Confident Start Made By N.Z. Cricket Team Against Yorkshire; 370 For Seven Wickets Declared

Wanganui Chronicle, 2 May 1949, Page 5

Confident Start Made By N.Z. Cricket Team Against Yorkshire; 370 For Seven Wickets Declared

Good Opening Partnership Between Sutcliffe And Scott

(By Alan Mitchell, N.Z.P.A. Representative with the Team) ' LONDON, April 30 (Rec. 6 pm).—With a full-blooded hook .to square-leg boundary oft the fifth ball of the match, Sutcliffe opened the New Zealand tour against Yorkshire at Bradford. With equal aggressiveness, Scolt sent the first ball ho received, a full toss, to the leg boundary also. Then, with cool confidence, Loth Aucklanders made an opening stand of .117 in one hour 40 minutes. Hadlee and Wallace continued in the same strain with another century partnership, and just before six o’clock, after New Zealand had batted for nearly five and a-half hours, Hadlee declared with 370 runs for seven wickets.

In some 20 minutes, Hutton and Halliday scored eight, playing out time carefully against the aggressive and accurate bowling of Cowie and Cave, with the New Zealanders showing such smartness at fielding that any doubts engendered by Eastbourne were painlessly forgotten. In the dressing room at the end of the day, Hadlee said: “We all are delighted with our start. We all appreciate the importance of this match and everybody was keyed up. I think we have done all that could be expected.”

There was indeed tension about the first half-hour of the game that few members of the team are likely to forget. Before Hadlee and Yardley tossed, both the New Zealanders and the Yorkshire men had a knock at the nets. The New Zealand captain maintained his custom of calling “tails” and waved his bat to his men, staring anxiously through the tall windows of the pavilion. There was no cause to question his custom. Then, for a half-hour, every remaining member of the team sat silent, in concentration and some prayer, whilst Sutcliffe and Scott played themselves in. When Sutcliffe pulled a long hop from Robinson for six with perfect timing and grace, wide grins split every face, wiping away all vestiges of strain.

The runs were coming! The first 50 took 46 minutes. Sutcliffe removed one of his sweaters and hit three sixes and 101 was on the board in 80 minutes Sutcliffe wag doing most of his scoring on the leg side and occasionally produced powerful drives to the off. Scott was dour and meant death to any loose ball. And then, just as we were telling ourselves Sutcliffe was set for his century, suddenly he was out He played slightly too far forward to a rising ball from Aspinall and Wardle had him at fine leg. He had scored 72 in 100 minutes and hit seven fours in addition to his three sixes.

Hadlee square-cut Aspinall fol three immediately and then abruptly Scott was out, too, edging another risirg ball to Wardle, who was now at second slip. Two wickets in three balls, but the Aucklanders had given New Zealand a grand start! Wal-

(ace and Hadlee played carefully in the last quarter hour to lunch, both beginning with some uncertainty. Hadlee drew a massive “Oh!” from 1 crowd of 12,500 when he snicked a rising ball from Aspinall between the wicket-keeper and the first slip to the boundary Wallace derived ?omfort from driving a full toss from Wardle for six and the 142 for two at lunch was as satisfying as the meal itself.

The New Zealand captain and vicecaptain were painstaking when they returned and were content with seven runs in the first quarter of an hour. Coxon was now bowling at his peak and twice beat Wallace. Hadlee gave Hutton a difficult chance at mid-on. Quick singles were stolen. Wallace scored 52 in an hour, while Hadlee collected 19 With the ball becoming ‘old” and before a new one was taken, both New Zealanders collared the bowling. They relished the long hops from Halliday and produced a partnership of a century in one and a-quarter hours. The entire team was delighted to see Hadlee, cares of speech-making cast aside, having what Bryan Sellers would call six ounces of luck, and batting with confidence on an easy-paced wicket. Wallace, though not so faultless as Sutcliffe, hit ten fours and one six and scored freely all round the wicket. Donnelly firmly placed the seal of success on the innings and hit six fours, including some graceful off drives and leg glides, in his one hour 25 minutes at the wicket before he was yorked. Rabone and Mooney were without even a half-ounce of luck, and Burtt, playing to his captain’s instructions, was solid and full of care and concentration for 105 minutes.

Among the spectators were the Prime Minister of New Zealand (Mr. Fraser) and the High Commissioner for New Zealand in London (Mr. Jordan) who shook hands with the teams on the field and Mr. Fraser found the atmosphere following tea so peaceful after the bustle and cares of the Commonwealth Conference that he had a short nap. Details: NEW ZEALAND First Innings Sutcliffe, c Wardle, b Aspinall _ 72 Scott, c Wardle, b Aspinall ....... „ 41 Hadlee, c Wilson, h Aspinall 46 Wallace, c Wardle, b Coxon 82 Donnelly, b Robinson 69 Rabone, c Coxon, h Aspinall 5 Mooney, b Aspinall 1 Burtt, not out 28 Cave, not out 10 Sundries 16 Total, for 7 wickets decld., 370

YORKSHIRE First Innings Hutton, not out ..... 3 lalliday, not out .. 5 Total for no wickets .. 8 The New Zetland team was chosen on Friday as follow.-;.• B Sutcliffe, V. J. Scott. W. A Hadlee,’W. M. Wallace, M. P. Donnelly, G. O Rabone, F. H. L. Moonoy, T. B Burtt, H. B. Cave. J A Cowie, G.' F. Cresswell. The twelfth man is J. Reid.

Bowling Analysis Aspinall ... O. 27 M. 3 R 80 w. Coxnn 27 2 86 1 Yardley G 0 21 0 Robinson 32 8 78 1 Wardle 20 71 0 Halliday 4 0 18 0