Barrington Has Grand Record In Tests

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31597, 7 February 1968, Page 11

Barrington Has Grand Record In Tests

T> EFORE his career is over K. F. Barrington will almost certainly become the highest' scorer in the whole history of test cricket. His century in the first test against the West Indies last month advanced his test aggregate to 6691, leaving him only 658 behind W. R. Hammond’s record.

Barrington not only has an extraordinary number of runs; he'has made them with remarkably consistent batting. He has played 75 tests so far, 10 fewer than Hammond. The only other test players to exceed 6000 runs in tests are L. Hutton, who made 6971 in 79 tests, the incomparable Sir Donald Bradman, with 6996 in 52 tests, and M. C. Cowdrey, 6418 in 93 fests. Barrington began hta' test career with a duck—against South Africa in 1955. He was not asked to play for England again until 1959, when he averaged nearly 60 against India, and he has been a regular England player since then.

In 1959-60 he was in the West Indies, scoring 420 in the tests at 46.7. He had modest success against South Africa in 1960, but bad a test average of 45-5 against Australia in 1961. In the 1961-62 season he-went to India, and there scored 594 at an average of 99. Moving on to Pakistan he scored 229 in three innings. The Australians in 1962-63 discovered how solid Barrington had become. He scored two centuries and three half-cen-turies in five tests, totalled 582, averaged 72.7. Coming on to New Zealand, he made 294 in four innings.

The West Indies team of 1963 had Barrington in trouble only 275 runs in 10 innings—but in 1964 his average against Australia was 75.8—531 runs in the series, and a best score of 256. The South Africans in 1964-65 were hammered by Barrington to toe extent of 508 runs, Barrington’s average being 101.6. He played in the first test against New Zealand in 1965, and made 137, but was so laborious that he was

dropped from the team for the second match. Recalled for the third test, he scored 163.

In Australia in 1965-66, Barrington made 464 at 66.3, but he failed again when the West Indies was in England in 1966. Last year in England be averaged 648 against India, 142 against Pakistan, the six matches bringing him 750 runs in eight completed innings. In his last 10 test innings, Barrington has exceeded

1000 runs,' an astonishing performance, and, as he is only 37, he seems certain to set new test figures. Already he has made 20 centuries, and even Bradman’s record of 29 m»y"not be beyond him. His last four matches have each brought him a oentury, and on 33 occasions in his test career Barrington has reached a half-century. There has not, been a player more consistently Successful than Barrington, and few more popular among opposing players. TEAM MAN

One of the best teams* riders in Canterbury cycling, P. A Skilling, is to resume serious competition.

Skilling has done little racing since an illness forced him to withdraw from the Canterbury team for last year's national track championships, and made only a few appearances on the road.

If his form in the next few weeks, starting with tonight’s meeting at English Park, is sufficiently encouraging, Skilling will probably make a serious attempt to regain his position in toe Canterbury pursuit team.

He was a member of the brilliant team which won the New Zealand title in 1966 and, at top form, could do nothing but strengthen this year's team.