Turner and Parker in huge first-wicket partnership
(From R. T. BRITTENDEN, N.Z.P.A. special correspondent)
LONDON.
It was a dull, damp, depressing afternoon at Lord’s on Saturday, but not for the Worcestershire county team-mates in the New Zealand cricket team, G. M. Turner and J. M. Parker.
New Zealand maintained its reputation for producing a showpiece performance in the M.C.C. match, and this time it was an unbroken opening partnership of 188 on a day reduced to four hours by light rain and bad light.
Turner, with another immaculate display, scored his third tour century, and the 34th of his career, and Parker, a steadfast lieutenant, was 75. They made their runs against five England test bowlers, and they gave no chances.
Batsmen’s pitch
; The New Zealanders re- ■ garded their first appearance at Lord’s as of par- ' ticular importance today—and the play might have been written especially for Turner and Parker. An almost grassless pitch was without the lively tones traditionally found on the first morning at Lord’s, and although the batsmen treated the M.C.C.’s practised bowlers with deep respect, they slowly won control. Turner’s second 50 was made from only 52 deliveries in a dazzling display of clean, safe stroke-making. Turner, who scored a century against Middlesex at Lord’s on the 1969 tour, has improved greatly his prospects of being the first ! player in 35 years to make •I 1000 runs before the end of ! May. f 1 Aggregate of 752 With 109 on Saturday his i;aggregate stands at 752. Hej is still in, and may have ai I second innings in this game.; i!There are stiL matches with; ’ Derbyshire and Leicester-; I shire and the first two days; i of the game with Northamp-! tonshire, before the end of! t the month. .[ For Parker, it was a ji triumph of comparable mag- . nitude. Had R. E. Redmond not been discounted from selection because of contact liens trouble, Parker would . probably have been a spec- . tator. j But he made the most of 1 ! his chance and in the first innings he has played at ‘ Lord’s was admirable for the ‘ soundness of his defence, ’ the quality of his strokeil making, and particularly for , [the thoughtful way he ? helped Turner. >1 Parker ran with excellent I judgment and kept feeding
Turner as much as possible, calling him through for singles which might not have been taken had he been less alert or not so conscious of the needs of the partnership as of his individual performance. Although the pitch yielded hardly any movement when the ball was fresh, R. Cottam, G. G. Arnold and A. W. Greig all moved it in the air and all showed strict control which demanded vigilance from the batsmen. Then there were D. L. Underwood bowling simply as a left-arm medium-pacer, and J. Birkenshaw, regarded as the best of his type in England. Scoring contained It took Turner 20 minutes to open his score and throughout the morning runs came at a reluctant two-an-over rate. There were crisp strokes, but also well-set fields and keen running and stopping.
New Zealand reached 100 in the forty-nineth over, and soon Turner directed his full attention to Birkenshaw. Straight hits brought eight and a rapid change of field. Turner hit his third successive boundary to midwicket from where a fieldsman had just been taken, and the third 50 of the total was made in 32 exhilirating minutes. Turner was all shots now, so was Parker. Magnificent stroke Turner reached his century with a stroke of sheer magnifience—a drive,straight down the ground off Arnold, which crashed into the boundary below the pavilion. It took him only 53 minutes for his second 50, and 207 minutes for his century, with 12 fours.
bearing the New Zealand insignia.
At tea, it was 180, and there were only four more overs before rain stopped play.
NEW ZEALAND First Innings G. M. Turner not out .. 109 J. M. Parker not out 75 Extras (leg-bye 1, no-balls 3) ... 4
Total (for no wickets) 188 Bowling: Arnold, 13, 3, 27. 0; Cottam, 14, 1, 57. 0; Greig, 15, 6, 22, 0; Birkenshaw 12, 4, 41, 0; Underwood, 16, 8, 37, 0.
All this induced two members of a considerable Kiwi contingent—grouped inevitably in front of the Taverners’ Bar—to race on to the field carrying a large banner
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