RECORDS AND STATISTICS... All uphill now for N.Z. in chasing England total

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33775, 22 February 1975, Page 48

RECORDS AND STATISTICS... All uphill now for N.Z. in chasing England total

(From R. T. BRITTENDEN )

AUCKLAND. N

The first test became a delight for statisticians — particularly English ones — yesterday, as England ground its way to a test record score against JNew Zealand of 593 for six wickets.

Mike Denness, 149 at the end of the first day, went on to 181; Keith Fletcher, starting with 76. has his best test score of 216.

There were three “bowling centuries,” and throughout a day of brilliant sunshine, New Zealand’s labours seldom promised much reward.

If not quite of first-day perfection, the pitch was an excellent platform for a parade of England’s batting talents. It was good, purposeful batting, but not of a quality to excite the imagination. 11-hour innings It was a careful campaign,] carried out efficiently. The scoring was never slow, never really rapid. It averaged just under four runs an over, England batting just on 11 hours for its huge score. The crowd, again about: 8000, was patient, although 1 in mid-afternoon one sec-j tion, sated by sun and scor-l ing, set up a plaintive chant:] “We want a beer.” Not that the restriction on: liquor was faithfully ob-] served. The police escorted ■ several spectators from the ground. Little of comfort There was much more excitement when New Zealand] batted. After the first-over i loss of Glenn Turner, there! was a bitter struggle for sur-j vival against very lively new-' ball bowling from Geoff Afnold and Peter Lever, New Zealand being 31 for one at stumps. In the morning, there were few crumbs of comfort for the New Zealanders. In two

brisk and lively opening overs, Dayle Hadlee caused some concern, and Denness probably qualified for workers’ compensation under the heading of pain and agony when he was struck on a hand.

; Otherwise, it was steady : progress, Fletcher making i the pace and Denness quietly ! picking up runs. Fletcher (made some magnificent shots [from the back foot, hammer'ing the ball through the gaps with absolute certainty of touch. He scored twice as fast as Denness in the morning. Their stand of 266 added a hundred to England’s fourth-wicket record against New Zealand. It was frustrating business for the New Zealanders—as if they were working on a computer with a stubborn streak. Whatever they fed in came out as runs.

Congdon’s 50th Hedley Howarth, however, and Bevan Congdon were treated with much respect. Congdon, industrious with his little variations, finally had Denness, and thus became one of the few New Zealanders with 50 test wickets. Denness batted 414 minutes and his stand with Fletcher lasted four hours and a half. Fletcher suffered eight failures in tests ! against New Zealand before I his match-saving innings at ! Lord’s in 1973. But he has ; certainly made amends, with 178.81, 'and now 216. After lunch, he lost his batting rhythm for a while and it was left to Tony

Greig to keep England at something like a run-a-minute rate.

Greig, so tall that crouching over a bat is decidedly uncomfortable, stands up early and has his bat waving tentatively. But he was all confidence in making his shots.

He and Fletcher added 78 in 90 minutes before Greig created a sensation by walking past a ball from Geoffrey Howarth and being bowled. The prospects of anyone hitting the stumps had seemed utterly remote. Record total So then it was Alan Knott with Fletcher, the familiar, dapper Knott, with his stretching exercises and his regular touching of the balls, in some sort of search for a miracle cure for all batting afflictions. His partnership with Fletcher was more reflective and assertive, but if they were unspectacular, they kept grinding out the runs and while they were together they took England past 564 — the previous highest score against New Zealand. That was by the West Indies in 1972, and was made for the loss of eight wickets. Fletcher batted for 443 minutes and hit 29 fours. It was his highest test score, his seventh test century. In that time he lifted the ball only three times, never near a fieldsman; It was a splendid display of safe, attractive batting. Difficult chances After he was out — he and Knott added 81 for the sixth wicket, and so hardly met their work norm — England went on, still with few flourishes. The bowlers had a little encouragement here land there. Knott, at 17, was missed off Hedley Howarth — a fierce hit to cover, with Parker diving to his left. And Chris Old hit one had back to Congdon and that was missed too.

In a depressing situation, New Zealand fought with admirable spirit. Although the pitch was again full of runs, England was never permitted to take full charge. Sometimes the fielding looked a little elderly, but there were some great saves, and Turner won regular applause for his speed and sure throwing.' That there was fight left in New Zealand was amply demonstrated by Richard Collinge, late in the innings. The score was an enormous 575 for five, the ball an old and tattered thing, but he managed to bowl a violent

bouncer at Knott. Another a little later rocketed off Knott’s cap peak to Ken Wadsworth. Collinge, not used really extensively, was full of fight, and it was pleasing that Ewen Chatfield, who had made such an unhappy start to the test, bowled better yesterday. But the main burden was borne by Hedley Howarth and Congdon. Howarth cost only three an over in a huge score. He had a little turn, and so did his brother, Geoffrey, with his off-breaks. Hedley Howarth added another to his long list of heroic performances. Turner caught The burden of 11 hours in the field, and England’s enormous score, was a heavy one for New Zealand, and, almost inevitably, the start was a bad one. Turner scored eight runs with attractive strokes from the first three balls of the innings, but then flicked Geoff Arnold straight to Dennis Amiss at leg slip. Arnold wobbled the ball about and Lever bowled with the violence of a man hoping to be free for golf after the week-end. A bouncer] from Lever snarled at John Morrison’s throat, and there were other less physical discomforts.

Morrison and John Parker struggled through to the close. But the man with the! credentials to score the double century New Zealand needs is out, and the battleahead is an immense one. ENGLAND First innings D. L. Amiss c Wadsworth b Hadlee 19 B. Wood c Parker b Hadlee 0 J. H. Edrich e Congdon b H. Howarth 64 M. H. Denness c Parker b Congdon .181 K. W. Fletcher c Hadlee b Congdon . 216 A. W. Greig bG. Howarth .. 51 A. P. Knott not out .. 29 ’ C. M. Old not out 9 Extras (b2. Ibl4. nbß) . 24 Total (for 6 wkts dec.) .. 593 Fall of wickets: 4, 36, 153, 419, 497, 578.

NEW ZEALAND First innings G. M. Turner e Amiss b Arnold 8 J. F. M. Morrison not out .. 7 J. M. Parker not out .. 9 Extras (b2, IbS) .. 7 Total (for Iwlcket) .. 31 Fall of wicket: 9. To bat: B. E. Congdon, B. F. Hastings, G, P. Howarth, K. J. I Wadsworth, D. R. Hadlee, H. J.' Howarth, R. O. Collings, E. L. Chatfield. Bowling

O. M. R. W. Arnold .. .. 4 3 8 1 Lever . 4 1 12 0 Greig 10 4 0 Underwood .110 0

Bowling O. M. R. W. Colllngo .. .. 24 6 75 0 Hadlee .. 20 2 102 2 Chatfield .. 19 2 95 0 Congdon .. 30 3 115 2 H, Howarth .. 46 9 135 1 •G. Howarth .. 14 1 47 1