BARRINGTON LEADS ENGLAND REVIVAL

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30065, 25 February 1963, Page 12

BARRINGTON LEADS ENGLAND REVIVAL

Century Was His Third In Successive Tests (from Our Own Reporter) AUCKLAND, February 24. England laid claim to the first cricket test against New Zealand at Eden Park on Saturday with a score of 328 for five wickets. But until the last 45 minutes of a day of captivating cricket, it was an intensely, keen struggle, from which New Zealand emerged with considerable credit

The substance of England’s score came from a splendid partnership between the astonishingly consistent K. F. Barrington and the majestic M. C. Cowdrey. They scored 166 for the fourth wicket, Barrington making his third century in his last five test innings and Cowdrey producing some glorious strokes in his 86.

Throughout this fine partnership, New Zealand bowled and fielded particularly well.

But at the end of the day B. R. Knight and P. H. Parfitt were able to tip the balance ‘firmly towards England with a stand which has already produced 70 runs in 56 minutes. it is seldom that the three sections of a day’s play have such separate entities as they did yesterday. In the morning, the New Zealand bowlers exploited a fairly lively pitch, and England, losing three wickets for 63. struggled desperately for runs. The soporific effect lunch often has on spectators extended to the pitch, which, after the interval, was as dead as a dodo. For all that, it was sharp conflict between bat and ball, the New Zealand bowlers being supported by ground fielding of the highest quality. Th** thi-rrt nf nla,v

b ought New Zealand the wickets of Cowdrey and Barrington, but these two hours belonged to England, which ■cored another 13° runs. Slow Clapping A crowd of 20,000 sat in wins sunshine to watch a splendid contest although there were still some who indulged in slow clapping, and betrayed an impatience born of ignorance in other wearying ways. The teams are: England: E. R. Dexter (captain), M. C. Cowdrey, D. 8. Sheppard, R. Illingworth, K. F. Barrington, B. R. Knight, P. H. Parfitt, F. J. Titmus, J. T. Murray, L. J. Coldwell, J. F. D. Larter; A C. Smith, twelfth man. New Zealand: J. R. Reid (captain), G. T. Dowling, W. R- Playle, B. W. Sinclair, R. C. Mots, J. T. Sparling, B. W. Ynile, J. C. Alabaster, F. J. Cameron. P. T. Barton, A. E. Dick; M. J. F. e hrimpton, twelfth man.

Throughout the morning the unusually green Eden Park pitch encouraged the New Zealand bowlers. The pitch never played violently, but there was sufficient life in it to provide international batsmen with a test worthy of them.

Cameron could swing the ball readily, move it off the pitch a little, and sometimes get it up waist-high from near a length Motz, too.'won some lift from it But the drama was played on a revolving stage, for in the afternoon the pitch might have been made to a batsman’s specifications It was not so •low that strokes could not be made, but there was no turn, little bounce, and the ball came through easily and evenly Denial Of Justice

New Zealand should, perhaps, have made more decisive inroads into the England innings before the interval ■nd with a little luck England would have been in distinct trouble by lunch. Illingworth, for instance, was anything but convincing, yet stayed in 47 minutes. Sheppard lasted even longer—Bs minutes for his 12 runs—and his survival was a denial of justice for bowlers. It is difficult to recall an England batsman so palpably out of form. Sheppard played hardly a stroke which looked really authentic and he was clearly embarrassed by the frequency with which he played and missed, or found safe edges It was almoat as embarrassing for those spectators sufficiently sensitive to suffer with a good and popular player held so fart by inefficiency At one stage Sheppard became sufficiently desperate to rush down the pitch as Cameron moved in. only to have to stop hissbot and lob back a catch Cameron could not quite collect. But the longer Sheppard lingered, the fewer the opportunities New Zeahud of bran king through

while the pitch was the bowlers' ally. Spirited Bowling Nevertheless, with three down for 74 at lunch, New Zealand had had a very good morning. And in the early afternoon, there was some splendid, spirited bowling by Motz and Cameron, as Barrington and Cowdrey slowly but surely turned the tide. In technique, they have little in common, save the ability to play the ball late and hit it hard. Cowdrey, a batting classicist, produced stroke after stroke of rare beauty. He was often on the defensive, and it was only occasionally that his elegant, perfectly-timed drives could defeat the eager New Zealand fieldsmen, but when they did, they were always worth four runs.

His driving through the covers was something for the memory to treasure, but he won runs nearly everywhere else, always with good, firm strokes.

