Bowlers guide Auckland to strong position

Press, 9 January 1984, Page 32

Bowlers guide Auckland to strong position

NZPA staff correspondent Auckland Auckland’s bowlers, excelling both in their specialist role and in the guise of batsmen, guided their province into a strong position by the close of play on the second day of their match against England at Eden Park yesterday. First they shored up a flagging batting performance to lead Auckland to a 63-run first innings lead, then they ripped through the tourists’ top order to have England 105/4 at stumps. Jointly, Auckland’s bowlers have dragged their team into a position from which they could become the first New Zealand provincial side to beat an English touring team in a first class match. The special hero yesterday was John Bracewell, the former test off-spinner, who showed a wealth of all round ability to post his first-class century as the Auckland bowlers set about their English opposites and determinedly dragged their team into a first innings lead. Smiting a ball from the England captain, Bob Willis, over the mid-wicket boundary for six, Bracewell recorded his first first-class century and prompted Auckland’s declaration at 283/8 in reply to England’s total of 220. He had batted for 170 minutes, faced 153 balls and his 13 fours and one six in a confident and accomplished innings. During that time he had offered England’s bowlers only one chance. That came on 31 when he mistimed a hook, popping a catch into the leg side field which Graeme Fowler could not hold. The value of his innings for the Auckland team was greatly enhanced by the fact that en route to his century, Bracewell joined in partnerships of 72 with Martin Snedden for the seventh wicket and 87, unbroken, with Gary Troup for the eighth. The men who had bowled their hearts out during England’s first innings and would do so again later in the day during the tourists’ second put their heads down and saved their province after a middle order failure

had seen them resume at 109-5, well short of first innings honours. Snedden, who took six wickets to be England’s prime destroyer, batted on Saturday and yesterday for three valuable hours, adding 27 runs. Troup, batting with confidence and an ability never before realised, was 28 not out at the close of Auckland’s innings, the fourth main contributor to his side’s total. If a hard-earned, but well-deserved first innings lead wasn’t enough for ardent Auckland fans, the same bowlers who had flourished with the bat rattled through England’s top order to press home that advantage. Sean Tracy struck first, having opener Chris Tavare caught by keeper Paul Kelly in the first over of the innings, completing a disappointing double of 1 and 2 for that batsman. Then, only minutes later, Troup fired down the ball which left the edge of Fowler’s bat and whistled into Kelly’s gloves to have that batsman out for 6 and England 13 for two. And 46 runs on, Troup claimed the most valuable wicket of the day when he trapped David Gower lbw for 33, just as the left-, hander seemed to be entering his stride. Gower had plundered Auckland’s bowling in the first innings, showing that he at least was not out of sorts after a lack of match play. He hit an attractive and supremely poised 84 which, with Mike Gatting’s 56, was the backbone of England’s total. Allan Lamb failed in his attempt to st Ivage England’s innings on Gower’s departure becoming Auckland’s fourth victim and Snedden’s seventh in the match when he was caught by Kelly for 15. England were 62 for four and in dire trouble. The dourness and discipline of Gatting and keeper Bob Taylor guided England through the final 82 minutes to stumps without further loss, albeit for the addition of only 43 runs. Taylor, bumped up the order as lan Botham rests an injured toe, was far from

at home in the early part of his innings and took 50 minutes to post his first run. On settling down, however, he ably supported Gatting and was 20 not out at the close. Gatting, more assured but equally circumspect, was not out on 27. The England manager, Alan Smith, admitted at stumps that the performance of his side had been “definitely disappointing.” ENGLAND First innings C. J. Tavare b Tracy ... 1 G. Fowler c Franklin b Snedden 18 D. I. Gower c Hellaby b Snedden 84 A. J. Lamb c and b Snedden 21 M. W. Gatting c Franklin b Snedden 56 I. T. Botham lbw b Troup . 0 R. W. Taylor b Snedden . 1 G. R. Dilley c Kelly b Snedden 0 N. G. Cook c Reid b Tracy 6 N. A. Foster c Kelly b Tracy 21 R. G. Willis not out... . 2 Extras (b 4 lb 3, nb3) . . 10 Total 220 Fall: 5, 51, 90. 153, 155, 157, 161, 191, 209. Bowling: Tracy 8.4, 1, 46, 3; Troup 14, 3, 59, 1; Snedden 18, 4, 70, 6; Hellaby 6,0, 22 0; Bracewell 4,1, 13, 0. AUCKLAND First innings P. Webb c Willis b Foster . 38 T. Franklin b Willis .... 0 J. Reid c Taylor b Foster 43 J. Crowe c and b Dilley . 23 M. Greatbatch c Tavare b Cook 2 M. Snedden b Cook .... 27 T. Hellaby lbw Willis ... 4 J. Bracewell not out. ... 104 P. Kelly c and b Foster . 0 G. Troup not out 28 Extras (lb, 121 b, Inb). . 14 Total (for 8 wkts dec.) 283 Fall: 1, 67, 88, 100, 108, 121, 193 196. Bowling: R. G. Willis 18.4, 3, 68, 2; G. R. Dilley 16, 2, 70, 1; N. A. Foster 23, 5, 64, 3; N. G. Cook 32, 11, 67, 2. ENGLAND Second innings G. Fowler c Kelly b Troup 6 C. J. Tavare c Kelly b Tracy 2 D. I. Gower lbw Troup . . 33 A. J. Lamb c Kelly b Snedden 15 M. Gatting not out 27 R. W. Tavlor not out .. . 20 Extras "(lb2) 2 Total (for 4 wkts) 105 Fall: 3, 13, 56, 62. Bowling: S. Tracy 10, 1, 28, 1; G. Troup 12, 3, 27, 2; M. Snedden 11, 4, 27, 1; J. Bracewell 6,0, 14, 0; J. Reid 4,1, 7, 1.