CRICKET ENGLAND TAKES COMMAND

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28833, 2 March 1959, Page 12

CRICKET ENGLAND TAKES COMMAND

N.Z. Still More Than 200 Behind

New Zealand’s unhappy habit of going so far, and no further—a sort of Verdun in reverse—has been conspicuous on both days of the first test against England at Lancaster Park. On the first day, England lost seven wickets for 224 and. finished at 336 for eight. On Saturday after England’s innings had closed at 374, New Zealand’s score at one stage was 83 for two, with B. A. Bolton and J. R. Reid batting well.

But once more there was a frightful collapse, and once more New Zealand suffered the ignominy o( following-on, this time 232 runs behind. By the dose of play this deficit had been reduced by 28, without further loss of wicket or prestige, but New Zealand now faces a Herculean task in its effort to save the game. >

New Zealand’s performance was disappointing for the crowd of 19,000, a record for a cricket match at Lancaster Park. But there were compensations in the batting,of Bolton and Reid, and particularly in the fine fury of K. W. Hough’s hitting at the end.

The gate takings were £4391, making a total of £6531 for the two days.\ The teams are:—

, England.—P. B. H. May (captain), M. C. Cowdrey, P. E. Richardson, T. W. Graveney, W. Watson, E. R. Dexter, J. Mortimore, R. Swetman, G. A. R. Lock, F. H. Tyson, and F. S. Trueman. New Zealand.—J. R. Reid (captain), B. Sutcliffe, B. A. Bolton, R. M. Harris, S. N. McGregor. J. W. Guy, J. T. Sparling, E. C. Petrie, A. M. Moir, R. W. Blair, and K. W. Hough. Few excuses could be advanced

for New Zealand’s timid and inept display, for although on the second day of a match the ball should not spin nearly as fiercely as it did on Saturday, it was the fast bowling of Tyson which’ breached New Zealand’s defences, and Tyson did not bowl par- . ticularly well. Saturday should have been a. day for brave deeds: when New Zealand went in to bat the sun shone warmly, and the large, eager crowd clearly looked to the batsmen to restore some colour to the dratf recital of New Zealand’s recent test performances. But if the combination of situation and setting was a trumpet call to New Zealand's test players, it fell, largely, on deaf ears. Belton’s Courage Bolton batted with cool courage and concentration. Reid fairly bristled with aggression and Hough won the hearts of everyone with his devastating and div* erring assault at the end. But for the rest, it was a most unmilitary procession. New Zealand has players capable of making runs against test bowlers, but their lack of application is appalling New Zealand batsmen need a good performance to find confidence; they need confidence to produpe a good performance. Until this vicious circle is broken,, somehow, more deplorable exhibitions may be expected. Tyson broke the batting's back when he dismissed Reid and Sutcliffe in three balls. Reid, after some splendid shots, surprisingly failed to make contact with ’< ball which moved off the pitch but which was well short of a length ahd Sutcliffe was caught, just as he had been at Dunedin, close in on the leg side. At Dunedin, the ball had lifted sharply from a fairly good length. This time he could easily have got out of harm’s way, but spooned a catch to Lock at short backward square. Bowled Well Then Lock took oVer, apprehending thpae not listed on the information Tyson had laid against the New Zealand batting. If aome ot them pleaded guilty far too readily. there was no-denying that Lock bowled extremely well. He demanded that the batsmen ptas him nearly always, and -very frequently he spun the bell across the right-handers at. phenomenal speed.-Tbequfckturn this pitch offered must have made Lock feel very .much hearer hotr.e. With his peculiarly q -and suspiciously U he erumbled IM New Zealand inntom swiftly, tithing four wickets

in 18 balls without conceding a run. He had a full flock of close fieldsmen, and there never seemed much prospect ot them being

disturbed. Mortimore, who did not spin the ball quite as sharply as might have, been expected on this pitch, also bowled steadily. Reid got at him briefly, but his two or three short-leg fieldsmen could not often have felt much trepidation. Trueman, expected to be the chief threat to the New Zealand batting, bowled well but eould not get much out of the pitch. He beat Reid with one of ferocious paee which swung away, missing the bat’s edge and the off-stump by a minute margin, and he was never played really confidently, except by. Hough, to whom all bowlers come alike.

