Graveney And Higgs Put England On Top

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31090, 20 June 1966, Page 3

Graveney And Higgs Put England On Top

(N.Z.P.A. Reuter—Copyright) LONDON. England, whose fine batting gave it a first innings lead of 86, rammed home its advantage over the West Indies by taking a quick wicket near the end of an exciting day’s play in the second test at Lord’s on Saturday.

England was all out for 355, 45 minutes before the close in reply to the West Indies total of 269.

The West Indies made a bad start to its second innings when M. C. Carew was brilliantly caught by B. R. Knight at deep backward leg with only two runs scored. The atmosphere was electric, but at the close, the West Indies was 18 for one wicket. GATES CLOSED

Fortunes swayed, keeping the capacity crowd of 30,000 —the gates were closed half an hour before the start—on its toes almost throughout. The West Indies took the initiative before lunch with some magnificent bowling from G. S. Sobers and W. W. Hall. Both were well supported by C. C. Griffith and the spinner, L. Gibbs. Three wickets fell as 67 runs were added to England’s overnight score of 145 for two, and 67 were still required for a first innings lead.

Then a sixth-wicket stand of 48 between J. M. Parks and the coloured South Afri-

can, B. D’Oliveira, checked the West Indies and England again looked to be getting on top. D’Oliveira produced some of the best strokes of the innings before being unluckily run out with his score 27. USEFUL PARTNER

The England all-rounders, F. J. Titmus and Knight, both failed, but Parks found an unexpectedly useful partner in the fast bowler, K. Higgs. With Parks doing most of the scoring while Higgs kept his end going, the pair put on 59 in 75 minutes for the ninth wicket. Parks was out trying to turn an off-break from Carew after batting 3hr 35min and hitting nine fours.

Earlier, Sobers had got England on the run with some great left-arm pace bowling. He bowled K. F. Barrington, but it was Hall who gained the valuable wicket of T. W. Graveney. Hall finished with four for 106. BIRTHDAY TREAT

Graveney, who was 39 on the day. the test started, earlier had dominated the England innings. He and G. Boycott (60) put on 115 for the second wicket on Friday after the West Indies had been dismissed for 269.

Graveney went on to score 96 before being dismissed by Hall.

Higgs had run through the West Indies tail batsmen, to finish with six for 91. He took three of the last four wickets for 11 runs as the West Indies slumped from 247 for six at lunch to 269 all out 40 minutes later.