AUCKLAND CHECKED IN LAST HALF-HOUR

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30955, 11 January 1966, Page 13

AUCKLAND CHECKED IN LAST HALF-HOUR

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND. After at one stage looking set for a brilliant outright victory, Auckland slumped and had to hold out grimly for a draw in the Plunket Shield cricket match against Northern Districts at Eden Park yesterday.

Set 187 runs to win in 120 minutes, Auckland scored 165 for nine wickets, and thus gained first innings honours for the match.

This first innings lead was quickly gained in the morning when Auckland went from 163 for five to 213 for six wickets declared. Northern Districts batted 80 minutes before lunch and 130 afterward to score 189 for five wickets declared, giving Auckland two hours in which to chase victory. After a slow start Auckland bolted away when T. W. Jarvis began to bat superbly. Just after 5 p.m. Auckland needed 100 in 53 minutes with nine wickets in hand, and then it wanted 87 in 49 minutes.

However, at 110. Jarvis was out after a magnificent innings of 78 in 74 minutes and R. W. Morgan went at 112. With A. R. Morrison and N. S. Harford hitting out, the runs began to flow again and with 35 minutes left 63 runs were needed.

At 5.28, Auckland was 135. needing 52 runs in 32 minutes and just when it seemed as if the win was within its grasp, two mistakes stopped Auckland in its tracks. Morrison was run out and from the next ball N. S. Harford was caught in the deep. The flow of runs became a trickle, and when R. S. Cunis and J. T. Sparling were out at J 42, Auckland had only three wickets left and 19 minutes in hand. H. J. Howarth went at 147 and after a brief burst of hitting R. E. Sutton was run out at 163. For the last five minutes Northern Districts fieldsmen clustered round the last two batsmen, R. I. Harford and D. J. Millener, but they held out for the draw. Under a bright sun and on a perfect pitch. Northern batted much more confidently in its second innings than in its first —except for B. Sutcliffe, the great left-hander, who pottered about for an hour and was bowied for two in nis last shield innings on the ground where he began his career. W. P. Bradburn, the centurymaker of the first inrr.ngs, scored 58 and was full strokes after ah uncertain start. W. J. Mitchell picked up 38 quickly with good strokes ana as afternoon tea a PP r ® a Sl e .; the logical time for Sutcfcne s declaration, H. T. Schuster

I (24 not out) and J. Bailey (30 not out) had a fast 54-runs stand for the sixth wicket.

Jarvis and R. M. Harris could not start quickly enough in the chase for runs, even though they managed to hoist 42 in even time before Harris was out. Then Jarvis came into his own. He drove majestically. He went from 50, in 62 minutes, to 78 in only 12 more minutes, and altogether hit several fours and a six. He was out trying to hit N. Puna out of the ground. Morrison and N. S. Harford scored 23 in 10 minutes with some booming hits, but whey they were out Auckland’s chance of victory had virtually disappeared. NORTHERN DISTRICTS First Innings .. .. 210 Second Innings W. P. Bradburn, c Morrison, b Morgan .. 59 B. Sutcliffe, b Millener .. 2 B. Dunning, c Cunis, b Howarth .. 12 W. J. Mitchell, c N. Hartford, b Howarth .. .. 38 C. V. Giles, c Sutton, b Howarth .. 16 H. T. Schuster, not out .. 24 J. Bailey, not out .. so Extras (5 byes, 1 leg-bye, 2 no-balls) .. s Total for five wkts. dec. 189 Fall of wickets: One for 22, two for 54, three for 117, four for 132. five for 135. BOWLING

AUCKLAND First Innings T. W. Jarvis, c Mitchell, b Kennedy .. ..73 R. M. Harris, lbw, b Puna 15 R. W. Morgan, c Puna, b Kennedy .. .5 J. T. Sparling, c Mitchell. b Puna 6 A. R. Morrison, b Puna .. 53 N. S. Harford, not out .. 41 R. S. Cunis, c and b Puna .. 14 R. E. Sutton, not out .. 3 Extras (2 byes. 1 no-ball) 3 Total for six dec. .. 213 Fall of wickets: One for 32 two for 37, three for 48, four for 147, five for 157, six for 199.

Second Innings Jarvis, b Puna .78 Harris, c Mitchell, b Beuth 13 Morgan, b Kennedy .. 18 Morrison, run out . 18 N. S. Harford, c Bradburn. b Puna .5 Sparling, st Petrie, b Kennedy 3 Cunis. c Schuster, b Puna .. 4 Sutton, run out .16 H. J. Howarth, c Petrie, b Puna .. .. 4 R. I. Harford, not out .. 3 D. J. Millener. not out .. 0 Extras (2 byes, 1 wide) .. 3 Total for nine wkts. .. 165

Fall of wickets: One for 42, two tor 110, three for 112, four for 135, five for 135, six for 142, seven for 142, eight for 147, nine for 163. BOWLING

0. M. R. W. Cunts .. 10 4 15 0 Sutton 9 2 15 0 Millener .. 11 5 15 1 Sparling .. 4 0 27 0 Howarth 24 8 59 3 Morgan ’’ 13 0 50 1

BOWLING 0. M. R. W. Beuth .. 17 4 42 0 Bailey .. 8 1 33 0 Puna .. 31 10 68 4 Kennedy .. 25 10 44 2 Bradburn .. 5 1 11 0 Sutcliffe 1 0 8 0 Dunning 4 2 4 0

0. M. R. W Beuth ... » 3 18 1 Bailey ... 7 1 20 0 Dunning .. 3 1 8 0 Kennedy ... 11 1 63 2 Puna .. 14 1 53 4 Sutcliffe 1 1 0 0