6-4-4 FINISH

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30085, 20 March 1963, Page 19

6-4-4 FINISH

England Wins By Seven Wickets

New Zealand lost to England by seven wickets in the third test at Lancaster Park yesterday, but even so substantial a margin was, after the earlier calamities, a worthwhile improvement. More than that, New Zealand’s bowlers and fieldsmen fought to the last gasp, and it was a measure of their endeavour that yesterday England lost three wickets and took 160 minutes to score the last 132 runs.

Although he made another good score—and failed by only 18 runs to equal the record for an M.C.C. touring player of 1781 set by D. C. S. Compton in South Africa in 1948-49. K. F. Barrington was not particularly convincing yesterday. He was no doubt tired, perhaps even sated with rung; he played some careless strokes, among some good ones.

D. S. Sheppard was most circumspect in his approach, although he brought off two or three very handsome straight drives. These two made their opening partnership worth 70 before Barrington fell to a clever running catch by J. R. Reid, at mid-off, from R. W. Biair’s bowling. Sheppard went at 96, drawn forward, beaten and bowled by a lovely leg-break from Alabaster, who

had worried him in the first innings.

Just before lunch, P. H. Parfitt after an undistinguished display, also fell, well taken off Alabaster by M. J. F. Shrimpton at forward short leg. But M. C. Cowdrey was completely in command, and he played some beautiful shots. Reverse Drive Notable among them was a peculiar sweep, with the bat so close to the foot and so perpendicular, that the ball seemed to be hit with a sort of reverse drive to fine leg. Although only 24 runs were left unscored at lunch, there was some entertainment in the last 25 minutes. B. R.

Knight, in the earlier tests, had shown a particular dislike for the short-pitched ball, and R. C. Motz, bowling downwind after lunch, explored and exposed this weakness cruelly. In a tremendously energetic and accurate burst of bowling, Motz peppered Knight with bouncers, and might have had him out, had W. R. Playle in the slips realised that a catch lobbing up to him had come from glove and not pad. Knight’s Third Six

Perhaps it was this treatment which persuaded Knight to get it all over as soon as possible. Facing Alabaster, he hit a fine high six to square leg—his third of the match—-

swung the next one to midwicket for four, and ended the game with a good-looking cover drive far four. Cowdrey, with 35 not out, had the satisfaction of taking his personal career aggregate to 25,000 runs. There would be very few among them not worth watching. Motz bowled particularly well yesterday. He looked as if he thought he had a chance of winning the match, so eagerly did he go about his task. He was unlucky with Knight, and with Parfitt who, at three, gave A. E. Dick a difficult leg-side catch. Motz’s last 12 overs cost only 12 runs.

Blair bowled quite steadily but did not look at all dangerous. Reid, however, persisted with him for the first hour. It was a little strange that he did not start the day with Alabaster, in whom rested New Zealand’s best hopes of reducing the margin. Alabaster Dangerous But Alabaster did not come on until the score was 84— about half-way to the final total. He bowled a few loose ones, which were punished— Cowdrey took four to midwicket from the second ball he faced with an extraordinary short-arm jab of vast power—but he looked dangerous most of the time.

There was some rough from foot-marks into which he was often able to pitch, and he might with some justice have taken more than two wickets. Cameron once more tried extremely hard and in one spell conceded runs very grudginvlv indeed