N.Z. takes control over Gloucestershire

Press, 8 July 1983, Page 26

N.Z. takes control over Gloucestershire

NZPA staff correspondent Bristol The penchant of English counties for putting out virtual second elevens against touring sides helped New Zealand take control of its match against Gloucestershire on the opening day yesterday. Just as its first county opponent, Somerset, had omitted to field many of its star players, Gloucestershire found reason to rest its top batsman, the Pakistani, Zaheer Abbas. While Somerset’s weakened side conceded 544 runs to the New Zealand batsmen, the upshot at Bristol was that Gloucestershire crumbled to be all out for a

meagre 120 in overcast and humid conditions.

In reply, New Zealand was 15 without loss at stumps on a rain-restricted day.

England’s cricket governors, the Test and County Cricket Board, have in recent years received complaints from touring sides that massacring county second Xis engenders only a false sense of confidence and is far from ideal test preparation. Earlier this year they reacted by imploring counties to field their top sides against touring teams. The resting of top players and the playing of second Xis would lead to offending

counties losing those fixtures, it threatened. But both Somerset and Gloucestershire have so far demonstrated the obvious way around the T.C.C.B. threat.

The West Indian batsman, Viv Richards, did not play for Somerset because he had a heavy cold while the England all-rounder, lan Botham, had a minor groin strain.

For Gloucestershire, Zaheer has a cracked rib which he suffered during the World Cup. Legally, all the players have missed playing against the New Zealanders because they are unfit. However, there is little doubt that if

the match had been a county championship fixture with money and points at stake, they would have been found fit to play. Zaheer, for example, has played consistently for Gloucestershire since the World Cup and recently scored a century in the John Player League. He in fact played right up to the day before the New Zealand game. Gloucestershire could certainly have used his services yesterday because apart from an innings of 58 from the opener, Andy Stovold, its batsmen offered little resistance. On a wicket which was slow but offered the New

Zealand seamers some assistance, Ewen Chatfield picked up six for 40 while Richard Hadlee took two for 22. Both men beat the bat regularly with Chatfield virtually guaranteeing his selection for the first test against England which starts on July 14. The young Auckland bowler, Sean Tracy, who is in England on a cricket scholarship and was making his debut for Gloucestershire, also relished the conditions when New Zealand batted.

The 20 year old, who was a member of the merging cricketers team which toured Australia earlier this

year, generated a lot of pace and lift in four overs which troubled both John Wright and Bruce Edgar. His performance today will be watched with great interest as he is a logical condidate should any of the fast bowlers in the New Zealand party be injured and have to be replaced. GLOUCESTERSHIRE First innings A. W. Stovold c Bracewell b Chatfield 58 P. W. Romaines lbw b Hadlee 23 P. Bainbridge c Crowe (M.D.) b Chatfield. . . 3 A. J. Hignell hit wicket b Coney 10 A. J. Wright c Howarth b Chatfield 0

R. J. Doughty c Coney b Hadlee 10 D. A. Graveney c Coney b Hadlee ’. . 3 R. C. Russell b Chatfield. 8 J. H. Childs not out... . o G. E. Sainsbury b Chatfield 1 S. R. Tracey c Coney b Chatfield 0 Extras (b 1, lb 3) 4 Total 120 Fall: 37, 48. 79, 82. 99, 102. 117, 119. 120. Bowling.— Hadlee 14, 7, 25, 3; Snedden 8,0, 42, 0; Chatfield 17.3. 6. 40. 6: Coney 4,1, 9. 1. NEW ZEALAND First innings J. G. Wright not out. ... 5 B. A. Edgar not out. .. . 8 Extras (lb 2) 2 Total (for no wicket) 15 Bowling.— Tracy 4,2, 8,0; Sainsbury 3,1, 5, 0.