CANTERBURY 110 RUNS AHEAD Last Day Last Hope For Last Shield Game

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30983, 12 February 1966, Page 13

CANTERBURY 110 RUNS AHEAD Last Day Last Hope For Last Shield Game

( By

R. T. Brittenden)

It was deadly dull at Lancaster Park yesterday’.

Not all the nodding of heads about the pitch—which was, admittedly, reluctant to allow the forcing stroke—or the quality of the bowling could quite account for Otago taking six hours and a quarter to score 211, and thus trail Canterbury by 80 runs.

For a match which no longer carries the importance of a shield final, there has been an extraordinary caginess about proceedings so far.

The game has gone along its peculiarly sedate lines for 810 minutes so far, and with one day remaining, only 436 runs have come from absetemious bats.

It has certainly been a pitch to tie batsmen down, for the ball does not come on to the bat readily. But the ball in the air is a different matter, and there has been a notable lack of aggressive footwork from the batsmen of both sides, allied to a reluctance to run the full value of the hits made.

On the first day, Canterbury scored 291 in 405 minutes from 122.3 overs; yesterday, Otago’s 211 came from 111.4 overs. Only at the end. when some inviting bait was offered the Canterbury batsmen, was the scoring attrac-

five—3o in 20 minutes from six overs, without loss.

So Canterbury, with all its second innings wickets intact, leads by 110 runs and there are still prospects of a finish good enough to compensate for two desultory days. Yesterday the gate takings were only £62—enough, perhaps, to pay for the fine, large new sight-screen which has been installed at the south end of the ground. Otago had good enough reason for caution yesterday morning, for within 25 minutes both its opening batsmen had succumbed to the pounding purpose of R. C. Motz. G. D. Beer was bowled by a yorker and the talented and industrious K. Ibadulla had been defeated by a ball which might have troubled a cricketing angel. It pitched outside the off stump on a length and Ibadulla took out the customary insurance policy by thrusting

I his pads beyond the line of the stumps. But he was not quick enough to defeat the terribly swift thrust back of the ball, which took the stumps after brushing a pad flap. i Motz did not bowl another ball of similar quality again, and that was not surprising. But he did bowl a good many which came back at the batsmen, quite awkwardly at times, and when he kept the ball up he looked an extremely fine bowler. When he dropped to a more defensive length, he stifled the batting almost completely. In his first eight overs, he took two for 16. After lunch, he bowled eight more overs for six runs, and he was off then, while the Canterbury spinners exerted remarkable sway, for more than three hours play. Back soon after 5 p.m., he rolled up the innings with two for two off 16 balls. 113 In 4 Hours Most of Otago’s runs came from the partnership between the vastly experienced S. N. McGregor and the 18-year-old i G. M. Turner. They were together just four hours, and added 113. Turner still has his limitations, but he is, for all that, a most exciting prospect. He was not often able to force the ball through for runs on the off side, but his soundness and concentration were wholly admirable. He batted 260 minutes for 55, and that was very slow scoring, but it was, at least, the preliminary announcement of great days ahead. As he matures, Turner must surely benefit from his watchfulness and sound technique. He cannot yet score freely without rather losing countenance.

His wicket fell in an over in which he hit 10 runs from J. W. Burtt, with good firm strokes, but he did not seem happy to be in the role of a plunderer. Another attempt to hit a rather short-pitched leg-break to mid-wicket had

him easily taken by G. A Bartlett at slip.

McGregor cannot bat for four hours without some of his quality coming through, and there were a few—but all too few—strokes which were quite beautiful. But he was as uneasy, in his passive role, as Turner was when attacking, and he had three lives.

At 25 Mclntyre should have caught and bowled him: at 52. he was missed by Bartlett at slip off B. R. Taylor: at 57, he went down the pitch to hit Burtt, missed, and should have been stumped. Quite the most attractive phase of this long partnership was its first. The runs did not come helter skelter, but there were many crisp, firm strokes off the pace bowlers and in the light of subsequent events it is worth recording that their first 50 runs were made in 173 minutes. But after lunch. lat one stage two hours’ play [produced 50 runs. After these two. there was little batting of consequence. But in his little innings, J. C. Alabaster showed that Mclntyre could be hit —he took three fours with forthright strokes, including a fine cover-drive and a bold hit through mid-off. Pace Cushioned Motz had the figures, the presence, and the pugnacity. Bartlett’s pace was cushioned by the pitch, and until late in the innings he bowled with rather mechanical efficiency, like a factory hand weary of his work. Taylor yielded 15 in his first two overs, and thus discovered that life was real and earnest. He therefore applied himself diligently to a control of direction which improved immensely, and he could very well have had better figures.

Mclntyre had seven maidens in his first eight overs, six of them to McGregor. Later he bowled six maidens in seven overs to Turner. He kept strict control of length and direction, turned the ball a little, and no doubt enjoyed the powers of mesmerism he appeared to exert over the batsmen. For the many who see in right-arm leg-break bowling the highest form of the cricketing arts, there was much to enjoy in Burtt’s bowling. He was given his head by the batsmen, and he bowled" a few overs in which his direction was sometimes badly astray. But the alluring flight was there, and he turned the ball, on an unwilling pitch, remarkably i quickly. ! Canterbury missed four I chances in all, and the fielding generally lacked the speed and enthusiasm Otago had shown. But there are still some prospects of this game coming to life before it is over.

Umpires: Messrs F. Goodall and L. C. Johnson.

Cup Soccer. —Ross County beat Alloa, 5-3, in a Scottrjsb Cup first round match, and is at home to Rangers in the next round.