Patient Boycott holds on for England

Press, 9 June 1980, Page 34

Patient Boycott holds on for England

NZPA-Reuter Nottingham The England <?pener, Geoff Boycott, apparently unmoved by controversj' surrounding his innings, thwarted the West Indies’ attempts to gain control of the first cricket test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on Saturday. After the third day of the opening contest in the fivematch series, England was 145 for two in its second innings — a lead of 100 — and Boycott was 61 not out after more than four hours at the crease. However, the West Indies were convinced that Boycott was enjoying a second life after the entire team appealed for a catch at the wicket when England’s top batsman had made only 18 The umpire, Mr Don Oslear, standing in a test for the first time, ignored the appeal and the West Indies’ frustration was plain for all to see.

Boycott had earlier frus-

trated his own team when he was a participant in the run out of his opening partner, Graham Gooch. The West Indies established a 45-run first innings lead when, at the start of the day, they reached 308, having been 270 for seven overnight. It took England 50 minutes to round up the 1 last three West Indian wickets, and for most of this time it was Deryck Murray and Andy Roberts who held the bowlers at bay. Eventually Roberts was lbw to lan Botham for 21, and in the same over Joel Garner spooned an easy catch to John Lever at midoff. Bob Willis ' uprooted Murray’s middle stump with the first ball of the next over after the West Indian wicket-keeper had made 64 in a shade under three hours. Willis’s four for 82 was the best England bowling re-

turn, an emphatic response to those who had written off the Warwickshire fast bowler after his . disappointing tour of Australia. Botham finished with three for 50. Boycott and Gooch, resisting some aggressive . West Indian fast bowling, notably from Michael; Holding, survived an hour’s' batting before lunch, and in the first over of the afternoon wiped out the first-inhihgs deficit. But then, . at. 46, Gooch was run out by Faoud Bacchus’s underarm throw when Boycott tried to steal a single after pushing Garner to leg. Gooch, who had played confidently for his 27, thus joined a long list of Boycott’s test partners who •have had their innings' cut short through a running error.

The scpre had moved on to 58 when Boycott fj-.rvived the West Indies’ joyous appeal for a catch at the wick-

et off Malcolm Marshall. Murray angrily threw the ball towards the boundary when it became clear that Boycott was staying, and Marshall needed a soothing talk from Holding before he could bring himself to bowl the next ball which, delivered with feeling, .went: for four wides.

To add to Marshall’s mortification, he ’ clearly found the edge of Boycott’s ■ bat soon afterwards but this time Murray spilled the chance. Boycott lost his second partner at 68 when Chris Tavare edged Garner to third slip, but he and Bob Woolmer then negotiated the final 145 minutes while putting on 77. The third-wicket stand was interrupted for just' under an hour when thunder and lightning, followed by a brief outbreak of rain, drove the players back to the pavilion for an early tea.

The match will resume today, after a rest day yesterday. ENGLAND First innings G. A. Gooch c Murray b Roberts .. -.17 G. Boycott; c Murray b Garner .1 ' .. .. 36 C. -J. Tavare b Garner .. 13. R. A. Woolmer c Murray b Roberts 46 D. I. Gower c Greenidge b ... Roberts .. 20 L T. ■ Botham c Richards b Garner .. ..57 P. Willey b Marshall .. .. 13 A. P. E. Knott lbw b Roberts 6 J, K. Lever c Richards b Holding .. .. 15 R. G. D. Willis b Roberts .. 8 M. Hendrick not out .. .. 7 Extras 25 Total 263 Fall of wickets: 27 72, 74, 114, 204, 228, 246, 254. Bowling: Roberts 25, 7. 72, 5; Holding 23.5, 7, 61, 1; Marshall 19.3, 52, 1; Richards 1,0, 9,0; Gamer 23, 9, 44, 3. Second innings G. A. Gooch run out .. 27 G. Boycott not out .. ..61 C. J. Tavare c Richards b Garner .. 4 R. A. Woolmer not out .. 20

Extras (bl2, lbs, wlO, nb6) 33 Total for two wickets 145 Fall of wickets: 46, 68. Bowling: Roberts 11, 2, 29, 0; Holding 12, 1, 35, 0; Marshall 16, 4, 29, 0; Garner 16, 10, 15, 1; Greenidge 3,2, 4, 0. WEST INDIES First innings C. G. Greenidge c Knott b Hendrick .. .. 53 D. I. Haynes c Gower b Willis 12 I; V. A. Richards c Knott b Willis 64 5. F. A. Bacchus c Botham b Willis 30 A. I. Kallicharran b Botham 17 D. I. Murray b Willis .. 64 C. H. Llovd c Knott b Lever 9 M. D. Marshall c Tavare b Gooch - 20

A. M. E. Roberts lbw b Botham 21 J. Garner c Lever b Botham 2 M. A. Holding not out 0 Extras (bl, lb 9, w2, nb4) .. 16 Total 308

Fall of wickets: 19, 107, 151, 165, 208, 227, 265, 306, 308. Bowling: Willis 20.1, 5, 82, 4; Lever 20, 5, 76, 1; Hendrick 19, 4, 69, 1; Willey 5,3, 4,0; Botham 20, 6, 50, 3; Gooch 7,2, 11, 1.