BAY OF PLENTY FACING DEFEAT IN HAWKE CRICKET

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 64, 14 March 1949, Page 5

BAY OF PLENTY FACING DEFEAT IN HAWKE CRICKET

(Special to Beacon) Rotorua, last night. With 221 runs to get to stave off an innings defeat, Bay of Plenty followed on with the second strike against Waikato in the Hawke Cup cricket match here on Saturday afternoon and had lost 4 wickets for 114 when play was adjourned until Monday.

When stumps were drawn on the first day of the match between Waikato and Bay of Plenty on Friday night A. J. Aitken 51 and N. McMahon 48 continued their fourth wicket stand and soon brought the score along to 150. The bowlers, handicapped by a greasy ball, maintained good' length. McMahon reached his century in three-quarter hours of play broken owing to heavy showers in the early afternoon. He produced a library of strokes that would have done credit to any Plunket Shield batsman adn with a repertoire of artistic glides pierced a finely set four-man slip field. Aitken, who made a steady 82, broke the partnership that had reaped 192 runs when he was dismissed by a quick-rising off-break from the Bay’s spin bowler M. Le Pine. .

McMahon continued to step down the wicket and, getting right under the Slow bowling, skied several sixers until misjudging a half-volley from W. McKenzie, he sent an easy one to W. Costello concluding his innings with a grand score of 138. The consistently good fielding of the morning deteriorated considerably in the afternoon as the men showed signs of- fatigue. Simpson went to the crease at 4 p.m. and carried his bat -for a chanceless 79. The momentum of play increased in the final stage of Waikato’s innings when Evans, the last man in, knicked up a bright 20. When he was dismissed by Le Pine Waikato innings closed just on time for 414. When the umpires inspected the wicket on Saturday morning a hole 3 inches deep on the leg stump at the crease seemed an inevitable trap for left hand batsmen facing the pacey Waikato bowlers Fisher and Evans.

The Bay started badly and general decay of wickets set in when play was resumed on a dead wicket. H. Martin and N. Beattie, the opening batsmen, went cheaply and the next wicket .fell without a score when W. McKenzie stepped out a couple of yards and saw his bails whipped off after a brilliant return from Elrick. In spite of stands by E. Andrews 20, and M. Le Pine the wickets fell in fairly quick succession. At the luncheon adjournment stage 7 wickets were down for 69. A dead wicket and a greasy ball turned the tide in the later stages of the Bay’s first innings when M. Le Pine partnered by T. Tregonning determinedly brought the score from 7 down for 69 to 8 for 176, these two making 68 and 51 respectively. A. J. Aitken, veteran Hawke Cup bowler, who has represented his Association almost continuously since 1931, was responsible for the dismissal of these two stalwarts, who appeared to be set for the afternoon. With consistently accurate bowling, he finished up with the excellent performance of 5 wickets in ! 9 overs (5 maidens) for 28 runs, an average of 5.2. Following on the Bay returned to the wicket at 3 p.m. with 221 to get to prevent an innings defeat. Bowling lacked the hostility of the morning and McMahon had recourse to trying the batsmen with his slow spinners. This upset the opening partnership of Martin and Beattie, i the former stepping out to far and j being stumped. Le Pine (5) and Tregonning, who did not score, followed him to the pavilion. At the end of the day’s play four wickets ! were down for 114 with Beattie and Andrews at the crease. Details:—

WAIKATO, Ist innings: A. J. Aitken, b Le Pine, 82; E. Petrie, lbw W. McKenzie, 0; D. J. Hemi, b D. McKenzie, 3; M. Clark, lbw, b D. McKenzie, 3; N. McMahon, c Costello, b W. McKenzie, 138; T. Puna, b Le Pine, 0; M. Elrich, c Spedding, b Le Pine, 39; A. Simpson, not out, 79; L. Fisher, c Beattie, b W. McKenzie, 29; N. Winger, lbw, b W. McKenzie, 0; E. Evans, b Le Pine, 20. Extras 21. Total 414. Fall of wickets: 1 for 8,2 for 15, 3 for 21, 4 for 213, 5 for 213, 6 for 253, 7 for 296, 8 for 350, 9 for 394, 10 for 414. i Bowling: W. McKenzie, 4 for 83,

M Le Pine, 4 for 79; D. McKenzie, 2 for 76. B. Searle 0 for 32; J. George 0 for 19; T. Tregonning, 0 for 39; R. Spedding, 0 for 39; . W. Beattie, 0 for 7. BAY OF PLENTY, Ist innings: H. Martin, c Elrick, b L. Winger, 10; N Beatie, b Evans, 8; W. McKenzie; run out, 0; W. Costello, c Petrie, b Aitken, 15; E. Andrews, b Winger, 20; B. Searle, c Elrick, b Aitken, 9; M Le Pine, b Aitken. 58; R. Sped-* ding,’ b Aitken, 1; T. Tregonningj b Aitken, 51; J. George, b Aitken, 8; D. McKenzie, not out, 0. Extras 3.’ Total 193. Fall of wickets: 1 for I'3; 2 for 18;

3 for 19; 4 for 44; 5 for 55; 6 for 67; 1 for 69 8 for 176; 9 for 190; 10 for 193. Bowling: Aitken 5 for 28, Winger 3 for 57, Evans 1 for 35, Fisher 0 for 46, Simpson 0 for 12 Puna 0 for 12. . . 2nd Innings; Martin, stpd, b McMahon, 30; Beattie, not out, 44; Le Pine, c Elrick b McMahon, 5; Tregonning, hit wkt. b McMahon, 0; Costello, lbw. b Aitken, 27; Andrews, ot out, 4. Extras 4. Total for 4 wickets, 114. Fall of wickets: 1 for 45, 2 for 57, 3 for 51, 4 for 114.

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