THE PLUNRET SHIELD

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 101, 23 January 1919, Page 7

THE PLUNRET SHIELD

WELLINGTON V. CANTERBURY

WELLINGTON OPEN FAIR SCORING FOR FIRST. DAY ~T % , opening day of the match for the Plunket Shield between Canterbury (challengers) and Wellington (holders) was. not, on the previous day's indications, to be favoured with 1 ideal weather. The prospects weje quite doubtr ful, and light drizzling rain fell during the night. At 11 a.m. yesterday, when play commenced, tho weather was still overcast and seemed rather unsettled, but fortunately the wicket, though damp, _ was in pretty good condition. .No rain fell during the dSy, and the wicket appeared to he wearing tolerably well. -There was a good attendance of the. publicWellington went in first, C. G. Wilson (captain) and Hiddleston batting. Howell and M'Beth opened the attack. Howell led off with two maiden overs, and M'Beth with one; and ' Wilson started the scoring in M'Buth's'seconJ over with a fine urivo to long-off for three.. Wilson, batting confidently, hit two fours ill quick succession, one off M'Beth-and one off Honeil. At 11.30 Thomas took Howell's end with the hall, and shortly afterwards the Wil-fon-Hiddleston combination was dissolved, when a ball from M'Beth went off Wiison's bat to cover. Wi'son ran, and Jones. (at cover) -'threw him out with a ball that lifted a stump. 40— 1-23.

E.. M. Beechey joined Hiddleston, who had all the time been sticking to careful play. Beechey is usually a pretty hard hitter, whon once he is set, but he opened faifl.v quietly, and with ten on was given out l.b.w. 76 — 2-10. . . -..,-••■*,:

B. H. E. Burton was Hidtlleston's third partner. Biutou made .four off hisj third ball, which was a fairly slow one, delivered by Patrick. Very soon afterwards he treated a ball from Gray with similar results. ;M'Beth. went on to bowl,.and Burton, sent the AVellinpton score tip to tho century marl: with a- four off M'Beth., Botlis batsmen were still going strong when Wellington's score stood at.the century and.a half, but shortly afterwards Hid(ileston's career .came to an end. 164— 3—68. '.-. "■• :'■:,'••.;

W. A. Baker was the next to face the bowling. Burton went out within the next few minutes through lifting a ball to Jo>?s at square-leg. 168 ■ —4—55. • ■ ■■■:."■■

After tho luncheon adjournment,the brilliant fielding of Patrick elicited applause on more than ono occasion. Lambert punished the bowling rather 'severely,., and hit a "sixer," ''-which brought Wellington,.., up to 200'. With his score at 43, Lambert was caught by ■ -Patrick off M'Ewin; The only other batsman 'to score well was J. Hutehings, with '36* not out. Wellington's innings closed for 323. ' Canterbury went to the crease, and at the end of the day.they had lost three wickets for 132 runs. , ' Details of the scoring follow:— Wellington.—First Innings. Wilson, thrown out .......;.'....... 23 Hiddleston, st. Brnnton,- b. M'Ewin. H8 Beecliey, 1.b.w., b. Patrick 10 Burton, c. Jonos, h. M'Esvin...,.,. .'5.5 Baker, b. Howell ....'.:■..■: 32 Lambert, c. Patrick; b. M'E-ivin ... 43 M'Girr, b. Howell 10 Condliffe, c. Brunton, b. Howell .„ o Hutchings, not out 36 Patrick, c. Jones, b. M%vin ...... • .5 Marris, c.M'Both, b. M'Es-in ...... ]g .Extras ......;...............;......'. 21 Total 323 Bowlmg Analysis.— Howoll took three wickets for 67 runs; M'Beth, none for 65; Thomas, none for 23; IvTEwin, five for 108; Patrick, one for 18; Gray, nono for 14. Canterbury.—First Innings. Foster, c. Hiddleston, b. Marris ... 31 Jones, b. Hiddleston 15 Wood, c. Hiddleston, b. Marris...... 29 Patrick, not out , 42 Guiney, not out 0 Extras y Total for three .'wickets' 132 Bowling Analysis.—Hiddleston took one wicket for 38 runs; and Marris two. for 34. ' NOTES ON THE CAME. \ (By T. H. Jones.) When the teams were first announcer! for the return match at the Basin Reserve, Wellington appeared to be considerably strengthened 1 by the changes from the Christmas team, and Canterbury only slightly so in the absence of R. Read (Linwood). Welling-

