Sporting move loses match

Press, 17 December 1985, Page 35

Sporting move loses match

NZPA-AAP Port Elizabeth, South Africa A sporting declaration by the rebel cricket captain, Kim Hughes, turned bad when the Australians lost here yesterday. The gamble that low-ranked Eastern Province could not make 249 runs in a session and a half was lost by just eight balls. The provincial batsmen took up the challenge, and the rebel bowlers were unable to answer.

The chase began when Hughes relented on a policy of

treating the rebels’ early matches as practice games. This had brought criticism of the Australians from some commentators in South Africa. The match was only primed for a victory contest by the smoking fingers of Tom Hogan, who spun the rebels into strong command. In his first long bowling spell of the tour he sent down 40 overs for a career best of eight for 86 that demolished the Eastern Province batting order. The province stayed to make 235 runs — mainly because

rebel pace bowlers had little success on the placid wicket As a result the Eastern Province first innings closed with a lag of 147 runs, and the Australians quickly went about lengthening the target In a 122 minute innings, John Dyson led the rebels with 71 runs and carried the total one past the 100 mark. Then the provincial side was sent in again, facing the 249 run target in 138 minutes, plus 20 overs. At first, Hogan and Rackemann found only frustration, as the opening pair hit out

In fact, after 31 runs were hit, off Rackemann’s first four overs, he dropped a catch and overthrew in frustration, was taken out of the attack and put on a deep boundary. Again the lion’s share of the work fell upon Hogan, who followed up a run out by landing the handy Adrian Birrell with a diving caught and bowled effort, his third for the match. Still Eastern Province stuck to the five runs per over task, particularly under the guidance of the Springbok ’keeping candidate, Dave Richardson. As the final 20 overs started, the province had a reachable 97 run target and Richardson was batting in hot form. He was looking for his eleventh boundary in a cover drive when the ball stuck in. Hogan’s hands, and the province’s best hope was out for 64. The provincial side swung past the 200 mark at the end of the eighth over with four wickets in hand. They began to fall at a slightly faster rate than could be sustained. Rackemann came back into the attack and took a catch from his own bowling, one went in the deep field, and Steve Rixon stumped the third by an embarrassing margin. With five overs remaining, the light was fading and the umpires consulted, leaving it to the batsmen who saw the target only 18 runs away. The eighth wicket partners Mark Rushmere and Paul

Rayment put their heads down, ana the latter passed the target by one run with a boundary. . Eastern Province First innings 235 Second innings 250 Australia First innings 382 Second inninps S. Smith c Rayment o van Vuuren ......... 13 J. Dyson not out. .;. . . 71 G. Shipperd not out ... . 14 Extras ......... . i 3 Total (dec for 1 wkt) 101 Fall- 42 Bowling: K. Watson 5, 0,14, 0; M. van vuuren 8,1, 25, 1; P. Rayment 4, 0,16, 0; A. Birrell 9. 1, 20, 0; T. Shaw 9,3, 25, 0.