast ball from Worthington. The Eden man tried to get it away on the leg side and the ball, keeping low, wrecked his wicket. Mills had been batting for forty-five minutes, and had looked like staying. 28—2—15. When Weir came there was a strong appeaj for lbw with Woolley still bowling at the widest angle round the wicket. The umpire shook his head decidedly. Gillespie turned Worthington far a single and Weir got a no ball on the leg side for three. Weir also got Woolley away neatly on the leg side for two, and followed it with a single to short leg. Worthington over tossed one in the next over, Weir sending it away to the on for two. Slow Scoring. Both batsmen were playing with great care and the rate of scoring was very slow. Woolley had Gillespie tied up, and put two fieldsmen close in to try and get him caught. Slow Scoring. An hour’s play had produced 38 runs. It was desperately slow scoring with the Aucklanders palying a sternly defensive game. When Woolley dropped one short, Gillespie hooked it hard to the fence. He cut the next ball to Bowley at backward point, who juggled with the ball above his head, and then dropped it. By way of a thanks offering, Gillespie swung the next ball hard to the ©©©©©©©©a©©@©©®©©®©n

line, a fast-travelling shot which gave the outfield no chance. Gilligan was nursing his men of speed, and replaced Worthington with Allom. An appeal for lbw was made against Gillespie unsuccessfully, and when the next ball rapped his pads some of the spectators also inquired, “How’s that?” Gillespie deflected the following 6ne for a single. Fifty runs went up m seventy-four minutes. Another single to Gillespie was marked by a lightning pick-up and return by Duleepsinhji. Gillespie was now showing more confidence, and drove Woolley hard on the off, Barratt stopping two killing drive' - cleanly. The Wicket Crumbling. The wicket was crumbling steadily as play went on, and occasionally the track of the ball after it pitched was marked by a trail of flying brown dust After a narrow escape from getting caught at point, Gillespie got Allom away for one, Weir following it with a good off drive for two. In one spell of eight minutes, not a single run went on. The English skipper put Bowley on at the top end in place of Woolley. The rate of scoring brightened slightly at once. Gillespie hooked a single, and Weir pulled one round to the on for tw’o before the over was out. Weir added another single. Gillespie opened out at Allom to swing a last ball on the leg side to the fence. The Englishmen appealed loudly for lbw next ball. Cornford let the following ball right through to the screen. Bowley began to send them up high, slow and flighty, with three men spaced wide in the deep field. Both batsmen accepted the invitation to hit, but were finding it hard to get the ball away. Neither could do much with Allom. The Surrey man was still swinging a bit in the air with perfect length, and now and again bringing the ball back to the off. Gillespie lifted Bowley to the outfield, where Earle gathered it on tha first bounce and returned it. The Sussex player was turning the ball a lot from leg, and had to be negotiated with caution.

Woolley was the next bowling change, reappearing at the Terrace end to rest Allom, Bowling round the wicket, he flighted them slow to the batsmen with impeccable length. In singles, the score was carried along*, both batsmen trying to get back to the slow bowlers, and force them to the on. The English ground fielding was of a very high order, and there were ripples of applause when nara carpet shots were neatly stopped Careful play saw out the last over before lunch, when the score was 76 (Gillespie 26, Weir 20) On resuming Gillespie was dismissed without adding to his score. Weir and Wensley carried the total to the century. Scores:— AUCKLAND. First innings 333 Second Innings. J. E. Mills, b Worthington 15 A. Anthony, b Allom 8 H. D. Gillespie, c Cornford b Barratt 26 G. Weir, not out .'... 27 A. F. Wensley, not out 10 Extras 14 Total for three wickets .. 100 M.C.C. First Innings. . E. 11. Bowley, c Finlayson b Wensley 15 E. W. Dawson, c Wensley b Matheson 1 K. S. Duleepsinhji. run out 60 F. E. Woolley, c Weir b Elliott . . 40 S. Worthington, b Allcott .* 125 E. T. Benson, b Matheson 29 A. H. H. Gilligan, c Elliott, b M’Coy 48 G. F. Earle, c Elliott b M’Coy . . 40 F. Barratt, not out 10 W. Cornford, b Allcott 1 M. J. C. Allom, b M’Coy I Extras 2G Total 423 Bowling Analysis.

TEST MATCH RECEIPTS SHOW PROFIT OF £BBO. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, February 11. The nett receipts from the M.C.C. v. Wellington match were £747* of which £375 go to the New Zealand Cricket Council. The nett receipts from the test match were £BBO, all of which the Council receives. The Shield match against Canterbury produced a profit of £214. TRAMWAYMEN’S TEAMS MEET AT WELLINGTON. (Special to the “ Star.”) WELLINGTON, February 11. In the Lauchlan Cup match the Wellington tramwaymen beat the Christchurch tramwaymen by an innings and 50 runs. Christchurch made 89 (Smith, 32 not out), and 172 (Murray 40. Mather 26. Nuttridge 21, Johansen, not out 18. Parkes 17, Dawson 15, Smith 14). Wellington scored 311 (Standage 63, Canute 50, Bennett 49. Greig 43. Dind 30).

Matheson .... o. 19 M. 4 R. 41 W. Wensley .... 02 8 75 1 Allcott 21 3 79 2 Anthony .... 10 1 34 0 Finlay son .... 13 2 38 0 Elliott 17 5 60 1 M’Coy 12 — 53 3 Weir 3 i 8 0