Two great innings of 94 made for a great partnership at Dunedin’s University Oval on day two of the first Test – but it wasn’t out on the park.
During a gloomy rain delay BLACKCAPS batsman Ross Taylor, who scored 94 the day before, brightened up the day for Dunedin cricket stalwart Dawn Ibbotson – who will soon go one better than Ross when she turns 95.
Ross told Dawn he was a little envious of her “94 not out”.
Mrs Ibbotson is the widow of Arthur Ibbotson, a former President of New Zealand Cricket and Patron of the Otago Cricket Association.
She still watches cricket regularly during the summer, she told Ross, often driving herself to games.
The pair also spent time chatting about a shared interest in wine. Ross, who has an extensive wine cellar, was intrigued to learn that Dawn’s son Neal was the owner of Saint Clair Estate in Marlborough – and noted that he was partial to the vineyard’s Sauvignon Blanc.
Ross presented Dawn with a signed miniature bat commemorating the meeting of “the two 94s”.
