Wellham sets test alight

Press, 2 September 1981, Page 40

Wellham sets test alight

NZPA London Dirk Wellham’s rise from grade cricketer to test cen-tury-maker in a .matter of months fulfils expectations held, one suspects, by no one more firmly than Wellham himself. That is the sort of character he is. Far from being conceited, Wellham happens to believe in himself. As he admitted when pressed on the subject yesterday; “I've got a lot of confidence.” For a 22-year-old he shows remarkable self-assurance beneath a quiet exterior. His 103 yesterday boosted the Australian second innings 'to 344 for nine, and the captain, Kim Hughes, is' bound to declare overnight and set England a target of 383 to win.

Wellham approached the coveted maiden test century milestone with calm assurance, but he lingered on the threshold at 99 for a nerve-shattering 24 minutes. During that time he was dropped at mid-off by Geoff Boycott, a straight-forward chance which any test cricketer would have swallowed 99 times out 100. It was as if the occasion got the better of even the unflappable Boycott.

It took a total of 28 balls before Wellham got the required run, which he described as “the worst one I have ever scored.”

Actually it was a four, punched through the covers off the backfoot to make him the first Australian since Harry Graham at Lord’s in 1893 to get a century in a test debut in England.

Two balls later he was out, trapped lbw by a ball from lan Botham which kept low. By then it didn’t matter, and Wellham walked off to a brilliant reception to join a privileged band of 47 players who have made a debut hundred. He is the twelfth

Australian and the first since Gary Cosier to do it. Another fine performance from Allan Border all but disappeared in the excitement of Wellham's achievement. Border added a faultless 84 to his first innings of 106 not out, and he narrowly missed becoming the first Australian since Arthur Morris to score three successive test centuries against England. He and Wellham put on 101 for the fifth wicket, and it was that partnership which swung the initiative Australia's way. There was a valuable contribution, too. from Rod. Marsh, who found much of his lost form in a muscular 52 while he and Wellham put on 86 for the sixth wicket. the match is now poised for an enthralling last day. The wicket is beginning to behave oddly at times, but the runs are in it, even at the asking rate of better than one a minute. AUSTRALIA First innings 352 Second innings G. Wood c Knott b Hendrick. 21 M. Kent c Brearley b Botbam 7 K. Hughes lbw Hendrick . . 6 G. Yallop b Hendrick .... 35 A. Border c Tavare b Emburey 84D. Wellham lbw Botham . . 103 R. Marsh c Gatting b Botham 52 R. Bright b Botham 11 D. Lillee not out 8 M. Whitney c Botham b Hendrick 0 Extras (bl, Ibß, wl, nb"). 17 Total for nine wickets 344 Fall: 26, 36, 41, 104, 205, 291,

332, 343, 344. BOWLING 0 M R W R. Willis 10 0 41 0 I. Botham 42 9 12« 4 M. Hendrick 29.2 6 82 4 J. Emburey 23 3 76 1 ENGLAND First innings : 314