A.Z. BOWLING HEAVILY PUNISHED Century-maker Denness puts England on top

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33774, 21 February 1975, Page 24

A.Z. BOWLING HEAVILY PUNISHED Century-maker Denness puts England on top

( From

R. T. BRITTEN DEN)

AUCKLAND. ~

Relentlessly exposing bowling deficiencies and pitch perfection. England took control of the first test with New Zealand at Eden Park yesterday.

Led efficiently by Mike Denness, who scored his second consecutive test century, England reached 319 for three wickets—and already New Zealand is faced with a long, uphill struggle.

After the hostility of Australian bowling and Australian crowds, the England players must have felt yesterday that it was all as peaceful as a garden party.

There was some life in the pitch early, but New Zealand did not bowl particularly well, even if the openers were both out cheaply.

Bowling exploited

After the first hour or so, the batsmen were able to exploit the sad inaccuracy of much of the New Zealand bowling, and once a gap had been found, a boundary was almost inevitable, for there was an incredibly glassy, swift outfield. Denness won the toss, and, must have known there would: be something in the pitch i for the seam bowlers.

Two big innings The early losses of Barry Wood and Dennis Amiss were soon balanced by Denness and John Edrich, who scored 117 for the third wicket, and then by a splendid stand from

Denness and Keith Fletcher, which has already added 166 in 171 minutes. Denness. who made 188 in the final test with Australia was 149, and Fletcher, who batted brilliantly, had made 76. England marched forward to its big score behind Denness’s sober but efficient batting. He looked a little suspect at first, when the ball was moving about, and his strange habit of withdrawing his right foot about the moment of delivery argued uncertainty. For a while, he profited from half-edges now and then, but in general he was in command, and he hit many beautiful shots, firm and free.

Ease of stroke Denness is strong on the i cut and drive, and he pierced I the field time and again with the utmost ease. He reached his century in only 220 minutes. although New Zealand’s bowling rate was low — only 52 overs in the first four hours — and hit 22 boundaries.

Edrich also punched holes in the field expertly in mak-

ling his 62. He is very strong of forearm, short of back lift, and his timing was excellent. Richard Collinge worried him for a while, with a few which lifted nastily from near a full length. Fletcher batted delightfully He is a very handsome driver, and he dealt with the halfvolleys with the confidence of a form batsman having a net. In and out Wood came out with Amiss prepared for a long stay —- sun hat, his face daubed with cream — but he was out to Dayle Hadlee’s first ball. It was bowled in an exploratory sort of way. at half pace, and it pitched somewhat short. Wood steered it carefully to John Parker at second slip — an awful bit of cricket.

An outswinger at which Amiss checked his stroke, but still pushed the bat forward just a little, brought the second wicket, at 36. After that, it all went England’s way. Collinge bowled a very good opening spell, although he did waste a few. Hadlee bowled an occasional really fine one, but his line was not good in his early overs, and sometimes his length wavered too. Chatfield expensive Denness and Edrich exacted swift tribute from the bad balls. And when I Ewen Chatfield bowled for the first time in a test, he ! was woefully inaccurate. (Three overs of over-pitched ((deliveries and long hops cost 29. 1 The batsmen made a care- , ful stock-taking of Hedley ! Howarth’s wares; he started 1 with four maidens, and for a long time bowled very well. One ball, to Fletcher, fizzed and turned startlingly, otherwise it was gentle turn. Tighter attack Howarth has reverted to the fuller flight which first brought him success, and he is the better for it. He bowled ably and with great heart but, inevitably, the fours

came whenever there was the slightest weakening in length. The bowling between lunch and tea was tighter than in the morning, and 28 overs yielded 96 runs, compared with 100 from 24 in the opening period of play. But on this benign pitch, in clear, cool air, a big score was almost inevitable. Just after tea, there were a few mis-hits, but they all fell clear of fieldsmen.

The fielding was patchy: New Zealand as a whole did not look a particularly athletic team yesterday. Little was missed in the air, however.

Edrich might well have been stumped off Howarth shortly before lunch and Denness, when 90, flicked Chatfield down the leg side but Ken Wadsworth could not hold what would have been a remarkable catch. Batsmen unchecked So England went on, batting most attractively, and even the new ball, taken 45 minutes from the end, with the score 276, did not check the run rate. In the last two hours England made 123 and is carrying on just where it left off in Australia. New Zealand, without genuine pace, and with only a hint of spin available, spent the last five hours yesterday waiting for batting mistakes. They were few, and there does not seem much prospect of England falling short of about 500 today. ENGLAND First innings D. L. Amiss c Wadsworth, b Hadlee 17 B. Wood c Parker b Hadlee 0 J. H. Edrich, C. Congdon b H. Howarth 64 M. H. Denness not out .. 147 K. W. R. Fletcher not out .. 76 Extras (bl, Ib6, nb4) 11 Total for 3 wkts . 317 Fall of wickets: 4, 36, 153. To bat: A. W. Greig, A. P. Knott, C. M. Old, P. W. Lever, G. G. Arnold, D. L. Underwood.

New Zealand team: G. M. Turner, J. F. M. Morrison, B. E. Congdon, B. F. Hastings, J. M. Parker, G. P. Howarth, K. J. Wadsworth, D. R. Hadlee, H. J. Howarth, R. O. Collinge, E. L. Chatfield.

Bowling O M R W Collinge .. 18 4 48 0 Hadlee ... .. 15 1 77 2 Chatfield .. 13 1 69 0 Congdon .. 10 1 42 0 H, Howarth .. 22 6 62 1 G. Howarth 3 0 10 0