Greig spins M.C.C. on top

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33694, 18 November 1974, Page 28

Greig spins M.C.C. on top

(Neto Zealand Press Association— Copyright)

SYDNEY.

The M.C.C. all-rounder, A. W. Greig, spun his team into a strong position when rain threatened the tourists’ hopes of winning their first match, against New South Wales.

Greig, bowling off-spin into a patch on the pitch at a good length and in line with the middle stump, took four for 42 off 16.5 overs yesterday. However, light rain, which ended play 15 minutes‘before stumps, may yet deny the M.C.C. the win it wants to break a run of five successive draws. 155 RUNS AHEAD New South Wales, with three wickets left, led the M.C.C. by 155 runs, and was obviously relieved at the early closure. Greig capitalised on a fiery spell of opening bowling by P. Lever, who has claimed

only one wicket. Lever had put the batsmen on the defensive from the start of the state side’s second innings, after the M.C.C. captain, M. H. Denness, had declared at 332 for seven —• six runs behind. SUCCESSFUL TAIL The 6ft 7in Greig extracted awkward bounce from the pitch, to claim the wickets of New South Wales’ two test batsmen, I. Davis and K. D. Walters. The tail-enders had allowed Denness to declare by scoring at better than a run a minute in the morning. C. M. Old hit seven fours and a six on his 48, and D. L. Underwood was last out for 33 after he and R. Taylor had swung at every ball. Scores: New South Wales 338 (I. Davis 91, A. Turner 72, G. Gilmour 59 not out, R. McCosker 52; C. M. Old 4/64) and 149/7 (McCosker 56, Turner 44; A. W. Greig 4/42), M.C.C. 332/7 dec. (K. Fletcher 79, Greig 70).