England romps home after premature declaration

Press, 26 January 1988, Page 44

England romps home after premature declaration

PA Wellington England yesterday romped home to a victory with seven wickets and, even more significantly, with 15.3 overs to spare after a premature declaration by the Northern Districts skipper, Chris Kuggeleijn, on the third day of the tourists’ second first-class cricket match in New Zealand at Seddon Park, Hamilton. The Englishmen reached 299 for three but the spectators’ enjoyment after tea was curtailed because Kuggeleijn pulled out at 254 for four when Graeme Hick’s dismissal for 146 coincided with the noon drinks break.

Hick’s innings dominated in his second turn at the burning crease but later in the day Tim Robinson was,to take over the centre stage even more completely and for a longer period. He opened England’s second innings and scored 166, two thirds of his

team’s runs. Robinson contributed 10 of the high total 16 sixes produced during the day’s Play. Hick walloped three of the others, Bill Athey one in a relatively sedate 60 as Robinson’s opening partner and the last two were the work of Neil Foster. He belted the last delivery of the match to wide long-on off the nonbowler, Barry Cooper The English margin of victory was extraordinary in a situation where the opposition captain had full control of the target to be set.

Even then, at the end misleadingly smaller than it could have been because Gatting sent in late order batsmen Foster and the wicket-keeper, Bruce French, and they pottered around considerably before they finished the batting job at 5.25 p.m.

Northern Districts made two key errors

which accounted for the size of England’s victory. The declaration on Sunday;'requiring the tourists to score under four an over to win was one.

Before the game started, Northern Districts, which had seen Wellington score 518 for nine on a comparable pitch in the recent Shell Trophy match, had gone into the game without any stock bowler whose main job was to block up an end.

The Rotorua medium pacer, Brendan Wood, Northern Districts’ most economical Shell Cup bowler is reliably understood to have been told that he can anticipate being twelfth man for the rest of the team’s first class programme and spent most of yesterday’s final innings in the field when his team sorely needed someone of his type at the bowling crease.

NORTHERN DISTRICTS First innings 242/4 Second innings G. Bradburn lbw Capel. . 11 L. Crocker c Moxon b Foster 7 D. White lbw Foster ... 80 G. Hick c Capel b Hemmings 146 B. Young not out 3 Extras (b 4 Ibl, nb2) ... 7 Total (for 4 wkts dec) . . 254 Fall: 16, 24, 212, 254. Bowling: G. Dilley 11, 2, 37, 0; N. Foster 17, 2, 76, 2; P. Jarvis 6,0, 39, 0; D. Capel 8,3, 14, 1; E. Hemmings 9.4, I, 54, 1; W. Athey 4,0, 25, 0; M. Moxon 1,0, 4, 0. ENGLAND First innings 203/2 dec Second innings W. Athey c Crocker b Kuggeleijn6o T. Robinson c Cooper b Trieber 160 D. Capel b Kuggeleijn. . . 13 B. French not out 18 N. Foster not out 27 Extras (nb6, wl, lb 8) ... 15 Total (for 4 wkts) 299 Fall: 208, 254, 256. Bowling: K. Trieber 19, 4, 83, 1; S. Thomson 6,2, 11, 0; M. McKinnon ?1, 3, 77, 0; B. Barrett 6,0, 36, 0; G. Bradburn 5,0, 55, 0; C. Kuggeleijn 8,1, 18, 2; L. Crocker 1,0, 5,0; B. Cooper O. 0,6, 0.