Auckland Out for 311

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 567, 21 January 1929, Page 9

Auckland Out for 311

WELLINGTON BATS AGAIN

Three Wickets Down for 84

AUCKLAND'S last wicket pair, Rowntree and Player, lasted only five minutes when the Auckland-Wellington Plunket Shield match was resumed at Eden Park this morning. The local side’s first innings total was carried from 308 to 311, leaving Auckland 92 runs behind. Wellington opened again with Hiddleston and Dempster. Three wickets are down for 84.

Auckland’s not-out men, Rowntree (1) and Player (8), resumed batting at Eden Park at 11.5 a.m. to-day, with Auckland’s total at 308 for nine wickets.

Weather conditions were still fairly humid, in spite of a fresh northwesterly breeze, which swept the ground. The sky remained overcast. The wicket was wearing well, it having escaped the light shower which fell in the city last evening. Henderson reopened the bowling from the Dominion Road end, Player taking the first strike. Off the initial ball a bye resulted, and then Rowntree faced the speed merchant. He let three successive balls on the off continue on their way, and then blocked the last ball of the over. McGirr bowled from the other end for Player to cut his second ball for three. The next he sent to cover, but no score resulted., The Shore veteran blocked out the remainder of the over. Rowntree tried to get one from Henderson through the slips, but Hiddleston snatched up brilliantly. The end came quickly two balls later, when Foley took a good catch low down, at first slip off Rowntree. Rowntree and Player had been together for 10 minutes, and had added three runs for the last wicket. Henderson finished up with the best bowling performance of the visitors’ trundlers. His figures were 35 overs, four maidens, 90 runs, five wickets; average, 18. Auckland had been at the batting crease just over five hours. WELLINGTON IN AGAIN Hiddleston and Dempster opened the visitors’ second innings at 11.25 a.m., the former taking the strike to Lindsay Weir, who took up the Auckland attack from the Dominion Road end. Player bowled from the other end. Hiddleston scored a single off Weir and then faced Player. One run came off that over. Dempster blocked out Weir’s next over for Hiddleston to register two braces in succession off Player. The veteran Wellingtonian was playing himself in confidently. Dempster was at the crease 10 minutes before he opened his account with a single off Weir. Player and Whitelaw were barracked by the “hillites” for lackadaisical work in the field. Double figures were signalled after Wellington had been batting for 30 minutes. Hiddleston brought his own score to 13 shortly after with a boundary at Player’s expense. Dempster was then four.

Hiddleston made an effort to open out to Player, but mistimed the ball and sent it for a single. Twenty runs were up in slightly under the same number of minutes’ play. Dempster brought his account to double figures with a drive for four off Weir. The Auckland fielding, although fair all round, suffered by comparison with that of the visitors. The batsmen continued to run smart singles and braces.

With the score at 28 for none, Ailcott took over the bowling from Player at the Edendale end. His second ball Dempster let underneath his bat, but it was well off the wicket. The Auckland captain sent down the first maiden of the innings. THREE SUCCESSIVE MAIDENS Weir had an expensive over, yielding 12 runs, when Hiddleston pulled him powerfully to the rails, and Dempster hooked him to the stand boundary. After that, Dunnng took over the bowlng from the Eden colt. The total was now 41, of which Hiddleston had run up 26. The rate of scoring slowed down considerably when Ailcott and Dunning were bowling. The Auckland captain bow Ted 23 balls without a run coming off him. A single to Hiddleston off the last ball of his fourth over ended the remarkable sequence of maidens. He was keeping a wonderful length, while neither batsman could score freely off Dunning. Hiddleston brought his pet stroke, a leg pull, into action again, and a four came off Ailcott. Horspool and Postles were fielding remarkably well, stopping hot shots from Hiddleston. Dunning was sending them down a little faster than usual. He also bowled three maidens in succession. Fifty runs were up after 55 minutes’ play, Hiddleston being 32, and Demps,ter 17. Bowley replaced Ailcott, and the coach’s first over yielded two runs. Off the third ball of his next over, Dempster hit one high to mid-on, but Allcott’s six feet could not reach the leather. The Auckland fielding had brightened considarbly, Jack Mills putting in some good work at deep square-leg. The score continued to mount slowly but surely, the batters running many smart singles. Hiddleston brought his half-century up at 12.40 p.m. with a lucky shot over Allcott’s head. He had been batting for an hour and 15 minutes. OPENING PAIR OUT Loud cheers greeted the dismissal of Dempster in Bowley’s next over. Whitelaw taking a catch well up at mid-on. Dempster had played some pretty shots in his innings, but his display could hardly be compared with his effort in the innings'. The score hoard read: 74 —1—22. Enthusiasm knew no bounds when, four balls later, Player caught Hiddleston at forward square leg off Dunning. The telegraph showed 74—2—51. Dempster batted 80 minutes, and his partner, three minutes longer. Hiddleston’s display, recalled his great showings of a few years back, when he ranked as one of New Zealand’s greatest batters. Worker and Lowry were now associated, the latter sending the first ball he received from Dunning dangerously near Whitelaw, in the slips. The game now took on a different aspect, with the batsmen powerless to score off the close bowling of Dunning and Bowley. The coach’s one wicket cost only four runs while the board showed only 14 against Dunning. Lowrie especially was most uncomfortable facing Bowley. His partner survived a maiden from Dunning. Bowley sent down another maiden, as also did Dupning. Then Lowrie srot, the Rhodes scholar away for a single. Details; AUCKLAND First Innings. BOWLEY, b Henderson 4 MILLS, b Henderson -•••••- * i 4 POSTLES, c Hiddleston, b Rotherham WEIR, c Hiddleston, b Rotherham . . 57 ALLCOTT, c James, b Henderson . . -8 GILLESPIE, lbw, b Henderson .... <8 WHITELAW, b McGirr 4 HORSPOOL, b McGirr J DUNNING, c James, b Lowry .. . - o 4 PLAYER, not out 10 ROWNTREE, c Foley, b Henderson 1 Total 311 Fall of wickets: 1/13, 2/20. 3/135, 4/157, 5//199, 6/208, 7/218, 8/286, 9/304, 10/308. Bowling analysis:—

WELLINGTON First innings 403 Second Innings.

O. M. R. W. Av. Henderson ..35 4 90 5 IS McGirr 31 6 65 2 Rotherham ..36 3 60 2 30 Lowry 9 2 12 l Hiddleston . . S 0 17 o Lambert .... 7 1 32 0 Lamason .... 2 0 7 0 Foley 2 3 6 o Worker .... 6 0 2* 0