toil's bowling was greatly weakened by the final announcement that. \Y ; S. Brice (the captain) and F. S. Middleton, the ex-Sydney and Auclflnnd player, were unable to tako the field. Wilson, who captained the Wellington, team, proved lucky with the loss, and elected to bat on an easy wicket, thus giving Wellington an important initial advantage. The veteran himself opened tile batting with Hiddleston; now m fine form since his recent innings or 116 against Old Boys. Tho pair quickly got going, and put on 40 for tho wicket beforo Wilson* was smartly thrown out by Jones, who- had just missed Hiddlestoii's wicket -under the same circumstances a few minutes previously. Wilson (23) showed great confidence, and was shaping like going for the bowling. Beechey did not stay long with Hiddleston, but Burtons partnership with his club-mate added 88 for the third wicket, and at 160 tor two wickets Wellington had justified the hopes of its most confident supporters. However, at 164 Hiddleston went well out to Jl'Ewiu, and should have been unmistakably stumped, but Bruntou missed the ball, which, however, rebounded off the wicket-keeper's pads and hit the wicket before Hiddleston regained his crease. Hiddleston s 68 was a masterly effort, unblemished by a chance. Ho commenced well, and gob hie runs mainly by beautiful leg strokes. After Burton joined him, Hidleston s rato of scoring greatly decreased, ho did not shape quito so well to M'Ettin (not until 103 runs were on the board), and in addition, Burton collared -the bowling, with the result that ho scored 53 runs to Hiddlestoii's 30 during .the partnership. Hiddlestone has a taste lor Canterbury bowling,' and has live times exceed«rt-ho ■-halt-century in his last nine innings for "Wellington, viz., 62 first innings at Wellington, January; 1915; 74,' second innings, at Christchurch, January, 1918;'51 and 81 in the return match at Wellington, and 08 yesterday, when, he batted for 2J hours, scoring 8 fourers. . : „,.-,-, Burton, who won tho Plunket Shield match last month by his plucky second innings of 66, played a much more forceful innings on tlio present occasion. ITo got his 55 wider the hour, notwithstanding .Hiddlestoii's failure to run up to form between tbn wickets. He played many beautiful shots on-the off, and also went in for some hard liittiiig. Burton has also been a consistent per-; former against Canterbury, scoring in his last four innings 47 (not out), 33, 66 and 55. -M'Eft'in had him feeling most of the time, and eventually got him caught by Jones at deep-square leg off a ball lie failed to get squarely on to four runs after he lost Hiddleston. ,

At the luncheon adjournment tho score stood at 179 - for four wickets, still a splendid start considering the calibre of the remaining Wellingtqftians. Baker and. Lambert started well after lunch, and' took the score, to 235 before Baker was clean bowled by Howell for 32. Wickets fell rapidly •Wterßakerleft, but thanks to a mco last-wicket partnership by Hutchings and Mavris, the final tally was a respectable one—323. Lambert gave another attractive display and is rapidly developing into.a forceful bat—he is alrend.V a .stylish.one. ~.•-, Hutchings (30 not out) hatted bnslc.ly,iran for everything, and without going out to M'Ewin frequently got him to leg with fine shots, many of which produced runs, despite the fine field M'Ewin had set. '

As to the bowline;, M'Ewin (five for 108) bowled unchanged from 103 to 323, though"thefo was a break for lunch at 179.';. After his first over he kept a lino'length, and had' nearly every batsman' thinking. Altogether he bowled twenty-nine overs, and, backed up by smart fielding, well deserved his success. .

Wellington, minus a left-linnded bowler, had the exceptional experienco of facing two on the Canterbury side as opening tniudlcrs, Howell. (three for-- 67),-and M'Beth. Tho latter did not,get a wicket, but steadied most of tho batsmen except Hiddleston, Burton,' and Baker. Howell can be said to have justified his inclusion, "particularly as ho got rid of Baker when Baker was looking daugerous.

Canterbury's fielding was excellent throughout, Patrick and Jones in particular doing great work. The latter missed one-or two ground shots, but besides throwing Wilson out, well caught Burton and D. Patrick on the square-leg boundary (both off M'Ewin). Canterbury started auspiciously, and the first three men all shaped confidently excepting that Marris had Wood feeling for him. Playing back, he ■frequently got him away with fine shots to cover and mid-off, but the first time he tried to hit him he fell to the same stroke as Foster, both being smartly caught at square-leg by Hidicst'on, off Marris. Foster batted splendidly, making fine ground shots nil around the wicket. As with Wellington, Canterbury passed the century with only two wickets down.

Patrick, besides hitting Marris for H sixer over the square-leg boundary, batted beautifully all around the wicket; and his late-cutting in particular was something not often seen on

tlio Basin Reserve, these days.- At tho close of tho clay's play ho looked good enough for a century. In Plunket - Shield. matches' .-AVilson has now; mado 279 runs for nine innings (most of them for Ot-ngo), at an nvorago of 31, while Hiddleston has played a similar number of innings for 264, an average of 29. .. W. E..Patrick, prior to going in yesterday, had played twenty-two Phmkcfc Shield innings (onco not out) for 636 runs (highest score 118, against Otago), at an averago of 30. Fall of wickets yesterday:—Wellington—One for 40, two for 76, j«ireo for. 164, four for 168, five for 235. six. for 249, seven for 254, eight for 273, nine for 290; ten for 323. Canterbury— One for 30, two for 55; three for 110.