CRICKET TEST STARTS

Chronicle (Levin), 29 March 1946, Page 4

CRICKET TEST STARTS

-Press Association

New Zealand Open fettiog TWO WICKETS D0WN FOR .30

By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, Mar.ch 29. . Walter Hadlee continued Jils toss-winning sequence this morning when lie beat the Aus- ^ tralian skipper, Bili Brown, to call and put New Zealand in to bat on. a damp yricket at the Basin Reserye in the jtes$ b®*"; , " tween New Zealand, and Axis-\ tralia. The dull apd thr.eatpning weather did not deter cricket enthusiasts from at- , tendance, and a crpwcl of - several thousands ri'nged the Basin long before 11.30 a.in. The two South Australians, B. Dooland and R. A. Ham.eiice, haye been dropped from the Australian side, which is: W. A. Brown (cap- | tain) , W. J. O'Reilly (yice-captain) , !S. G. Barnes, K. Meplieman, K. R. ! Miller, A. L. Hassett, C." V.' McCooi, !i. W. Johnson, Di Tallpn, R. Lmdwall, E. Toshack. Dooiand is 12th , man. I * The New Zealand team is as follows: — V. J. Scott, W .M. Wallace, , J. Cowie, D. C. Cleveriey, G. O. iBurke (Auckland), W. . A. Hadlee IfOtago), C. G. Row.e, E. W. T. Tinidill (Wellington), D. A. N. McRae, lL. A. Butterfield, W. Mcb. Ander'son (Canterbury) . P. E. Whitelaw | (Auckland) is 12th man. Hadlee, who ppened with Anderson, took the strike against Lindwall, letting the first four balls go j by on the off and pushing the pther twp to mid-off to credi't Lind- ! wall with the first maijlen pf the j match. Toshack's * first ba:ll to lAnderson was sent past gully for a | single. Hadlee did the same with i the next one.

[ The soft wicket was making qne ! pr two balls drop, and the batsmen t ■ spent their time between deliveries ; | patting depressions in the wicket. j Though Toshack's deliveries were | not coming off so fast as in -the jWellington match, he kept the , runs down and bowled three sucpessive maidens. i Only seven runs had been scored when the first wicket fell. A parti- : cularly fast delivery from Lindwall t had Anderson in two minds, and in 1 playing forward he missed and was bowled. The match' iiad been in progress only half an hour, but only 8.5 overs had been bowled. Scott was the mepming batsipan, j but play was held uji for 10 niihutes j | while the sight scrpen was adjusted. | Scott Unperturbed When Scott took hi§ . strike Hagr sett and Brown came in and almost perched on the bottom -of- thp bat at ; siliy mid-oft' and mid-pn. .Hpwpyer, 'Scott' was not - pertiirbed, ani tp.ok jia single off his first ball "with a ' pretty shot past slips. - In the next i over from Toshack the .jcrowd, and ! batsmen received a fright when, in lcalling for a run, Scott ihesitated at i mid-wicket. Johnson saved the {situation by throwing in to the wrong end. That run brought the ! first ten up after 45 minutes. Hadlee Well Caught The New Zealandei-s received i another set-baGk at 12.25. Hadlee, who had been feeling precariousiy at one or two on the leg side* from . Toshack edged one between the ' eluster of fieldsmen, but Miller, diving to his left, brought off a brilliant catch. ; Only 15 runs were on the board, ; and Hadlee had scorejd six." | Wallace opened his account off jhis second ball with a full-blooded ihook over Barnes' head at short ; square leg for two. Twenty came up [when a ball from Toshack kicked and beat both Wallace and Tallon on the leg side. The batsmen* ran three. . The crowd applauded loudly i when a few minutes after 12.30 ! Skipper Brown hapded the ball to O'Reilly to spell Lindwall. The New South Wales speedster had bowled eight pvers in the first hour's play, taxing one wicket for 13 runs. Off O'Reilly's opening delivery, Wallace skied the ball to square leg, but Meuleman was too far out to take a catch. Toshack was dropping one or two balls short, which Wallace promptly hooked ba.ckward off square leg. Howevpr, the parti.i cularly slow outfield preypnted the batsman from getting ariy more j than two at a time. Total Reach 29 Off the last ball of O'Reilly's second over, Wallace laid'his Aears back I and pulled a short ball' tp d'eep lpng |on. The ball almost 'stopped dead in the outfield, but no fieldsmen were in sight and the batsmen ran three, bringing "the total to 29.