Rain hits cricket tourists

Press, 28 May 1979, Page 32

Rain hits cricket tourists

NZPA London New Zealand’s World Cup cricketers will play two one-day matches against Leicestershire instead of the scheduled three-day game, which should have begun on Saturday.

Rain sweeping across Britain ruled out any chance of play at Leicester — as it did almost all over the country — and the New Zealanders spent the afternoon watching the England-Scotland soccer international on television.

The Leicester game would have been their first serious preparation match for next month’s World Cup, and would also have given them a good look at England’s new batting star, David Gower, but the only time they saw the 22-year-old left-hander was at lunch — taken early in the vain hope that the incessant rain might clear. It didn’t.

The game was abandoned after lunch and the New Zealand manager, Mr Graham Dowling, agreed to a Leicester suggestion that the remaining scheduled two days — today and tomorrow — be converted into two 55-over matches. “It seems to make more sense to play two one-day games as preparation for the cup instead of cramming a three-day game into two,” said Mark Burgess, the New Zealand captain. The New Zealanders spent their official rest day yesterday at the indoor nets at Edgbaston, Birmingham, 80km down the motorway from Leicester.

Pace bowler lAnce Cairns has now joined the side from the Durham League, where he has played since April.