Women’s XI out to break Aust. hold

Press, 25 January 1986, Page 80

Women’s XI out to break Aust. hold

The New Zealand women’s cricket team will seek to break a seven-year stranglehold by Australia when the teams meet in the deciding match for the Shell Rose Bowl at Lancaster Park today.

The three match series is currently tied at one all, and New Zealand is In with a good chance of breaking the Australian dominance of the series it has held since 1979. Australia won the first game, played at the Basin Reserve, by four runs, while the second, at the Hutt Recreation Ground, went to New Zealand. The teams are evenly matched but New Zealand has an emerging star in its opener, Jackie Clark. She has compiled two fine innings in the series to date and, with Lesley Murdoch, has given New Zealand a solid start in both previous games. At three, Debbie Huckly has yet to reach double figures, while the middle order has had varying success, but bolds tremendous depth and strike power. The team has used seven bowlers, by virtue of the number of allrounders in the team. This has meant that the most economical bowlers on the day can be fully utilised. Sue Brown and Karen

Gunn have both been particularly difficult to score from. The Australian team has had one or two injury worries. It missed the aggressive batting of Karen Brown in the second game. Her hard hitting innings of 3 in the first was a match winner. Like the New Zealanders it has been given excellent starts to the innings by openers Belinda Haggett and Denise Annetts. The middle order has the potential to build a large total. While in the bowling department Debbie Wilson is very quick but has not always been economical. Rather it has been the slow bowlers, Lyn Larsen and Lynette Fullstow, who haye been most containing and troublesome to the New Zealand batsmen. New Zealand, has had the edge in its fielding and has asked the accomplished fielder, Debbie Ford, to act as twelfth man today. The game plan for New Zealand according to captain, Murdoch, is to stick to its pattern and not worry about what the Australians are doing. New Zealand has never won the Shell Rose Bowl but must be regarded as in with a great chance today.