Amiss holds off defeat

Press, 16 August 1976, Page 3

Amiss holds off defeat

NZPA-Reuter London Dennis Amiss re-estab-lished his future as an international cricketer with a magnificent 176 not out as England battled to deny West Indies victory in the fifth and final test at the oval in London on Saturday. Although his effort came too late to salvage the series —West Indies already holds a winning 2-0 lead — his big innings left England with a fair chance of saving the match.

At the close of the third day’s play England was 304 for five in reply to West Indies’ first innings total of 687 for eight declared. It still needed 184 to save the follow-on but with Amiss

wgoing strong it was not without hope. The satisfaction that - Amiss derived from helping li England to survive must > have been surpassed by the / knowledge that his innings j had probably saved his fut--3 tire as a test cricketer. The match was seen as his last > chance after scores of 0, 0. i 0,4, 5, 0 and ten against > Australia last year. > Shortly before the end of I the third day, the umpires, ; Bill Alley and Harold Bird, led the players off the field I after a pitch invasion by I members of the crowd. . Spectators came on to the ’ playing area after the West, t Indian pace bowler, Michael : Holding, had bowled the England captain, Tony Greig, for 12. There were about 400 intruders, mainly West Indians, and the umpires took the players off as police moved in to clear the pitch. After a delay of about 10 minutes, the umpires reappeared and play resumed. West Indies, first innings: 687 for eight declared (I. V. A. Richards 291, C. H. Lloyd 84, FL C. Fredericks 71, L. G. Rowe 70).i ENGLAND First innings R. A. Woolmer lbw b Holding 8 D, L. Amiss not out .. 176 D. S. Steele lbw b Holding 44 J. C. Balderstone b Holding 0 P. Willey c Fredericks b ] King .. .. 33 ’A. W. Greig b Holding .. 12 1 ; D. L. Underwood not out ~ 1 Extras (b 7, lb 4, nbl9) .. 30 Total (for 5 wkts) .. 304 Fall of wickets: 47. 147, 151, 279, 303. Bowling: Roberts, 17, 2. 66. 0; i Holding, 19. 6. 54, 4; Holder, 19, |5. 57, 0: Daniel. 10, 1. 30, 0: Fred- ] cricks. 11. 2. 36, 0: Richards, 14, 14. 30. 0; King, 3,2, 1, 1. Tennis.—The sixth seed, Paul McXamee iAustralia) has upset I the top-seed, Peter Person; (United States), 6-3, 6-7, 6-2. in] the semi-finals in the British] Colombia open tennis champion-] ship He wiH meet the second-’ seed. Seddick Bohmstedt 'Canada', in the fina. Bohmstedt advanced b\ beating an American, Dave Shebeck.