The Guardian du lieu suivant : London, Greater London, England • 14

THE GUARDIAN Wednesday July 27 .1988 14 SPORTS NEWS Cricket Fourth Cornhill Tests England West Indies, final day Slack has another fainting attack out in the middle ImigDsiDDdl iroiuitl poses Mike Selvay at Haadlngley Chris Curtain summer finally expired. It took Dujon and Desmond Haynes just 26 minutes to knock off the final 38 runs that West Indies required to take the fourth Test and an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the series. There was no fight that Cowdrey thought realistic, match-winning even, England barely topped 200. The second phase occurred when West Indies, in reply, had fallen to 156 for five. To start the second innings more or less level would have given England Marks had left them needing to make only 148 off 82 overs to beat Marks took four wickets for nought in his last seven balls as the visitors slumped from 51 for four overnight to be all out for 103.

At about this point rain enters pur story again, but Marks did his benefit-year marketability no harm by finishing with match figures of 10 for 116. At Cardiff, Matthew Maynard hit his fifth half-century in the last six championship games, but the loss of 16 overs yesterday prevented Glamorgan from getting anywhere near the target of 303 in 90 overs contrived by two declarations and a Yorkshire forfeit. At Grace Road, a downpour before lunch scuppered any ambitions Leicestershire and Essex might have nursed of making inroads on Kent. But there was enough time for Whltticase to make his second valuable contribution, and the in form Briers was within sight of. his second hundred of the match a feat last performed for Leicestershire by Maurice Hallaminl965.

At Northampton, two stoppages for rain helped Sussex to survive a mid-innings slump and save their match against Northamptonshire. Winston Davis had match figures of 10 for 136. THE RAIN it raineth every day, and sure enough it did just that in the latest round of county matches, all of which ended yesterday in draws to leave the championship table largely unmoved. Worcestershire pulling one point back on Kent in their match at Folkestone, and Surrey trading places with Somerset down among the mid-table dead men, is hardly material for which to hold the back page. Not all the draws were however.

And there was worrying news from Lord's, where Wilf Slack fainted again out in the middle, as he had at Leicester in May. The Middlesex opener collapsed yesterday after taking a quick single, and had to be helped off the pitch. He was later described as After a declaration and a forfeit, Middlesex's target was 307 in just under four hours. Thanks to a second-wicket stand of 148 between Mike Gatting (55) and John Carr (97 not out), the home side were well on course before the rain came. Somerset had every right to feel hard done by the Taunton weather, as some sunny bowling from Vic First-class averages Cowdrey ponders the lessons of defeat photograph: frank baron Batting Qualification: 8 Innings: I NO Runs HS Avg SR Waugh 15 5 645 137 84.50 A Hick 24 1 1723 405' 74.91 CWJAthay 21 5 1039 168 64.93 A GOOCh 21 0 1359 275 64.71 A Border 22 5 1051 169' 61.82 MO Crowe 9 1 487 136' 60.87 MAAtherton 13 2 665 151" "60.45 GC Holmes 16 3 771 117 59.30 Barnett 21 2 1108 239' 58.31 PD Bowler 25 4 113 159' 53.95 WN Slack 19 4 791 163' 52.73 MW Galling 21 0 1048 210 49.90 DM Smith 18 5 630 157' 48.46 Richards 14 3 526 102 47.81 A Lynch 18 3 716 103' 47.73 CL Smith 27 3 1096 124' 45.66 G'DMendis 29 4 1072 151 42.88 MP Maynard 25 4 894 126 4257 A Lamb 20 3 721 117 42.41 Briers 27 2 1053 125' 42.12 TS Curtis 26 3 968 131 42.08 RF Pienaar 21 2 780 144 41.05 AsifDin 24 3 860 158' 40.95 RT Robinson 21 2 761 129 40.05 signifies not out BEST PERFORMANCES.

