POOR BATTING DISPLAY IN DEVONPORT MATCH

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 847, 16 December 1929, Page 6

POOR BATTING DISPLAY IN DEVONPORT MATCH

PARNELL’S STRONG POSITION

A refreshing innings by Anthony, sonTe smart wicketkeeping by Kelly, and the slaughter of the Shore batsmen by McCoy, were the outstanding features of the senior game at Devoaport on Saturday, when Parnell, the competition leaders, met Shore, which figure at the bottom of the ladder. There was the largest attendance of the season, Wensley's first appearance at the Shore and the hot summer afternoon drawing a. large crowd. With a hard true wicket and fast outfield some sparkling cricket was expected from the leaders in the championship, but apart from a characteristic neat and correct display by Anthony, the game was very dull and uninspiring. Neither skipper had won the toss once this season, and fate was again against Frater, Duncan sending Wensley and Whitelaw in to face Coates and Player. A fresh cross wind and new ball enabled Player to swerve a bit, and Whitelaw soon fell to a swinger. Hay went lbw just on the appearance of double figures, and then Anthony and the English coach, aided by a fair allowance of luck, commenced a profitable two hours’ partnership. The century was then in sight when Saunders started up his “unexpected” theory, and catching the “professor” in two minds clean bowled him. Wensley had not impressed as a stylist, until a six and two fours from an over of H. Webb’s disclosed a powerful clean drive. The coach was painfully slow in the early’ stages, and was dropped twice before he reached double figures. Anthony had scored freely, mostly behind point and through the covers, but gave an easy chance of stumping in the 20’s. He was run out smartly after tea through being too slow off the mark, and was loudly applauded for his 71, which included nine boundary shots. The others could do nothing but scratch feebly at Saunders’s subtle mixture, and the Kelly axe soon settled Parnell’s tail when the Shore keeper stumped Singleton and von Rotter, snapped Whitley from a leg glance, and whipped Aitken’s bails off smartly for another run out. Parnell’s very moderate 167 in the same number of minutes was scarcely top of the championship form, and the hopes of the home side supporters began to rise again. McCOY MOWES THEM DOWN But when McCoy opened his barrage of judiciously blended length bowling from the harbour end, the same old procession of walking casualties was soon trudging back to the pavilion. All of them were out to just plain bad strokes, except the Goldsworthy colt, who pasted four boundaries before getting too far under one and falling to a good catch near the line. Four wickets were down for 26 when the colts, Dan Lusk and Goldsworthy, called a halt, and carried the total to 53; then the cortege resumed, and Don Webb’s spectacular felo de se in getting bowled when he was five or six yards down the pitch drew a sympathetic cheer. Lusk showed a strong defensive bent until trapped by Wensley moving in from short leg to grab the ball off the bat. McCoy captured six of the best for 24 runs, but Wensley did not seem suited by the wicket. Shore had seven down for 61 when the adjournment was tolled, is hopeful of saving the follow-on next Saturday. The fielding was very patchy, with several chances dropped, but keen anticipation and snappy returns by D. Webb at cover point saved a lot of runs. Details; FARNELL First Innings WENSLEY, b Saunders 37 WHITELAW, b Flayer 1 HAY. lbw, b Coates 5 McCOY, c Goldsworthy, b Saunders 0 ANTHONY, run out 71 DUNCAN, lbw, b Saunders 9 SINGLETON, std Kelly, b Saunders 6 YON ROTTER, std Kelly, b Player 2 ALTKKN, run out 14 WHITLEY, e Kelly, b Saunders .. S GOODSIR, not out 4 Extras 10 Total 167 Bowling.—Saunders, 5-44; Player, 2-42; Coates, 1-39; H. T. Webb. 0-32. NORTH SHORE First Innings. FRATER. b McCoy 1 GARRARD, b McCoy 12 PIAYER. s.t Whitley, b McCoy .... in BUSH, J.. lbw. b McCoy 0 GOLDSWORTHY. e Whitelaw, b McCoy 21 LUSK, c Wensley, b Aitken 8 WEBB. D.. b McCoy . . 2 KELLY, not out .. 0 SAUNDERS, not out .. .. 2 Extras 5 Seven wickets for 61