PLUNKET SHIELD

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2356, 12 January 1915, Page 7

PLUNKET SHIELD

A CLOSE CONTEST

WELLINGTON SLIGHTLY IN

THE LEAD

Wellington'* attempt to win the Plunket Shiold from Canterbury, which was begun on Saturday in rain, was continued yesterday in beautiful sunshine. Canterbury resumed their innings on a wicket which was somewhat dead. It was a wicket which should have suited the slower, bowlers, and it is a little surprising that Hiddloston was not used. oWith the wicket unsuitable to him, Robinson, the fast bowler, did very well. Canterbury were disposed of for 244 runs, a total which ivould never haee been approached had the Wellington fielding been good. Wellington refused seven catches during the innings, and their general work in the field wa6 unsystematic, and not nearly keen enough. So far Wellington have put on 257 runs with eight wickets, and matters, therefore, are fairly oven on the first innings. Hiddloston played a fine innings for Wellington, and the BurtonBrice partnership looked like becoming a very valuable one when Burton wa6 stumped by a visiting wicket-keeper, who took the ball in front of the wickets.

The outstanding difference in the two teams so far is-the superior fielding of Canterbury. Their backing up is much ahead of Wellington's, and their smart individual work and good combination kept the i score down wonderfully. Of their bowlers, Carlton was easily the best on tho day, but Wellington are feeling decidedly satisfied that Bennett is standing out of the Canterbury eleven. The mateh will be resumed at 11 a.m. to-day, and a moat .infm'esting contest may be looked for. Yesterday the. attendance was large, and to-day « big crowd is expected. Shield Holders Resume. Play was resumed at 11.10 with Bishop and Hickmott at the crease. Five minutes later Hickmott made a poor stroke off Southall, and Robinson took the ball one hand in the slips. The two wickots had yielded 68 runs. Woods filled the vacancy, and play continued slowly until at 83 Woods sent one high into the slips,' and Brice held it. Beal accompanied Bishop,' and the hundred appeared after just under an hour and a nalf's play. Half a dozen runs late Bishop skied Southall to cover, and Baker accepted the chance. The fifth wicket fell at 117, a fast throw-in' by Hiddloston enabling Brice to whip the bails off before Beal could get his bat over the chalk mark. Patrick was nicely caught at mid-on by Wilson before any addition had been made to the score, and at 129 Whitta was taken in the slips by Gibbes, and the seventh wicket had fallen. Th© innings was continued by Sandman and Thomas,' and Brice and Southall went on with the bowling. All the batsmen had been treating Southall with great respect, and runs came slowly off Brice ; who was varying his deliveries effectively. Two hours' batting yielded 130 runs, and then' Thomas began to knock Southall about somewhat, and 150 was quickly, reached. At 157 ' Gibbeß replaced Brice, and shortly afterwards Robinson went on again at SouthaU's end. SouthaU's three wickets had coßt ■54 runs, and Robinson had got two for 45. Runs came with great freedom now, and all tho bowlers were punished by Sandman. At 189 Thomas was missed •m the slips off Robinson, and a couple of runs later Sandman skied' Southall to the ropes, where Burton was waiting for it. Burton got the ball in his hands— and dropped' it. This was the fifth chance of catching which Wellington' had declined to accept The double century was telegraphed in two and a half hours. The partnership had already yielded 71, and looked thoroughly set, but at 218 Robinson's extra fast ball sent Sandman's bails hurtling through the air: This was the first wicket bowled during the innings; catching had accounted for nearly all the Canterbury men. The SandmanThomas partnership had lifted the score from 129 to 218, an addition of 89. Boxshall lasted ten minutes, and was caught in th© slips by Southall, off Robinson, after having been twice, missed by Gibbes at point. ■ The score then stood at 240. The innings closed at 115 p.m. for 244 runs. Tho last wicket to fall was Thomas's. Hiddleston threw in a hot return to Brice at th© bowler s end, and the hails were off in an instant. The innings had lasted for threo hours.