Fastest hun-drsdi A Lamb (Northants) in 86 balls Gloucestershire at Bristol on July 14. Bast bowling: Bicknell (Surrey) 9 tor 45 Cambridge University, The Oval, June 15. Captain in a quandary Chris However, it is the long-term future of the English game which gives Stewart most cause for concern. He believes, and has done so since England were winning the Ashes in Australia almost two years ago, that the system is at fault. He leels that county cncket ought to be much closer in method to Tests four-day games, in other words; that as much effort should go into developing playersas goes into Kent Worcestershire Cycling Roche returns Neale takes heart alt least CT51HERE were no miracles to be had from either weather or anything else at Headingley yes terday morning.

Instead, the last rites were administered to a match and series virtually won by Monday evening, and when Jeff Dujon clipped a leg-stump half-volley from the England captain to the square-leg boundary for his seventh four to clinch a ten-wicket win, the body of English aspirations this ENGLAND nrat Inning A Gooch Dujon Marshall-T Curtis Ibw Benjamin 12 18 13 84 38 2 8 8 31 Athey Ibw Ambrose- I Cower Dujon Benjamin- A Lamo reiirea nuri A Smith Dujon Ambrose-'C Cowdrey Ibw Marshall tc Hicnards Ambrose. Prlnglo Dujon Marshall- A t-oster noi oui- Dilley Hooper Ambrose. Extras (bl, Ib18. wS, nb6) Total- 201 Pall of wtolwtti 14, 43, 58, 80, 183, 183. 185, 185, 201.

Bowllngi Marshall 23-8-55-3; Ambrose 25.1-8-58-4; Benjamin 9-2-27-2; Walsh 12-4-42-0. WEST INDIES First inning Haynes Ibw Pringle- tP Dujon Smith Dilley- Hooper idw hosier- 'I A Richards Curtis Foster 18 A Logle Foster Pringle 44 Arthurton Richards Pringle- 27 A Harper Gower Foster 88 Marshall Gooch Pringle 3 CEL. Ambrose Ibw Pringle 8 Benjamin run out 9 A Walsh not out Extras (Ib15) 18 Total 278 Fan- of wlekatai 15, 61. 97. 137.

156. 194. 210. 222. 245.

Bowllngi Dilley 20-5-59-1, Foster 32.2-6-98-3; Pringle 27-7-95-5; Cowdrey 2-0-8-0. ENGLAND Second Innings A Gooch Hooper Walsh 80 12 11 2 11 5 8 19 3 Curtis Amorose- Athey Dujon Walsh-D I Gower Dujon Marshall. A Smith Ibw Marshall Cowdrey Walsh tc Richards Ambrose A Lamb Dujon Ambrose- Pringle benjamin- A Foster Hooper Benjamin Dilley not out 2 Extras b3, Ib8, nb4) 16 Total- 138 Fall of vrlckatat 56, 80, 85. 83. 105.

105, 127. 132. 132. Bowllngi Marshall 17-4-47-2; Ambrose 19.5-4-40-3; Walsh 20-9-38-3; Benjamin 5-4-2-2. WEST INDIES Second inning Haynes not out tP Dujon not out-Extras (Ib2) as 40 2 87 Total (lorO).

Bowling: Dilley 4-0-16-0; Foster 7-1-36-0; Cowdrey 3.3-0-13-0. Umpires: Bird and Shepherd. west inaies won by id wickbis. Scoreboard Britannic Assurance County Championship SOMERSET NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Taunton: Somerset (5pts) drew with Nottinghamshire (6). NOTTINGHAMSHIRE First innings 211 (P Johnson 73, Robinson 50; Marks 5-73).

SOMERSET First innings 167 (F Stephenson 4-41, Hemmings 4-50). NOTTINQHAMSHIRE Second innings (overnight: 51-4) Martindale Ibw Marks Evans Pringle Mallender tC Scolt Waugh Marks Hemmings not out. Coooer Bartlett Marks Mlllns Mallender Marks-Extras (Ib6, nb7) is Total 103 Fall of wlefcate cont! 85. 102. 102.

103, 103. Bowling: Jones 14-3-42-3: Mallender b-3-b-z; Mams iz-i-43-a; Hose 3-i-wj; Trump 1-1-0-0. SOMERSET Second Innings Hardy not out. Roebuck Scott Cooper- Pringle not out Extras (Ibl) Total (lor 1). 27 Fall of wkketai 6.

