The annual Country Week cricket tournament opened yesterday at Logan Park with its best beginning for some seasons as the weather was concerned, but it was problematical whether the Otago selectors saw any new talent to help them choose this season's Plunket Shield team.
In both matches - Metropolitan v. Southland and Central Otago v. North Otago - runs mere scored almost at the rate of one a minute throughout the day's play, but there were few batting performances of class on wickets which did not aid the pace men, but helped spinners with some turn, although no bite.
On the University Oval, Metropolitan had the better of the duel against Southland, making 250 in the first innings. Southland was six down for 124 at the close of play.
The other match ended the day with honours about even, North Otago having 102 on the board for the loss of three wickets in reply to Central Otago's 248.
Main features of Central Otago's innings against North Otago were some excellent running between the wickets by S. Dunn and D. Buttar in a second wicket partnership worth about 60 runs, a solid 53 by M. Blakely at a time when it seemed as if North Otago would break right through, and punishing 38 by W. Bridgman well down the batting order.
North Otago produced two young bowlers with definite prospects for the future in K. Ellis, left-arm slow, and A. Cartwright, right-arm medium pace.
Ellis showed excellent control of flight and spin and his three wickets for 38 runs off 21 overs represented a fine, economical performance for a slow bowler.
Cartwright, a young lad, was given plenty of work and did not falter, even when Central's batsmen appeared to be taking charge of the attack.
North Otago began briskly, W. Kerr and J. Brown scoring freely off a limited bowling attack. Kerr, not out 60 at the close of play, was top scorer for the day and he showed some aggressiveness towards slow bowlers with the exception of W. Bridgman.
Bridgman was by far the most impressive of the bowlers used by Central and it was hard to understand why he was not brought into the attack sooner (the score was in the late 60's before he was given a turn at the crease) and why he was taken off when he had the batsmen planned down.
All in all, it was a pleasant day's cricket in fine, warm weather, but no new batting talent, and with the possible exception of Briggs, was revealed for the Plunket Shield team, and no new bowler other than two of the promising nature only, was seen.
Both matches will continue today and tomorrow a combined team from North Otago, Central Otago and Southland will begin a two-day game against Metropolitan.
Central Otago suffered an early reverse when Plunket Shield representative S.G. McKnight lost his wicket after scoring only 5 runs as one of the openers against North Otago.
North Otago was in a strong position to take a lead on the first innings when stumps were drawn for the day. The attack had offered few terrors for opener W. Kerr, who was on 60 at the end of the day after losing J. Brown (25) and J. White and B. Papps before they reached double figures.
Short Scorecard(s)
Representative - Hawke Cup - Zone Series
Central Otago vs North Otago at Logan Park, Dunedin
Central Otago 248 ( M. Blakely 53, W.B. Bridgman 38, D. Buttar 35, S. Dunn 29, A. Blakely 24, J. Watt 14, O. Becker 11, A.G. Cartwright 4-57, K. Ellis 3-38, P. Grenfell 2-64 ) & 151-8dec ( M. Blakely 33, D. Buttar 28, S.G. McKnight 25, W.B. Bridgman 18no, A. Blakely 16, S. Dunn 14, P. Grenfell 4-27, A.G. Cartwright 2-56, M.F. Sandri 2-64 )
North Otago 226 ( W.B. Kerr 61, K. Ellis 48, J. Wilson 35no, J.C. Brown 25, R. Malloch 18, Bridgman 5-57, Buttar 3-49 ) & 75 ( B.R. Papps 20, P. Grenfell 20, Watt 3-13, A. Blakely 2-2, Harley 2-19 )
Central Otago won by 98 runs
Full scorecard for the match