Rutherford enjoys himself

Press, 3 September 1986, Page 60

Rutherford enjoys himself

NZPA London The Otago batsman, Ken Rutherford, feels he didn’t do himself justice on the New Zealand cricket tour of England because he wasn’t relaxed enough. So yesterday the 20-year-old strode out on the Scarborough pitch to enjoy himself and relax in the last match of the tour, against the Brian Close Invitation XI. The result was a tally of 317 runs (300 coming in 219 minutes) the highestever score by a New Zealander overseas. Batting at number three, he hit 45 fours and eight sixes off 245 deliveries in 230 minutes, and shared a New Zealand record 319-run fifth wicket partnership with Wellington’s Evan GrayRutherford’s only regret came in one over from

Indian spinner Dilip Doshi, when he hit four successive sixes, three straight over the bowler to a short boundary and one to midwicket. He was conscious that only Garfield Sobers and Ravi Shastri have hit six sixes in an over in top cricket and said he would not have minded 170 and out if he could have equalled the feat. “But his fifth ball was a good one,” Rutherford said. He said he was disappointed with his performance in England going into the final match. “I haven’t scored as many runs as people back home might have expected. I haven’t done myself justice. “I could have been more relaxed at the crease and haven’t played my shots. ‘Yesterday I was very

relaxed about it all. It was the last game and I decided to enjoy