SECOND TEST MATCH.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 365, 5 March 1932, Page 10

SECOND TEST MATCH.

South African Batsmen Show Good Form. RAIN CAUSES DELAY IN PLAY, Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, March 5. REPLYING to New Zealand’s first innings total of 364, South Africa, at 4.30 p.m., had scored 309 for six wickets. At 4.50 p.m., 320 was on the board with Balaskas and Vincent still unbeaten. A feature of the early stages of play to-day was a good innings by Christy, who carried bis overnight score from 32 to 62. Then followed a fine partnership between Viljoen and Dalton, who were responsible for adding 86 before Dalton was dismissed. Viljoen carried on to compile 81, Balaskas was another to show form. Owing to rain during the afternoon play was suspended for an hour, the wicket being covered.

The teams are:— South Africa. H. B. Cameron (captain) T. A. J. Christy B. Mitchell E. L. Dalton X. Balaskas K. Viljoen C. L. Vincent Q. M’Millan L. S. Brown N. A. Quinn A. J. Bell THE PLAY. Viljoen and Christy continued South Africa's innings. After Vivian completed the unfinished over, Allcott and Dickinson took up the attack. Both batsmen scored with shots behind the wicket off Dickinson. Viljoen drove Allcott to the fence and snicked Dickinson through the slips to the boundary. Viljoen brought 100 up after 76 minutes, Christy reaching 50 soon afterwards. At 105 Badcock relieved Dickinson, whose eight overs had cost 35 runs. Ten came off the coach’s first over but there was no score off the next. After a fine innings of 95 minutes, in which he fully lived up to his reputation, Christy fell to a catch in slips off Badcock, when looking set for a big score. He hit five fours. 133—3 62.

Dalton was the newcomer and the scoring rate temporarily slackened, although both batsmen employed sound strokes and soon had tjie score moving again.

At 144 Vivian replaced Allcott (thirteen overs for 49) and Dickinson replaced Badcock (one for 35 off ten

One hundred and fifty was reached in 110 minutes. Vivian was bowling well and frequently had the batsmen guessing, but Dickinson did not appear difficult, shortly giving way to Badcock again. With the score at 170 Cromb relieved Vivian (one for 15 off six overs), and in the new bowler’s first over Viljoen reached 50 after 76 minutes’ batting. Bowling Changes.

Allcott was brought on at the northern end for the first time to-day, he and Cromb keeping the batsmen comparatively quiet. In an effort to break the partnership Blunt ■was also used at the northern end, where seven changes had been made this morning. Carrying on steadily Viljoen and Dalton took the total past 200, after 153 minutes. The pair capably shouldered the task of retrieving their side from a rather unsatisfactory position and caused the prospects of a followon to fade. When he -was 67 Viljoen was missed in the slips by Dempster off Dickinson. In the fast bowler’s next over Dalton snicked one to James’s safe hands. Dalton made a valuable stand for 71 minutes. He hit

New Zealand. M. L. Page (captain) 0. S. Dempster G. L. Weir A. W. Roberts R. C. Blunt H. G. Vivian C. F. W. Allcott F. T. Badcock K. C. James I. B. Cromb G. R. Dickinson H. N. Lambert (twelfth man) four 4's and helped Viljoen to add 87. 220—4—42. Balaskas remained with Viljoen till lunch, when the score was 227 for four wickets. The ground rapidly filled after lunch. In the first half-hour of post-lunch play scoring was slow against accurate bowling by Cromb, Dickinson and Badcock. Lambert fielded in place of Weir. Slow scoring continued until the partnership was broken when a wellpitched ball by Page beat Viljoen, who had batted for 167 minutes in a stubborn display, hitting nine fours. M’Millan followed, but soon gave an easy catch to silly mid-on. Light rain commenced at 2.45 p.m. Rain caused an adjournment at 3.5 p.m., the wicket being covered. The score was then 256 for six wickets.

Play was resumed at 4.10 p.m.. Soon after Balaskas square cut Dickinson for four, reaching 50 after batting ninetythree minutes. He was playing a valuable innings, mixing good scoring shots, with dogged defence. Dickinson was bowling with little luck, and another chance off his bowling saw Vincent missed behind the wickets. Three hundred was passed after 270 minutes' play.

Following are the scores;— NEW ZEALAND. First Innings. C. S. Dempster, c Vincent b Al’Alillan 64 G. L. Weir, b M’Millan S R. C. Blunt, lbw b Quinn 25 H. G. Vivian, c Dalton b M’Millan 100 A. W. Roberts, lbw b Quinn 1 M. L. Page, c Mitchell b Brown . . 7 F. T. Badcock, c and b M’Millan . . 53 G. R. Dickinson, st Cameron b M’Millan 2 C. F. W. Allcott, c Dalton b Mitchell 26 T. B. Cromb, not out 51 K. C. James, lbw b Mitchell 11 Extras * 16 Total 364 Bowling analysis.—Bell, no wickets for 4 7 runs: Quinn, two for 51 : Brown, one for 59; M’Millan, five for 125; Vincent, none for 32; Christy, none for 11; Mitchell, two for 23. SOUTH AFRICA First Innings. J. A. J. Christy, c Dempster b Badcock 62 B. Mitchell, b Cromb 0 H. B. Cameron, c Blunt b Vivian . . 4 4 K. Viljoen, h Page 81 E. Jj. Dalton, c James b Dickinson 42 Q. M’Millan, c Dickinson b Allcott 1 X. Balaskas, not out 59 C. L. Vincent, not out 15 Extras 5 Total for six wickets .... 309