Barrington is so square in his stance that he looks very vulnerable to the ball leaving him late: but he uses his feet to go sideways as well as forward or back, and it was seldom that the ball found anything but the middle of the bat In his first over from Motz he was in trouble, but after that he was absolutely in command. Watchful, Waiting He is not a pretty batsman, by any means, but no-one in recent times has looked more efficient. Watchful and waiting. he denied the bowlers any sort of comfort; and the moment their length faltered, even fractionally, Barrington had the stroke, and another four runs in the book. There was the inevitability about it all of a conveyor belt, with the New Zealand bowlers sending up their widely-varied products at one end and a steady stream of runs coming off the other. Indeed so firmly entrenched did Barrington and Cowdrey become that there was a sort of "till death do us part” look about their association. Barrington. like Cowdrey, waited for the ball to attack, but then hit it tremendously hard. Together they took England from a precarious 63 for three to the serenity of 188 for three at tea.

They went on for another half-hour in the final period of play before Cowdrey went, trying to drive Cameron after the new ball had been taken. Barrington batted on. 255 minutes in all and New Zealand urgently needed further success. But against tired bowling, and fielding which lost its speed and certainty. Knight and Parfitt made swift progress. Both look good batsmen, but there was some comfort for New Zealand in their assurance.

When New Zealand finally dismisses England—and it may be a long business yet—it should also score well, for the bitch is expected io remain free of vice, at least for the next two days.

Big Foot-holes The New Zealand bowlers, by and large, did well, although in the first hour Motz and Cameron made such vast footholes that there were distinct fears they might suffer injury. The holes were filled during the lunch interval, in the interests of safety. Cameron, as ever, bowled with great heart and skill, and he has taken four of the five wickets. Reid bowled him for 100 minutes in the morning—--14 overs—and he could produce him for only one spell, half as long, before tea. Cameron kept trying all through, but when he was brought back in the final few minutes he looked utterly weary, and in two overs bowled more long hops than he had conceded in his previous 30

Motz also bowled with spirit and courage although he was widely censured tor bowling wide of the off stump so often. A point which escaped some of his critics was that he very

often committed Barrington or Cowdrey to the stroke, but they are batsmen of such skill and experience that they were able to drop their wrists away at the very last moment. Alabaster after lunch was rather innocuous, and could not compensate for his lack of bite with really tight control of length. Yuile took a wicket in his first test over, but thereafter was no danger, and was often very expensive. Reid denied the batsmen easy runs, and could- well have bowled himself more. Reid did not manage his bowling affairs as competently as usual. It was natural to bowl Mott and Cameron extensively when they were making so good an Impression in the morning. but Reid did not have an over himself until 45 minutes after lunch. His cutters of brisk pace could have been a vital weapon in the morning, when he used Alabaster for six evers, and had Motz back for a second spell. N.Z. Lack Exposed In the afternoon. New Zealand's lack of a solid mediumpaced bowler was badly exposed. B. D. Morrison or J, W. Kiddey would have been of distinct value, for Reid, after his owe spell, had hie cposfing

bowlers resting for the new ball, and was left, on an easy pitch, with only spin bowling of mediocre quality. Between tea and the close of play. Reid again could have used himself more, for he was the only one who at that stage looked capable of containing the batsmen. But he bowled only five overs. It is to be hoped that his sparing use of his own bowling assets is not a pointer to a recurrence of injury. Cameron, with four wickets. Motz with none, won warm admiration for their efforts, and there were, it should be said, occasions when the spinners did beat the bat, but New Zealand will need a third seam bowler for the other tests.

The fielding, however, could win nothing but praise, at least until the last hour. Playle must

surely be one of the finest fieldsmen anywhere. He was quite dynamic with his speed, his sure stopping, his extraordinarily fast and accurate throwing. It was wonderful to watch Yuile being hammered into the covers where Playle, Sinclair, Dowling and Sparling were in line—four young, eager athletes.

Attempted Run Out Towards .the end. the throwing became ragged, and Dowling lost face—until he recalled Constantine by attempting a run out and, after the ball had been deflected from a foot, being first of the converging fieldsmen to it. 30 or 40 yards on the other side of the stumps. Barton took a magnificent catch, diving .to his right, to catch Dexter when the England captain cut Yuile, and Playle’s catch was also superb. He was very close and square in the gully; Barrington hit the ball hard, but Playle took it at ankle height quite calmly and easily.

But five or six hard chances were not accepted during the day. On such a pitch, catching perfection is required. However, if New Zealand is now in a difficult position, this can be said for the side—it looked like a team, an aggressive team.