Dropped Catch Was Costly For Aust.

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30497, 20 July 1964, Page 3

Dropped Catch Was Costly For Aust.

I N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, July 19. A dropped catch by the Victorian lefthander, R. M. Cowper, proved a costly miss when the Australians began a three-day match against Middlesex at Lord’s on Saturday.

Cowper, fielding at first slip, failed to hold a fairly simple chance off P. H. Parfitt when he was seven, and Parfitt went on to make 121 in seven minutes short of five hours, with 15 fours and a six.

Finally, he was brilliantly stumped by W. A. Grout off Cowper’s bowling five minutes before stumps, and Middlesex finished the first 285 for seven. Parfitt needed the current match against the tourists to convince the test selectors he was 100 per cent fit. Yesterday he came to the wicket after only 10 minutes’ play with five runs on the board. He made a slow, patchy start but, as his confidence grew, began to cut and drive powerfully. MIDDLESEX First Innings W. E. Russell, b Corling .. 28 J. M. Brearley, b McKenzie 5 P. H. Parfitt, st Grout, b Cowper .. .. 121 R. A. White, lbw, b Corling 23 E. A. Clark, c McKenzie, b Cowper . .31 R. W. Hooker, lbw, b Cowper 3 J. T. Murray, b Cowper .. 54 F. J. Titmus, not out .. 6 D. Bennett, not out .. 2 Extras (b. 4. l.b. 7, w. 1) 12 Total (for seven wickets) .. .. 285 Fall of wickets: One for 5, two for 50, three for 90, four for 138, five for 173, six for 272. seven for 283. Bowling: McKenzie, 14, 4. 41. 1: Corling. 22, 3, 52, 2; Veivers. 21. 6, 39. 0: Potter, 1,0, 1. 0: Sellers, 17, 1, 53, 0; Cowper, 20. 6, 58, 4: Redpath, 6. 1. 29, 0. Fight For A Win The Australians had to fight hard for their 63-run victory over Sussex in the match which finished at Hove on Friday. M. G. Griffith, the 21-year-old wicket-keeper, and A. Buss added 56 in a stubborn ninthwicket stand and the touring team had only 15 minutes to

spare when the last Sussex wicket fell. Griffith hit nine 4’s in a polished 56 not out. AUSTRALIA First innings (for eight wickets declared) .. 330 Second Innings R. B. Simpson, c Griffith, b Bell .. ..56 I. R. Redpath, c and b Thomson .. .. 4 R. M. Cowper, c Bell, b Oakman ... ..17 P. J. Burge, lbw, b, Thomson .8 B. C. Booth, c sub, b.Oakman .. 14 N. C. O’Neill, c Griffith, b Oakman .. 4 B. M. Jarman, .e Langridge, b Bell ..23 T, R. Veivers, c sub, b Bell 29 J. W. Martin, not out .. 12 Extras (b. 8, l.b. 8) .. 16 Total for eight wickets declared) 183 Fall ’of wickets: One for 28, two for S 3, three for 87, four for 99, five for 108, six for 115. seven for 158, eight for 183. Bowling: Snow, 3,0, 17. 0; Thomson, 17, 4, 32, 2; Oakman. 25, 6, 61, 3; Bell. 13.3, 1, 57. 3. SUSSEX First Innings .. .. 246 Second Innings K. G. Suttle, c Cowper, b Hawke .... 21 R. J. Langridge, c Simpson, b Martin . 52 E. R. Dexter, c Simpson, b Hawke o A. S. Oakman, c Simpson, b Hawke .. 0 S. R. Fountain, c Cowper, b Hawke .. ~ 25 M. G. Griffith, not out . 56 M. M. Parks, c McKenzie, b Martin .. 0 N. I. Thomson, c Cowper, b Martin 3 J. A. Snow, c Veivers, b Martin .11 A. Buss, c Jarman, b McKenzie .22 R. Bell, c O’Neill, b McKenzie . 0 Extras (b. 8. l.b. 1, w. 5) 14 Total .. .. 204 Fall of wickets: One for 31, two for 37, three for 37, four for 65. five for 116, six for 116, seven for 130, eight for 148, nine for 204. Bowling: McKenzie, 12, 4, 24, 2: Hawke, 15, 4, 35, 4: Simpson, 13, 5. 29, 0; Veivers, 17. 4, 52, 0: Martin. 18, 4, 50, 4.