Thunderstorm Rescues Ailing West Indians

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31904, 4 February 1969, Page 17

Thunderstorm Rescues Ailing West Indians

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) MELBOURNE. A thunderstorm came to the rescue of the ailing West Indian cricket team on the final day of its return match with Victoria at Melbourne yesterday.

Umpires ruled play closed by poor light 122 minutes before the game was to end.

The West Indians’ first match against Victoria was also drawn.

Within 15 minutes, the ground resembled a lake as the curator and his staff rushed with covers to protect the pitch. The downpour, one of the heaviest veteran cricket writers could recall at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, struck 47 minutes before the tea adjournment as the Victorians were chasing a target of 294 rims in their second innings to achieve victory. The West Indian tail, disorganised by an injury to C. Griffith and the illnesses of three other players, collapsed dramatically before lunch, the last five wickets tumbling for a paltry 30 runs. Weak Attack '

W’hen Victoria’s test openers, W. Lawry and K. Stackpole, went to the wicket to begin the second innings, the Victorians required 294 runs for victory in 274 minutes. When play was washed out, Lawry was back in the pavillion for 45, smartly caught behind by M. Findlay off the bowling of C. Davis, and Stackpole and P. Sheahan were at the wicket. At one for 89 the Victorians still needed 205 runs for a win in only 167 minutes, but the task was still feasible because of the West Indies’ improverished attack. A stomach virus has affected C. Lloyd, J. Carew and R. Edwards. Game Effort Nevertheless Lloyd gamely resumed his innings of .82 yesterday morning and although he was ill at the wicket when he reached 93, he battled on and was dismissed only three runs short of what would have been a thoroughly deserved century Carew and Edwards were called from their beds and rushed by taxis to the ground to try to stem the late order batting collapse of the touring team.

Griffith, suffering from a torn calf muscle, also played his part by going to the wic-! ket and scoring a valuable 13 runs with the aid of a runner. Scores: — WEST INDIES First Innings i.. 349 WEST INDIES Second Innings R. Fredricks c Bedford b Thomson 24 S. Camacho c Lawry b Thomson 46 B. Butcher c Jordon b Thomson 30 C. Davis c Jordon b Stackpole 5 C. Lloyd c Eastwood b Swanson .. 97 D. Holford run out .. 5 M. Findlay c Swanson b Thomson 23 W. Hall hit wkt b Thomson 4 C. Griffith b Thomson .. 13 J. Carew not out .. .. 1

R. Edwards c Jordon b Connolly 0 Extras (byes 6. leg-byes 2, wide 1) 9 Total ..257 Fall of wickets: one for 27, two for 94, three for 112, four 1 for 114, five for 159, six for I 227. seven for 239, eight for 242, J nine for 256. Bowling: A. Connolly, 17.4, 2, 67, 1: A. Thomson. 26, 5, 84. 6: J. Grant, 5,0, 24. 0: P. Bedford. 6. 1, 31, 0; K. Stackpole, 10, 2, 28, 1; J. Swanson, 4,0, 14, 1. VICTORIA First Innings 5/313 (declared) VICTORIA Second Innings K. Stackpole not out .. 39 W. Lawry c Findlay b Davis 45 P. Sheahan not out .. 0 Extras (bye 1, leg-byes 3, no-ball 1) 5 Total for one wkt 89 Bowling: W. Hall, 9,0, 47, 0; C. Davis, 10, 0, 31, 1; D. Holford, 1.4, 0. 6, 0. <