Canterbury Bats

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 245, 6 January 1928, Page 13

Canterbury Bats

PLUNKET SHIELD CRICKET Visiting Skipper Goes Cheaply AUCKLAND'S cricket captain, C. C. Dacre, is having no luck with the toss this season. M. L. Page, the Canterbury skipper, won it from him this morning when the match between Canterbury and Auckland started. Dacre, however, got a bit of his own back by catching his old New Zealand Eleven comrade before he had* scored.

Page, winning the toss, elected to bat, sending Gregory and Hamilton to the wicket. Matheson opened the bowling from the Edendale end and Player took charge at the other crease. Gregory opened his account with a single off Matheson’s fourth ball, but the scoring was slow for several overs, both men being content to play themselves in quietly. Gregory swung Player to the leg fence to score the first boundary. HIS FIRST REP. MATCH With the score at 29 for 0, Dacre put G. L. Weir on in place of Player. It was the Eden colt’s first rep. match, an honour he has won after but four successful games in senior grade cricket. Two overs later Anthony took over from Matheson, and Gregory showed his appreciation of the change by dispatching his first ball to long on for four. Here the batting livened up a bit, Gregory scoring a boundary off Weir. In Anthony’s next over Hamilton sent him twice to the boundary, while his partner glanced the same bowler for three. Dacre persevered with Anthony, however, and the veteran’s next over was a maiden. The score was mounting slowly but steadily, Anthony keeping both men quiet. ANTHONY GETS HAMILTON First blood came to Anthony when Hamilton was given out lbw with his score at 27 and the total 56. He had played careful cricket. Jacobs, the newcomer, hit Anthony dangerously near Dacre at mid-off, and then edged him uncomfortably to leg. Bowley relieved Weir, and his tempting ones had the batsmen thinking. His fourth ball, nearly a full toss, got Jacobs's bat, and the colt was out for 1.—1—16—2. PAGE OUT FOR 0 Bowley and Anthony had the Canterbury men fairly tied up. Page hit out at Anthony and Dacre again held an easy catch. The Canterbury captain had failed to open his score.— 0 —3—62. The next man in was the C.C.A.’s

player-coach J. Newman, who went to the crease to a round of applause from the scattered crowd. The Auckland fielding was keen and the batsmen were taking no chances. Twice Newman was nearly run out before scoring, the first time through a misunderstanding with Gregory. Newman went out to Bowley and hit him to the boundary, but his partner still le~£t the Auckland coach religiously alone. Garrard replaced Anthony and Newman glanced his first ball to the leg boundary. Gregory's score was now 41. The first century went up after 90 minutes’ batting. At the luncheon adjournment Canterbury had scored 117 runs for the loss of four wickets. CANTERBURY First Innings. GREGORY, not out 59 HAMILTON, lbw, b Anthony 27 JACOBS, b Bowley 1 PAGE, c Dacre, b Anthony 0 NEWMAN, c Weir, b Bowley * 24 NIXON, not out * .. 3 Extras .. 3 Total for four wickets .. .. .. 117