The Challengers Bat. Midlane and Baker opened Wellington's innings. Sandman and M'Lachlan began the attack. Sandman's first over yielded a single to Baker, and oft M'Lachlan's first ball the same batsman hit a boundary. Midlane did not manage to get on to M'Lachlan right away, but scored fairly rapidly one© he made a start. He was fourteen on when he played back to Carlton, who had replaced M'Lachlan, and was bowled. The score stood at 28, exactly the stage at which Canterbury lost their first wicket. . Hiddleston was next man in. He laid the wood on from the start, and what got past the fieldsmen went to the boundary, or thereabouts. Tho half-century was reaohed in forty minutes When the total was in the early seventies, Hiddleston caught and passed Baker, who for some time had been kept quiet by the excellent placing of the field. The first hour's play yielded 80 runs, but smarter running hetween wickets Would'have made it 100. The hundred was hoisted in an hour and a quarter-Hiddleston 44. Baker 32. Hiddleston got his half-century after he bad been in for an hour, but Baker was still playing with extreme caution, and in an hour and a half he had run up only 35. Hiddleston was jumping out and hitting M'Lachlan about a good deal, but at length ho missed one and Boxshall had the bails off before the. batsman could attempt a recovery. Hiddleston's 62 .had been made by clean, hard hitting, and tho crowd gave him tho ovation he deserved. , The score stood at 121 for two wickets when Gibbes went in to fill the breach. He and Baker scored slowly, but the total was creeping up, and two hours' batting saw 150 signalled. Gibbes livened up the Tunning, and Baker, after a while, opened out considerably in his batting. Off three consecutive balls from Patrick he hit boundaries, and he lifted his score from fifty to seventy in a few minutes. Three runs later, he was completely beaten by Carlton, and his wickets were spread. The total was 184 when this (the third) wicket tell, and Baker had made 73 of them in his two and a quarter hours' turn. Carlton got Gibbes l.b.w. at 199; and Burton, who followed, had just hit the single needed to make tho double century when Carlton bowled Bray. Wilson went out, and three runs later he returned without having contributed to tho total. He was Sandman's victim— the first the bowler had secured in Jus twenty-two overs—and the wicket had costs 59 runs. Carlton's four wickots had cost only 27 runs.

Promising Stand Broken. Burton and Brice went on with tho innings. Brice was unusually slow in commencing, but once he got the measure of the bowling his powerful strokes found the boundary occasionally, much to the satisfaction of the crowd. Burton had a "life" when the score was 222; pure, luck saved him from being run out. A quarter of an hour before stumps were drawn for the day, Wellington passed Canterbury's first in-

ning's score, and at 256 Burton was given out as stumped. Evon from the stand it was evident that Boxshall took the ball in front of the wickets.

Robinson faced M'Lachlan, and opened his shoulders to the bowling, and the ball whizzed on its way to the boundary, only to bo interrupted halfway—a beautiful one-hand catch by Sandman. Burns helped Brice to play out time, nnd 6 o'clock left the Wellington score at '257 for eight wickets. Canterbury—First Innings. Carlton, c. Gibbes, b. Robinson ... 7 Bishop, c. Baker, b. Southall 62 Hickmott, c. Robinson, b. Southall 13 Woods, c. Brice, b. Robinson 8 Boa!, run out ". 15 Patrick, c. Wilson, b. Brice 9 Whitta, c. Gibbes, b. Southall 7 Sandman, b. Robinson 58 Thomas, run out 49 Boxshall, c. Southall, b. Robinson 5 M'Lachlan, not out I Extras 10 Total 244 Bowling analysis—Robinson took four wickets for 80 runs; Southall, three for 64; Brice, one for 59; Hiddleston, none for 8; Gibbes, none for 23. How the Wickets Fell. 123456789 10 28 68 83 106 117 117 129 218 240 244 Wellington—First Innings. F. A. Midlane, b. Carlton • 14 W. A. Baker, b. Carlton 73 J. S. Hiddleston, st. Boxshall, b. M'Lachlan 62 W. R. L. Gibbes, 1.b.w., b. Carlton 19 W. Bray, b. Carlton 12 H. Burton, st. Boxshall, b. M'Lachlan : 28 C. G. Wilson, b. Sandman 0 W. S. Brice, not out • 26 C. W. Robinson, c. Sandman, b. M'Lachlan '. 0 J. Burns, not out ■. 0 Extras 23 Eight wickets for , 257 Bowling analysis—Sandman took one wicket for 62 runs; Carlton, four for I 61; M'Lachlan, three for 51; Hickmott. none for 13; Thomas, none for 30; and j Patrick,'none for 17. How tho Wickets Fell. 12 3 4 5 6 7 8 28 121 184 199 200 203 256 256 MID-WEEK MATCHES. The following are' the fixtures of midweek cricket matches, in th© event of tho Basin Reserve being available on Wednesday. If the Shield match is not finished by Tuesday, mid-week cricket matches will be postponed till January 27 :— Senior —Rivals v. Oriental A, No. 1 wicket; Union v. Oriental B, No. 2 wicket. Junior —George and George v. Union, No. 4 wicket; Y.M.C.A. v. Wardell's, No. 3 wicket. IN AUSTRALIA. j INTER-STATE MATCH. Br TelcfjraDh—Press Assoclation-Oouyrißht . (Rec. January 11, 10.30 .m.) Sydney, January 11. The Inter-State cricket match between New South Wales and South Australia ivas resumed in good weather to-day. New South Wales in the.first innings made 307—Bardsley 103, Andrews 52, Taylor 22, Pratten 22, Ratcliffe 29: South Australia ar© threo wickets down for 55 runs—Moyes 27.