OH! MERCIFUL WEATHER

NZ Truth, Issue 1206, 10 January 1929, Page 14

OH! MERCIFUL WEATHER

•Mow ItSatktf Theßay For Oidgo Against AuMand

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Diiheclin Representative).

Very mercifully the caprices of the weather cut, the.' tail off the Auckland— Otago Plunket Shield match, and the handful of spectators was spared the jiull monotony of witnessing the desperate stages which must have developed had- Otago" been com. pelleS to burrow its way out. IT would, however, have' been most ! interesting to see to what extent the

; southerners 'were capable of acquitting themselves m, the inevitable fight, and incidentally — how many more victims Would have fallen into Rmvntree's already stupendous -bag of six out of thirteen wickets! . ...

In spite of Otago's even.. stand against the capital's reps., supporters were still lamenting' the , absence of Shepherd, McMulTan and __ Dickinson. Yet, so far as* the batting was concerned, it was not the players se- \___ lected to "fill the gaps" who let the

Veteran Rowntree was m great form behind the sticks, and gave the crowd an exhibition of wicketkeeping which was unsurpassable. .. Eimes surprised the onlookers with his enterprise and dash, and, for a young player faced with a Jayt-nian responsibility, batted with commendable courage. . \Zimmerman played craftily, no doubt restrained by an early and confident appeal for stumping, from which he survived. Player's bowling average of 5 for 31 runs is a fair indication of. the respect lie commanded during the delivery of 43. overs, 27 of which were maidens.

side down

went, and made piecemeal of each of 1 the seven bowlers 'handling the attack. ' Finally Eastman- took his off stump, thus closing a brilliant innings for 114 m three and a-quarter hours. Though the home side's bowling showed decidedly more sting than that of the -preyibus day, it wasn't capable of stemming another individual century which came from the enterprising bat of young Weir, who is but m his second year of rep. cricket.

From the initial shapings of the Otago second innings it looked as though Auckland could- kill the goose and have stuffing to spare.

A Great Keeper

Bowley's four wickets cost 12.5 each. At tiriies it may have appeared that the professional was taking some punishment, but his trundling was full of generalship/ \

With a' day and a-half before them, Bovrley and Mills* went sti ; aight into business against A iloo and Eastman. Neither of the tnmdlers seemed able to impress the batsmen, and the scoreboard was kept clicking like a cinematograph, 50 * showing up m 37 minutes. • Mills took full charge of the bowl-

when Bowley