Five-wicket haul for Roberts

Press, 3 February 1986, Page 44

Five-wicket haul for Roberts

By

JOHN COFFEY

A most impressive firstclass debut by the young medium-fast bowler, Stu Roberts, was not sufficient to arrest Canterbury’s declining cricket fortunes at Lancaster Park yesterday. Roberts claimed five wickets in Welllington’s total of 242, but Canterbury’s chances of rising from the bottom of the Shell Trophy points table plummeted as its own first innings slumped to 106 for seven wickets. The very favourable position from which Wellington will resume this morning contrasts with its situation midway through the first day. Wellington’s eighth wicket fell at 132, and Andrew Jones will bat again only with considerable discomfort because of a broken finger on his right hand. But Canterbury seems fated not to dismiss an opponent for anything less than a respectable score. On this occasion it was foiled by Paul Allott and Steve Maguiness, who owe their team places to their very considerable seam bowling skills. Allott has been outstanding value to Welington with the new ball this summer — though, ironically, he managed just three overs before retiring with a strained back yesterday afternoon. But the tall English professional had already served his side splendidly, with an unbeaten 66 in only 76 minutes.

If Allott’s half-century from 52 deliveries was quick, then Maguiness was devastating in reaching the fastest 50 of the summer in only 22 balls. Maguiness hit Canterbury’s three fastest bowlers, Roberts, Steve McNally and Craig Thiele, for sixes, and he and Allott cracked 16 other

boundaries as their ninthwicket partnership rushed on 96 runs in 41 minutes. They gorged themselves with clean, crisp hitting, and McNally suffered most when Allott took fours from each of the last three balls of his eleventh over. WELLINGTON First innings R. W. Ormiston b Roberts 24 J. G. Boyle c Nathu b Roberts ........ 1 R. H. Vance c Brown b Thiele 14 E. J. Gray c Thiele b McNally 2 A. H. Jones c Boyle b Thiele 17 T. D. Ritchie c Hart b Roberts . 30 G. R. Larsen lbw b Thiele 9 P. J. Allott not out. ... 66 J. Milne c Kennedy b McNally 6 S. J. Maguiness c Nathu b Roberts 54 D. A. Molony b Roberts 4 Extras (Ibll, wl, nb3) 15 Total ' 242 Fall: 2, 33, 38, 59, 99, 105, 115, 132, 228, 242. Bowling.— C. H. Thiele 20, 4, 59, 3; S. J. Roberts 16.3, 1, 77, 5 (wl, nbl); S. R. McNally 14, 2, 57, 2 (nb2); D. W. Stead 7,3, 19, 0; V. R. Brown 3,0, 19, 0. CANTERBURY First innings D. J. Doyle c Milne b Molony ........ 9 A. Nathu c Milne b Gray 42 P. E. McEwan b Maguiness ..... . . . . . 17 V. R. Brown run out . . 12 R. T. Latham c Maguiness b Molony. ... 13 D. W. Stead c Milne b Molony . . ...... 2 P. G. Kennedy not out . 7 A. W. Hart b Gray. ... 0 Extras (Ibl, wl, nbl). 4 ) Total (for 7 wkts) 106 Fall: 9, 37, 69, 85, 87, 106, 106. Bowling.— P. J. Allott 3,0, 11, 0; D. A. Molony 12, 0, 50, 3 (wl, nbl); G. R. Larsen 9,1, 25, 0, (nbl); S. J. Maguiness 15, 8, 19, 1; E. J. Gray 3,3, 0, 2. Umpires: R. L. McHarg and N. F. Tapper.