N.Z. takes only 49 min to make test history

Press, 16 February 1978, Page 30

N.Z. takes only 49 min to make test history

From

R T. BRITTENDEN,

. in Wellington

Spectators at the Basin Reserve gave the New Zealand cricket team a standing ova*, tion as it filed on to the field yesterday morning. There was uproar, a quite incredible enthusiasm, when the side came off again. 49 minutes later, victors over England for the first, , time after nearly half a century of effort.

New Zealand’s tenth test victory, ■ its first for two years, was achieved by 72 runs and it will be of much more than historic value, it will inevitably lead to an upsurge of interest in tnis Rothman’s tour, with New Zealand one-up in a threematch series.

England. 53 for eight when the last day began, was out for 64, the lowest score ever made against a New Zealand test side. The previous lowest was 77,1 when New Zealand won its| first ever test victory, overj the West Indies at Edenj Park m 1956.

Although England’® final task looked almost impossible, it was an anxious

morning for the New Zealanders. There was steady drizzle in the city during the morning, but the clouds rolled away and a beatific sun shone on New Zealand’s new sporting heroes. Play was delayed for only 41 minutes, but then there was grim defiance from Phil Edmonds and Bob Willis: in fact they middled the ball with a quite ominous comfort. and when Richard Hadlee dropped one short at Willis he was warned by the umpire, Mr Bob Monteith.

I Later in the morning, [Hadlee bowled another flier and this time Willis went off to speak to the square leg umpire, Mr Ralph Gardiner. There had been in-

fringements now and then, by both sides, of the nowwritten words of not bowling bouncers at non-recog-nised batsmen.

Edmonds and Willis, with their brave stand, stayed together for 40 minutes and 10 runs before Edmonds could not get his bat away quickly enough from a beauty by Richard Hadlee which left him, and he was caught by John Parker in the slips. Brian Rose, his injured arm very sore, came out to face the music, but it was Willis who went. He slanted one from Richard Hadlee into the gully and Geoffrey Howarth put the end to all New Zealand apprehensions with a splendidly-athletic

catch low to his right. So Hadlee had 10 wickets in the match and in his last two tests at the Basin, soon to be put aside from cricket and re-vamped, he has a total of 21 wickets.

The secretary of the Rothman’s Sports Foundation, the famous former test player, Bert Sutcliffe, presented the individual $l5O awards to the New Zealand players as follows: John Wright for batting, Richard Hadlee for bowling, Warren Lees for fielding.

Before he could make them, the crowd, gathered before the grim, grey old stand, was according the New Zealand players fairly musical honours. Sutcliffe clearly moved by the occasion, recalled that it had been his greatest ambition to play in a winning test team but it had not been realised. He had been waiting for the day, however. “These are the heroes,” he said, waving to the New Zealand

players, “their finest hour.” The second test starts in Christchurch on February

HEW ZEALAND 128 First innings Second innings 123 ENGLAND First innings 115 Second innings B. C. Rose not out 5 G. Boycott b Collinge G. Miller c Anderson b Col1 linge 4 D. W. Randall lbw b Collinge G. J. Roope c Lees b R. 9 Hadlee i. T. Botham c Boock b R. 9 Hadlee 19 R. W. Taylor run out 0 C. M. Old lbw b R. Hadlee P. H. Edmonds c Parker b R. 9 Hadlee M. J. Hendrick c Parker b 11 R. Hadlee R. G. Willis c Howarth b R. 0 Hadlee 3 Extras (nb3) 3 Total 64 Fall.— 2, 8, 18, 18 , 38 , 38, 53, S3, 83. 64. Bowling O. M. R. W. R. Hadlee .. 13.3 4 26 6 Collinge .13 5 35 3 D. Hadlee 110 0