ENGLAND 157 FOR THREE

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28160, 26 December 1956, Page 8

ENGLAND 157 FOR THREE

Slow Batting In First Test

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 8 p.m.) JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 24.

England scored only 157 for the loss of three wickets in six hours’ play on ! the opening day of the first test against South Africa.

It was one of the slowest day’s cricket in test history. The opening batsman, Peter Richardson, took all day to make 69 not out. the slowest on record in tests for that length of time —but he and Colin Cowdrey (51 not out) put on 109 for the unfinished fourth wicket and retrieved England from the doleful position of 48 for three.

Comparable slow batting was England’s 128 against the West Indies at Barbados in the 1953-54 series (five hours) and W. H. Scotton’s 82 in six hours for England against Australia in Adelaide in the 1884-85 matches.

Only five fours were hit during the day—two each by Richardson and Cowdrey and one by Trevor Bailey. The crowd of 25.000 took the slow play well. Only one or two mild attempts at barracking greeted the plodding efforts of the batsmen.

The bowling was tight, and much of it negative, and the fielding was brilliant. but it was hard to find a real excuse for such slow scoring. Possibly the length of the England tail influenced the early batting. Richardson, certainly, gave the impression that he was determined to stick. Normally a happy-go-lucky type, he put the needs of the side first. Without him England would probably have been in a bad way. Scores: — ENGLAND First Innings P. E. Richardson, not out .. 69 T. E. Bailey, c Waite, b Heine . . 16 D. C. S. Compton, c Kelt I *, b Goddard .... 5 P. B. H. May, c Goddard, b Adcock 6 M. C. Cowdrey, not out .. .. 51 Extras .. .. 10 Total (for three wickets) 157 Wicket falls: one for 28, two for 37, three for 48. Bowling

WOMEN’S CRICKET

N.Z. TEAM’S TOUR OF AUSTRALIA DEPARTURE BY AIR TOMORROW Members of the New Zealand women’s cricket team which will tour Australia will leave Christchurch by air for Sydney tomorrow. Before their departure they will be bidden farewell at a special luncheon at a city hotel. On Monday, the team was welcomed to Christchurch by the Mayor (Mr R. M. Macfarlane, M.P.). Mr J. L. Kerr, chairman of the New Zealand Cricket Council, and Mr C. G. Crawford, president of the Canterbury Cricket Association, wished the team well. On Monday afternoon, the team held a practice at Hagley Oval, and yesterday a Christmas partv was held at the home of Miss Ana Tini, a Christchurch member of the team. They spent several hours at the Otago-Canterbury Plunket Shield match during the afternoon. The team will spend a month in Australia, playing teams in Victoria and South Australia. It will play one match against an Australian side.

•• O. M. R. W. P. Heine 18 1 50 1 N. A. T. Adcock 15 6 19 1 T. L. Goddard . . 17 7 22 1 J. C. Watkins . . 11 3 23 0 H. J. Tayfield . . 16 4 23 0 C. B. van Ryneveld 3 1 10 0