Bowling! Stephenson 4.3-1-20-0; Cooper z-o-3-i; Hemmings z-u-3-u. Umpires: Constant and Harris. MIDDLESEX SUBBEV Lord's! Middlesex (2pts) drew with Surrey (3). SURREY First innings (overnight: 232-4) Ward st Downton Emburey 57 Zahld Sadlq Needham Emburey 13 I A Grelg Emburey 20 Bullen run out 2 Peters not out 24 Clarke Slack Needham Bicknellnet out 3 Extras 17 Total (lor 9 dec) 334 Fall of wickets cont) 239. 271 274.

319, 324. 100 overs: 274-6. Bowllngi Cowans 12-4-43-1: Fraser 13-2-29-0; Hughes 9-0-33-0; Emburey 43-iz-4-e; uniting a-3-ze-u; neeanam Z9.4-B-83-1 MIDDLESEX First Inning Carr not out Slack retired ill. A Needham not out-Extras (Ibl) 22 5 1 Total ((or 0 dec). Bowling: Bicknell 4-1-8-0: Peters 3-0-14-0; Bullen i-u-o-o.

MIDDLESEX Second Inn Inge carr not out- 07 A Needham Stewart Bicknell. Galling Lynch Bullen Butcher Clarke Ramprakash not out Extras (b5, Ib3. w1, nb1) 56 8 16 10 185 Total (lor 3) Fall of wleketsi 0. 148. 163.

Bowllngi Clarke 11.3-2-45-1: Bicknell 11-2-49-1; Peters 6-0-29-0; Grelg 2-0-18-0; Bullen 8-1-36-1. Surrey forfeited their second Innings. NORTHAMPTONSHIRE SUSSEX Northamptoni Norlhamptqnshire (6pts) drew with Sussex (4). SUSSEX. First innings 118 (W Davis NORTHAMPTONSHIRE First innings 233 (R Bailey 127no).

SUSSEX Second innings (overnight: 68-1) Lenham run out 52 A Clarke Davis 4 Wells Ibw Davis 42 A Wells Ibw Davis 35 Parker Ibw Robinson 4 Imran Khan not out 30 Speight Robinson 4 1 Gould Ripley Capel- A Plgott not out Extras (Ib11. nb14) da 11 25 Total (lor 8 dec). luml liut upvi i FaH of wickets contl 103, 17S. 201. 201.

207. 287 269 Bowtnfi Davis 24-S-64-3: Capet 15-2-67-1; Williams 21-8-43-0: Cook 17-1-64-2; Bailey a---v. a Dudleston ana Kaimer Under-25 Competition Bournemouth: Surrey 189-6 (G Martin 52). Hampshire 188-7 (J Wood 72. A Aymes 59).

Surrey won by one run. left in England; merely, when the day dawned bnght, an ac ceptance of the inevitable. So the sorry run goes on; 13 games of the last 14 Tests played Detween tne two siaes have been won by West Indies, most of them by margins not so much convincing as overwhelming. This rout follows the 134-run defeat at Lord's, and the mnings-and-156-runs past ing at Old Trafford. The last two maicnes nave Doin nmsnea in well under three days play-intrtime.

Afterwards Viv Richards was, understandably, a proud man. He had arrived in the country with a side nul ot raw, unproven potential and a reputation as an intolerant captain unable, however hard he tried, to unify the individual parts into an effective whole as Clive Lloyd had done before him. A 3-0 loss in the one-day series did little to change the view, although Richards publicly never doubted either the first priority of the tour, to win the Test series, or the abilities of himself as leader and his players to blend and improve. That they succeeded so dramatically is a tribute to him and his senior players, and also ample demonstration of the benefits of touring together. It is no coincidence that most of England's best times in recent years have been abroad.

With the series now defunct, England have to decide where to go from here. It will start with a post-mortem of this match. Paradoxically, for a game with such a one-sided result, England were in contention for a remarkably long period. Chris Cowdrey pointed to two critical phases of the match. First, during England's first innings.

