Smith M.C.C.’s Last Hope

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30914, 22 November 1965, Page 3

Smith M.C.C.’s Last Hope

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) MELBOURNE. The M.C.C. skipper M. J. K. Smith, saved his team from a complete collapse against Victoria at Melbourne on Saturday.

The English batsmen, in their most important encounter so far on the tour, lost their first six wickets for 138 runs.

It was almost a rout, on a good pitch and after the breezy start made by R. W. Barber, who hit 28 runs in 26 minutes.

In a stalwart innings Smith is 46 not out after two hours battling against Victoria's exceptionally keen bowlers and fieldsmen.

The last man, 1. J. Jones, is with Smith, and the M.C.C., 211 for nine in reply to Victoria’s 384 for seven declared, needs 24 more runs to avoid the follow-on.

The M.C.C.’s batting failures came after its disappointing bowling performance in the pre-lunch session, when it failed to take a wicket and so allowed W. M. Lawry to close at the interval.

Victoria had been 293 for seven overnight

Scores: VICTORIA First Innings W. Lawry, st Murray, b Titmus .. 153 I. Redpath, c Cowdrey, b Barber .. 53 R Cowper, b Brown .. 2 K. Stackpole, c Murray, b Higgs .23 D. Anderson, c Russell, b Brown .. .. 25 G. Watson, not out . . .. 59 P. Williams, lbw, b Brown 2 J. Grant, b Brown .. ..2 D. Cowper, not out .. 60 Extras <3 leg-byes, 2 noballs) 5 Total for seven wickets dec. 384 Fall of wickets: one Jor 104, two for 109, three for 174, four for 255. five for 258, six for 260,

M.C.C. First Innings R. W. Barber, c Williams, b Watson 28 J. H. Edrich, lbw, b Stackpole 46 E. W. Russell, c R. Cowper, b Stackpole .. 19 K. F Barrington, c D. Cowper, b Stackpole 12 M. C. Cowdrey, c Williams, b Grant .. 14 M. J. K. Smith, not out 46 J. T. Murray, c and b Stackpole 7 F. J Titmus, c and b R. Cowper 24 D. Brown, c R. Cowper, b Connolly 8 K. Higgs, c R. Cowper, b Connolly o I. J. Jones, not out .. 0 Extras (6 no-balls, 1 wide) .7 Total (for nine wickets) 211 Fall of wickets: one for 39. two for 72, three for 105, four for 108, five for 125, six for 138. seven for 170, eight for 202. Bowling

seven for 262. Bowling R. W 0. M. Brown . 15 9 27 4 Jones . 17 2 78 0 Higgs . 17 0 72 1 Titmus . 31 4 77 1 Barber . 13 0 66 1 Barrington 4 0 9 0

0. M. R. W. Connolly . 11 3 38 2 Grant 10 1 46 1 Watson 5 0 23 1 Stacknole . 20 4 64 4 Rayson 3 0 10 0 R. Cowper . 3 0 14 1