Trueman had to wait until the end of the innings for his first wicket, and it was his hundredth in tests, a landmark in his career as balm for the bruising he suffered from Hough's ample hands. After his successes four years ago, Tyson was a little disappointing. By New Zealand standards, he is still extremely fast, and he bowled some very good overs, beating Reid several times. But he bowled rather too many well wide of the off-stump and notwithstanding his excellent figures he was a comparatively minor figure in the drama and comedy of the day. For a batsman in his first test Innings. Bolton did wonderfully well. It would be idle to suggest' he’ was never forced into error, for he was beaten three or four times. But he gave no chance, and he played no more than two or three streaky strokes. It was comforting to see a young batsman in a first test who so clearly looked the part of an opening batsman. Bolton usually

likes to score quickly, and on Satl rday he was in 190 minutes for his 33. But his steadiness was most commendable, and - even in defence, his stroke production nearly always appealed to the purist. He batted well again when New Zealand followed on; it has been a fine test debut for him. and he still has a chance to make it a really memorable one. His batting on Saturday was based mainly on patience, but he kept the ball down beautifully, and from time to time made* strokes of genuine quality. Splepdid Strokes Reid had a most unhappy start. ■ but he madq some splendid i strokes later—clean, hard drives, ■ and .a sweep or two of tremend--1 ous vigour. He and Bolton scored 50 together in 70 minutes. 1 to put. New Zealand into the fight, and it was a great pity that he ■ went as he did. ! After Reid's dismissal, there was little to disturb the flow of bats--1 men until Hough came out with purposeful tread. Two colossal swings at Lock brought three runs and turned on the -ted light for Tyson had dropped him at deep mid-off. Hough made no further serious attempt to attack Lock. But he had some healthy hits at Mortimore, which produced only singles, and he made half his runs in one hectic over from Trueman, who had just come on for a new spell. Hough played the first ball decorously. That, for him, was suf- . flcient sop to convention. He swung the second ball backward of square, for 4, hit the next, a no-ball, to mid-wicket for 4, and began to look for runs. One strok- worthy of note brought nothing, but deserved reward. It was a cut played from some distance outside the leg stump. Another ball went by scoreless, but then Hough played the shot of the day. Trueman hurled the ball at him at somewhere about 90 miles an hour. Hough calmly hit it straight back over the bowler’s 1 head tor a 6. 5 This heavy artillery from the ■ last ditch—with Petrie playing I a noble part as a sort of spotter —was remarkable in a first test i innings, and the spectators fairly I hugged themselves with joy and , excitement Sixteen came from t that over by Trueman, and when r Hough hit him next over down I to the boundary, the crowd in i the -number five stand was on its feet to cheer the ball over the , line as if a boundary meant the i difference between victory and 1 defeat.

It all ended with Petrie leg before wicket to Trueman. The last pair scored 40, only 17 short of New Zealand's tenth-wicket test record, and Hough made his 31 in 36 minutes, some of which were spent in watching Petrie keeping Lock out. Hough made 22 runs in nine balls from True-

man, and it was lovely while it lasted. »> • Bolton and Harris started very briskly in the second innings, with Bolton taking Trueman then Mortimore, Harris opposite Tyson then Lock. Bolton has not yet faced a ball from Lock in this innings, and Harris did well Jo stay in for the critical period of 40 minutes, with Lock so venombus.

In the morning, England batted another 50 minutes, scoring a i further 38 runs. Dexter was i scoreless for nearly 20 minutes, ’ then played some more good ; shots, even after H short one ] from Blair had been deflected on ■ to his face. Ldck helped him < well, and they made their partnership - worth 62 for the ninth ; wicket; after the stand of 81 for the eighth between Dexter and Trueman, it was a heavy application of salt>to a painful wound. - ,' . , ; 1 It was Reid who finished oft the innings with a very good spell df medium-paced bowgng<. ; wittout cost Engjand batted 410 minutes in all, Dexter 278 for fas 141, with 24 4's and a 6. Trueman shed his sweaters for the first time inNew Zealand when NeW Zealand's fast innings began, and he really looked like business. Bolton and Harris made quite sound progress to 22, when Harris . turned Tyson and Lock, falling to his left at leg slip, held a very fine catch. At lunch New Zealand had scored 27 for one, in an hour. Fine Catching England's catching close to the wicket throughout the innings was -in keeping with the team s reputation before the Australian i tour. Trueman took a lovely diving catch on the leg Side when Guy turned Lock away, but then Reid, after an uncertain start, began to play his shots with magnificent strength and certainty. With Reid in so violent a mood, Bolton defended quietly, and scored only one in the fast 35 minutes of Reid’s innings. But the purely passive role does not make the most of Bolton s talents, and later he djd not time his strokes properly when there were ond“ or two wnich could have been driven hard. Reid and Sutcliffe went, and McGregor was Lock’s third victim on the leg side. Mortimore turned one across him nicely to , find the inside edge. Sparling batted about 40 minutes, trying. , hard, but the tea score of 94 for five spoiled a good many appe- ; tl< Bolton’s long vigil ended sqon. after tea, and he went to a ball , which migfat have beaten any- ' one. It demanded a stroke, and it fairly fizzed away to give 1 Swetman the catch. Sparling was clearly stumped, Moir pushed 1 Lock to short mid-off, and Blair ■ lasted only a few minutes. After 1 this, the crowd’s enthusiasm for ' Hough was almost pathetic.