Allan Lamb pulled a calf muscle when he and Robin Smith were, for the first time in the series, carrying the attack to the West Indian bowlers, who were visibly down. "You need partnerships to put pressure on these people," said Cowdrey, "for as soon as you lose a wicket, they raise their game." Lamb's departure started a collapse and instead ot the auu KENT WORCESTERSHIRE Folkestone: Kent (5pts) drew with Worcestershire (6). WORCeSTERSHIRt First innings 238 (P A Neale 108no; Ellison 6-99). KENT nrst Innings (overnight: 41-0) Benson Hick Radlord 28 Taylor Hick Radlord 40 Ward Ibw Radlord- 1 Tavare Hick llllngworth Pienaar Rhodes Newport Cowdrey Weston lllingworth ts A Marsh Rhodes Newport Ellison Newport lllingworth Penn Rhodes Newport Kelleher lllingworth Newport Davis not out Extras (Ib5, wl. nb1) 14 8 7 8 14 16 0 5 7 Total (74.3 overs) 152 Fall of wickets: 64.

68. 79. 91. 92, 108. 108, 140, 140.

Bowling: Radlord 20-4-40-3: Newport 23.3-7-50-4; Pridgeon 17-6-32-0; lllingworth 14-6-25-3. WORCESTERSHIRE Second Innings Bent Ellison. 2 13 31 34 1 81 Lord Taylor Ellison- Rhodes not out Leatherdale not out Extras (Ibl) Total (lor 2 dec) Fall Ot WKMIK 10. 10. Bowllngi Penn 5-1-9-0: Ellison 4-2-13-2; Davis 14-5-29-0; Pienaar 5-0-6-0; Kelleher 6-0-18-0; Cowdrey 2-0-5-0.

Umpires: Ft Palmer and A White. HAMPSHIRE DERBYSHIRE Portsmouth) Hampshire (3pts) drew with Derbyshire (3). HAMPSHIRE First innlnas (overnight: 141-4) Turner Newman 62 Ayling Mortensen Barnett 48 tR Parks Maher Newman Jeflsries not out 45 Tremlett not out 6 Extras (b2. Ib3. w2, nb6) 13 Total (lor 7 dec, 96.2 overs) 251 Fall of wlekats eonti 157, 157.

226. Bowllngi Malcolm 19-3-64-2; Mortensen 12-5-15-1; Warner 15-4-35-1; Barnett 29.2-8-74-1: Newman 14-3-37-2; Bowler 7-1-21-0. DERBYSHIRE First Innlnas Bowler not out- Wright Ibw Ayling-tB Maher not out Extras (wl, nbl) Total (lor 1 dec, 17.3 overs) 45 Fall of wlekstsi 48. Bowllngi Jelleries 3-0-12-0; Bakker 5270; Tremlett 6-4-13-0; Ayling 3.3-1-13-1. DERBYSHIRE Second innings Bowler Terry Maru Wright Smith Bakker tB Maher st Parks Maru-J Morris Bakker 20 7 62 30 a 13 18 1 14 Roberts Maru- Goldsmith st Parks Maru.

Barnett not out- A Warner st Parks Maru- Newman not out Extras (Ib13, nbl) Total (lor 7). v-h A 17 en on 111 M7 170 17A 182 Bowllngi Jelleries 5.4-0-26-0: Bakker 14-6-21-2; Maru 20-2-69-5; Tremlett 4-0-15-0; Ayling 8-0-38-0. Hampshire forfeited second innings. Umpires: Birkenshaw and Bond. County table Bt 81 Kant (14) 14 8 Worcs(O) 14 6 Essex (12) 15 5 Lanes (2) 14 5 Warks(15) 13 5 Notts (1) 14 5 Laics (3) 14 4 HhantafVl 14 4 34 44 208 6 31 45 172 6 40 46 166 6 27 41 156 4 26 43 140 3 15 48 1 30 6 34 40 138 6 28 43 136, 6 33 35 132 8 27 37 1 28 7 26 39 1 21i 7 32 40 120 9 35 30 113 8 20 38 80 5 17 38 87 5 19 44 78 Oloue(10) 14 4 Mlddx(16) 15 4 Som(ll) 13 3 InnilMI 13 3 Oerbys(6) 14 3 Hants IB i VorkeiS) 13 2 13 1 Olamfiai 13 0 9 22 29 81 Nottinghamshire total Includes 12pts (or win i.

maiih finmoriutt Anil Lanea shire totals Includes Spts lor drawn matches in which scores tinlshed level. 1987 positions in brackets a great flllip batting last at Headingley can be perilous but it was not to be. Once more the West Indies lower order flourished, and that was that Ultimately, the match was won because the West Indian bowlers, Marshall. Walsh. Ben jamin and Ambrose rightly judged Man of the Match were able to utilise the conditions much more effectively than England.

