NO PLAY TO-DAY.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20503, 3 January 1935, Page 8

NO PLAY TO-DAY.

Auckland Beat Otago on First Innings. RAIN AT DUNEDIN. Per Press Association. DUNEDIN, This Day. After continuous rain overnight, the wicket this morning was under water, and the Auckland-Otago Plunket Shield match had to be abandoned. Auckland won by 172 runs on the first innings. Scores were:— OTAGO. First innings 278 Second Innings. Cavanagh, b Cowie 4 Saxton, not out 22 Uttley, b Vivian 14 Leader, not out 0 Extras 2 Total for two wickets .... 42 Bowling analysis—Cowie, one wicket for 7 runs; Matheson, none for 16; Bush, none for 0; Vivian, one for 8; Townsend, none for 9. AUCKLAND. First Innings. Mills, c Smith b Badcock 70 Whitelaw, Ibw b Dunning 22 Weir, c Cavanagh b Dunning 45 Bush, c Clark b Dickinson 30 Vivian, c Smith b Dickinson 101 Townsend, c Dunning b Elmes .... 11 Wallace, b Elmes 19 Edmonds, lbw b Elmes \ Sale, c Badcock b Elmes 65 Matheson, b Chettleburgh 4 4 Cowie, not out Extras Total 450 Bowling analysis—Dickinson, two wickets for 73 runs; Badcock, one for 97; Smith, none for 22; Dunning, two for 121; Elmes, four for 72; Chettleburgh, one for 47. Yesterday’s Play. Per Press Association. DUNEDIN, January 2. Taking full advantage of conditions that were very much in their favour Auckland piled up a large score in the Plunket Shield cricket match, which was resumed at Carisbrook to-day. When play began Auckland, in reply to Otago’s first innings total of 278, had lost five wickets for 216, and went on to make a. total of 450, which left the home side 172 to make to avoid an innings defeat. When play c' sed at 4.15, owing to bad Hght, Otago had lost two wickets for 42 Few bright patches were seen in today’s play, for until the closing stages of the Auckland innings the visitors adhered to their highly successful policy of waiting for runs to come, and there were periods when the crowd, as on the previous day, expressed its disappointment at the lack of enterprise in batting. Otago’s only hope of success was a rapid early fall of wickets, but on a wicket that gave them not the slightest help the bowlers could not bring about a separation until Auckland was within easy reach of Otago’s total. Wallace, whose partnership with Vivian, had been worth 54 runs to Auckland, then went lbw to Elmes, who ultimately proved to be Otago’s most effective bowler. After the early dismissal of Edmonds, at which stage seven wickets were down for 252, there was still hope for the home side, but Vivian secured anc/Uier worthy partner in Sale, and anotner fine stand, which added 95 runs at a critical period of the game, placed the visitors well on the road to victory. Vivian’s fine score of 101 gave the Dunedin public a long awaited opportunity of seeing the New Zealand representative properly in action. Throughout his innings he was prepared to play a waiting game, but with eleven strokes to the boundary and one pver the fence he proved his ability to take advantage of loose balls. Towards the end of his innings Dickinson was bowling extraordinarily well, and though Vivian managed to get a brace to complete his hundred he immediately afterwards played the fast bowler into the slips, where a catch was held. Sale, who had the good fortune to be dropped when he gave the easiest of chances at 26. merely plodded along until Matheson set him an example, and he then scored In lively fashion. Auckland’s batting at this stage must have satisfied the longings of the spectators for runs came at a fast rate, while 63 was added for the ninth wicket, and the pace was maintained during the closing partnership of 40 runs. Auckland had taken the fullest advantage of a batsman’s wicket, and had left Otago a heavy task. As on the previous day the Otago bowlers stood up well to their task, and they made the batsmen fight for runs until the concluding stages of the innings. Dickinson gave one of his best performances for the province, and his effort was worth more than his figures indicated. Dunning was also extremely accurate, but Badcock could not maintain bis form of the previous day. Elmes gained valuable wickets by good bowling. Otago’s scoring in the second innings was no more lively than that of Auckland at its slowest, hut the tactics of the batsmen were well justified, for the loss of Cavanagh in the first over and the distinctly bad light, against -which consistent appeals were made, demanded “ digging in ” tactics. The blaming of the light for the dismissal of Uttle3 r may have been justified, for it was only five minutes after he was bowled that stumps were drawn.

(A review of the Otago - Woiling--ton match appears on Page 11.)