Australia mopped up

Press, 7 March 1978, Page 32

Australia mopped up

NZPA Port of Spain The West Indies swept to victory by an innings and 106 runs over Australia in the first cricket test in this Trinidad port yesterday. Australia was crushed by a superb spell from the fast bowler, Andy Roberts, who took four wickets for five runs off his last 26 deliveries to finish with five for 56 in the innings. The Australians fell well short of a target of 315 runs in their second innings to avert the innings defeat, and the West Indies took a onenil lead in the series inside three days. The match was virtually decided on the first day, when Clive Lloyd sent Australia in on a damp pitch in conditions ideal for his fast bowling attack of Roberts, Colin Croft and Joel Gamer.

Australia began confi-j dently enough yesterday | morning when the openers,! Graeme Wood and Craig Serjeant, sned to a first- 1

i wicket partnership of 59 in I better than ever time. ' Roberts, who had taken a back seat to Gamer and Croft in the first innings, trapped Wood lbw for 32 to break the stand, Serjeant followed soon after when Garner struck his front pad and appealed successfully. The West Australian, who was called into the side on the first morning to replace Rick Darling, bedridden with a virus infection, was cut short as the shots were starting to flow from his bat with confidence.

The Australians, who were privately alarmed at some of the umpiring decisions in the match, were even more alarmed when they lost their third consecutive wicket to an lbw appeal. The Australian captain, Bob Simpson, agreed after the match that Australia lost it on the first day. •‘I only hope when we come back here (for the ■fourth test) that the wicket will be ideal for a test.

“It’s totally w r rong that a test can start on anything but an absolutely perfect wicket. “Test matches should not be decided on tosses.” The Queensland batsman, David Ogilvie, has verbally agreed to join the Australian team in the West Indies. Ogilvie was conditionally invited to join the touring party as an additional player following injuries to two batsmen, Peter Toohey and Kim Hughes. AUSTRALIA First innings 90 Second innings G. Wood lbw b Roberts .. 32 C. Serjeant lbw b Garner .. 40 G. Yallop b Roberts .. 81 G. Cosier lbw b Garner .. 19 R. Simpson b Parry .. 14 S. Rixon lbw b Roberts .. 0 B. Yardley not out .. .. 7 J. Thomson b Parry .. .. 4 W. Clark b Roberts .. .. 0 J. Higgs b Roberts .. .. 2 P. Toohey absent injured 0 Extras (bB, Ibl, wl, nb2> 10 Total 209 Fall: 59, 90, 149, 194, 196, 200, 201, 209. Bowling: A. Roberts 16.2, 3, 56, 5; C. Croft 13, 1. 55. 0: J. Garner 17, 5, 39, 2; D. Parry 17, 1, 49, 2. WEST INDIES First innings 405 Hockey.— The Netherlands beat India, 6-5, in an international hockey match in Amsterdam. Yachting.— Gastao Brun, of Brazil, sailing Revolution, won the world Soling class sailing championship off Rio when he finished seventh in the final race of the 1978 series. Last year’s champion, Clen Dexter, of Canada, in Delusions, was runner-up.