With the exception of Am brose these bowlers are all familiar to English in county cricket, yet as a unit they thrived, feeding on each other success. Their own batting would have struggled against them. England's bowling was more uneven. Depleted in the first place, through choice of course, they conceded 41 boundaries in a relatively low-scoring match. Even allowing for the adventurous nature of the West Indian batsmen, that was too many on a helpful pitch.

Micky Stewart cites Neil Foster as an example of the way in which a player is asked to make the adjustment from county to Test cricket and sometimes cannot. Foster bowled very well at times, but occasionally his concentration went, and with it the relentlessness demonstrated by West Indies. Rather than be harried into rashness, although rash they occasionally were, their batsmen were able to wait for the loose ball. England's batting was harder to assess. Gooch of course was quality, as was Lamb, but we knew that already.

Gower is no less an enigma now after 100 Tests than after his first. He had a poor match, and his short-term future might depend on Lamb's fitness and Gatting's availability. It could be worth persevering with Curtis's stickability, Smith's pugnacity too, and Cowdrey, not a Test player, is still captain. I reserve judgment about Athey, who got the ball of the match from Walsh in the second innings; he has talent, but to do himself justice must somehow translate his Gloucestershire freedom into Test discipline. GLAMORGAN YORKSHIRE Cardiff: Glamorgan (2pts) drew with Yorkshire (2).

YORKSHIRE. First innings 322-9 dec (P Robinson 63, Love 52). Bowllngt Watkin 31-12-47-3; Monkhouse 16-4-31-1; Derrick 34-8-90-2; Ontong 18-7-32-0; Shastri 17-S-37-0; Cann 6-0-43-2; Butcher 4-0-32-1. GLAMORGAN nrst innings A Butcher Ibw Love 4 A Cottey not out 7 Morris not out 6 Extras (b4) 4 Total (lor 1, 4.3 overs)- 20 Fanof wicktt4. Bowling: Love 2.3-0-11-1; Metcalle 2-0-5-0.

GLAMORGAN Second Innings A Cottey Bairstow Shaw- 48 44 SO 4 18 170 A uuicner low naruey- tH Morris Swallow Shaw- Maynard not out Shastri Fletcher Carrick. Ontong not out Extras (b8, IbS, nb2) Total (for 4) FaB of wfcfcstsi 0, 95, 100, 124. Bowling: Hartley 10-0-27-1; Fletcher 14-2-37-0; Shaw 14-4-18-2; Carrick 19-9-27-1; Swallow 13-3-54-0. Yorkshire forfeited second innings. Umpires: Julian and Meyer.

LEICESTERSHIRE ESSEX Leicester: Leicestershire (Spts) drew with Essex (6). LEICESTERSHIRE. First innings 300-9 dec (N Briers 119. Whltticase 50no). ESSEX.

First innings 200-3 dec (P Prich- ard 7mo, A Border 65no). LEICESTERSHIRE Second Innings (overnight: 42-1) Briers not out 83 tP Whltticase not out 40 Extras (Ib6) 6 Total (lor 1) 120 Bowling: Lever 11-0-32-0: Topley 17-3-64-0; Pont 11-1-37-1; Miller 1-1-0-0. Umpires: Lyons and Wight. Tour match WARWICKSHIRE SRI LAN KAN 8 Mgbastoni Match drawn. WARWICKSHIRE First innings 212-7 dec (D A Banks 61, Asll Din 59).

SRI LANKAHS First Innlnas (overniaht: 13-1) tS A Silva run out 82 MAR Samarasekera Banks Parsons- 21 .117 11 .225 A Oe Silva not out Madugalle not out-Extras nb5) Total (lor 3) Fan of wtcKsrs conn iui. Bowllngi Donald 13-4-27-0: Benjamin 17-6-53-0; Parsons 9-1-24-1; Myles 12-2-37-0: Smith 5-2-20-0: Asll Din 1-1-0-0; Storle 1-1-0-0. Umpires: Holder and Harris. Bain Clarkson Trophy Bedford i Lancashire 185-8. Match abandoned, rain.

Northamptonshire did not bat. No result. Hastings: Kent 224-0 (S Hlnks 74). Sussex 169. Kent won by 55 runs.

Minor Counties Championship BMchtoyi Bucks 51 (Edwards 5-23, Davies 5- 28) and 110 (Edwards 4-28, Oavies 5-44). Wales 53 (Booden 7-17) and 10-0. Match drawn. FaniMfsi Suffolk 161 (S Halllday 47: Turner 6-38). Cambridgeshire 204-5 (I Lawrence lOOno).

Oxford: Devon 145-7 dec. Oxfordshire 109-2. Watford Town: Hertfordshire 188-8 (C Thomas 52: Johnston 6-71) and 15-2. Durham 164 (G Brown 58: A Garofall 4-36). Today's fixtures NATWBST TROPHY.

Quarter-finals (10.30-7.30). Oarbyt Derbyshire Hampshire. Lord'si Middlesex Kent. Ttw Ovab Surrey Glamorgan. Worcester: Worcestershire Gloucestershire.

TOUR MATCHES (11.0-6.30). Trant Bridge: Nottinghamshire West Indies. Os-terleyi Indian Gymkhana Sri Lanka. SECOND ELEVEN CHAMPIONSHIP. Ilkeston: Derbyshire Gloucestershire.

Bournemouth: Hampshire Somerset. Do-van Kent Yorkshire. Bedford Schoob Northamptonshire Lancashire. Worksop Col tags: Nottinghamshire Essex. OuM for Surrey Leicestershire.

MINOR COUNTIES CHAMPIONSHIP Cambridge: Cambridgeshire Suffolk. Watford: Hertfordshire Durham. Oxford! Oxfordshire Devon. Swindon: Wiltshire Berkshire. Michael Henderson at Folkestone BY PREFERRING to give their underlings batting practice in yesterday's final session Worcestershire opted for straightforward cricket logic.

It was still a shame. An hour of Hick might have redeemed a game which the weather had robbed of real significance if not all interest. Even though Worcestershire's attempt to make up ground on the leaders took them only a point nearer the summit, Radford and Newport turned in spirited perfor administration and marketing, bearing in mind that the bulk of the counties' income is from Test receipts; that overseas players, all of them, must be phased out; and that pitches have to improve. The last criticism surely holds the key. Cowdrey cites how difficult it is for a batsman to come into a Test match on a good surface, having spent much time grafting on the result" pitches prevalent in mances which helped to propel Kent from 64 without loss to 152 all out.

It was an effective warning that 34 points can easily be made up. Anyone watching Kent bat yesterday might have wondered how they could beat a team of fishermen's wives. Even experienced men like Tavare breached the line which separates sense from nonsense. Illingworth's first ball tempted the stand-in skipper to pull to mid-wicket, where Hick accepted his third catch of the innings. Pienaar, hanging his bat out to Newport, and Cowdrey junior, who was picked up at silly point when he failed to debate, mostly of a negative and comic nature, as Nicholas did his best to persuade Barnett to change his mind and open up thjs restricted match.

Thejx-i( pectea decision, tor ootn siaes to forfeit an innings, had not materialised after Hampshire had declared at 251 for five. Barnett himself had kept going for 29 overs and, from firsthand knowledge of a turning pitch, he said he feared what Maru might be able to do. "I preferred the prospect of a short chase to a long one." So he rather surprised the crowd by starting a first innings instead of a second. Nicholas, with the visibly agitated signs of a young ambitious prosecuting naralofficer STEPHEN ROCHE, Ireland's 1987 Tour de France winner, will ride in the Professional Tour of Britain next month. He has not competed since mid-April because of knee trouble after a crash, but a Munich clinic has now cleared him to resume racing.

Roche has had a series of long training sessions through the Wicklow Mountains near his Dublin home. "I'm feeling good and there hasn't been the slightest twinge from the knee," he said before returning to the Continent for further training. His manager, Peter Crinnion, said: "Stephen wanted to come back with a bang, and this tour is perfect. It is just two weeks before the world championships." The tour, sponsored by Kellogg's, starts at Newcastle upon Tyne on August 9 and finishes in London on August 14. Last year Roche became the first man since Eddy Merckx to win the Giro d'ltalia, Tour de France and the world professional road race championship in a season.

Bowling Qualification: 15 Wickets: OvrsMdn 154.2 52 221 71 479.3 124 428.5 120 178.3 33 523 153 233.2 52 325.2 66 247 67 120.3 12 156.3 49 196.5 35 380.2 62 339.5 73 340.3 97 254 49 414.1 117 298.5 66 301.2 66 295.1 51 368.4 88 276.4 74 RunsWckts Avg 11.12 15.78 16.44 16.49 17.03 17.54 17.59 17.57 0 Mortensen A Munton Stephenson ARC Fraser Williams Cooper Jarvis Cowans Clarke A Smith Parsons Fletcher Davis Newport Small Curran Allott A Foster 1 A Grelg Dilley Alderman Wasim Akram 278 25 521 1299 907 511 1298 651 791 591 379 382 578 1157 1069 875 856 938 844 866 B43 1016 634 17.90 18.95 19.11 19.26 19.61 19.79 19.88 19.90 19.95 20.58 20.61 21.05 21.61 21.86 S4 Whitticase (52 caught, 2 stumped); 81 Ripley (48-3): 48 Parks 48 (39-9); 48 Humpaga (45-1): Rhodes (43-3); 42 Hegg (35-7). FIELDERS. 23 eatdws Terry; Newell 22 Brown; 21 Medlycott: Tavare; 16 A Border: Bailey: Carr. Raleigh and the Banana Producers Group are to sponsor the national track championships at Leicester, which begin on Friday and finish on August 6. One highlight will be a clash between Britain's former world pursuit champion, Tony Doyle, and the world one-hour record-holder, Francesco Moser, from Italy.

City-centre racing comes to Nottingham on August 18 when Raleigh-Banana stage a 90-min-ute race for UK-based professional teams. Pedro Delgado's victory in the Tour de France on Sunday helped take his team to the top of the event's prize-money list. The Reynolds team clocked up 1.637 million French francs (about 150,000) and the Spanish rider's victory has brought him cars and a diamond trophy as well as money, while his team-mates also earned cash by winning bonus sprints and. points in various checkpoints. The cash prize is usually distributed evenly among the nine members of the team, which means that each team member will receive more than 16,000.

wards for the first time after 14 Test appearances at centre. The Rest of the World side have a single alteration. Darrell Williams, the Kiwi full-back, has an injured knee and has been replaced by his compatriot Gary Mercer. The game is also a pipe-opener for the Rest's eight-strong New Zealand element for the World Cup final in October. Although the Rest's coach, Graham Lowe, no longer coaches the Kiwis, his assistant is Tony Gordon, the present incumbent, and the keen eyes of both will be on the Australians' strengths and weaknesses.

On the evidence of most recent meetings Australia and the two countries who provide all but two of the Rest New Zealand and Great Britain they may well be observing more of the latter. AUSTIULUU-O Jack; A BttlngslwuMn. MMbiga, MoOaw. Melndo Uwto, Langsr: Baeko. ConMOU.

Roach, Moss, MBsr. FW" Substttutasi Haslsr, Furton-mlth REST OF THE WORLO a Mareor (NZ): OH (GB). Ire (NZ), Bad (NZ), Kowj (PNO): 8 Cooper (NZ), A Orsflory JOB); A Shslford (NZ), WaMao (NZ), Ward (GB), Ongory (GB), arsn i(NZ), Hanlsy (GB). tubstitutssi Stawart (NZ), J-P Pougsau (Fr). Anul (PNG).

Hampshire Derbyshire Captains pull a draw out of the the county game. The preparation of such pitches has won championships, and once one county does it, the rest follow, urged on by the marketing men. Cowdrey himself does not have a ready solution, although general concern for the welfare of the game ought to be enough. Swingeing fines or banning of reported grounds even if they are Test match venues might be the only way. smother lllingworth, were other high-order offenders.

Kent's innings, therefore, pursued the pattern set by Worcestershire of falling into a ditch of their own making. It was not a bad pitch. Compared with some seen this year at Worcester it was a lotus-land. Leatherdale, the latest Brad-fordian exile in the Worcestershire camp, played out the late irrelevant stages with a straight bat that might become relevant before long. Ellison, who dismissed Bent and Lord to take his match tally to eight, was the Kent man with most to be happy about.

Neale can also look back with satisfaction. diplomatic bag fearing that a well briefed case was collapsing in front of him, took the initiative. There was earnest conversation between him and the batsmen and then Derbyshire's 12th man, Simon Base, made a number of sorties from the boundary, bringing token batting gloves and messages, and looking more like a rep from a sports firm. It worked. Derbyshire declared at 45 for one, Nicholas now sacrificed an innings and the match took shape again.

Just as Ayling and Jefferies had batted well, it was the turn of Bowler, Morris and Maher with a fine 62. But after the promoted slogger Warner gave Parks his third stumping, the chase was rightly forgotten. Smith, another man back in the fold after the Test, made a winning impression. On such duels does the game hinge. Either Jack Richards or 'Paul Atkins, who made 99 against Lancashire at South-port on his first championship appearance last week, will open the Surrey innings in a match at The Oval in which a Glamorgan player stands to benefit most.

One-day games should count for little in terms of Test consideration, but an innings of substance by Matthew Maynard on the ground which stages next week's final Test can do his chances no harm. My final four: Kent, Gloucestershire, Derbyshire and Glamorgan. Rugby League Suspect handling can weaken Australia's Bicentennial game 's new testing role David Foot at Portsmouth IT IS not often that an intelligently contrived finish is conjured from such eventful negotiations between captains as occurred yesterday between Mark Nicholas and Kim Barnett, for contrasting reasons, found it hard for a long time to act with one accord. Eventually Derbyshire were left to score 207 off 52 overs, and largely because of the beguiling challenge of Raj" Maru (five for 69), who Barnett had excessively claimed could turn the ball square, they came off at 182 for seven. It could have gone either way.

There had been much public Cowdrey FRESH from Headingley, Chris Cowdrey emerges from one spotlight and steps straight into another, writes Michael Henderson. The draw for the NatWest Trophy quarter-finals has given Kent a trip to Lord's today, which means a confrontation with the two men he followed as England captain, Mike Gat-ting and John Emburey. At Canterbury in May, Gatting's half-century helped Middlesex coast through a Benson Hedges zonal game. This time he will be itching to make a point after his exchange of views with the Test and County Cricket Board over his recent autobiography. Middlesex nave taitered somewhat since charging Edward Kannedy In Sydrray THE Australian Rugby League does not seem to know how to cope with a big occasion.

The hundredth Test between Australia and Great Britain was underplayed almost to the point of anonymity, and now their Bicentennial Celebration game against the Rest of the World here today seems to be heading the same way. It is the first time that Australia have faced a challenge from the Rest, but the game does not carry international status and some of the withdrawals from the originally announced side have a hint of disinclination about them. In fact, there have been an almost unprecedented seven changes from the Australian side that played Papua New Guinea. Both wingers and one of the centres have pulled out and there have been four changes in the pack. The side that will take the field still has plenty of quality, being led by Wally Lewis, playing probably his last international on Australian soil, and with Gene Miles in the for from the traps in April, but the need to atone for a clattering defeat at Derby, at the same stage of the competition, ought to stir minds and bodies.

Kent, though, are rolling nicely and have the performers for this type of contest Tim Curtis, whose foil for Hick's rapier is so important, will certainly be needed if Worcestershire are to break their duck in the sixty-overs competition. At New Road against Gloucestershire, Hick may have to put down a large deposit to maintain their interest. At Derby, Michael Holding returns to a Derbyshire side anxious to make amends after the let-down of Lord's, when Hampshire's Robin.