MATCH REPORT - v.
I ZINGARI AUSTRALIA - Account extracted from the IZ's 'England Tour 1977'
Match No 16-Wednesday, 13th July, 1977
I Zingari, Australia in batting order:
B. L. H. Powell, M. T. McKaughan. C. Alexander. D. J. Hoskins, R. Coleman, R. B.
Tubbs, P. Coleman, T. R. H. Savill (c), E. G. Wiles, J. R. Hoyle. B. A. Eastment.
Despite a thorough
briefing by the Tour Transport Officer, no less than three car loads of IZ
tourists experienced extreme difficulty in their endeavours to locate the
Woolmer Hill playing field. Indeed, it was some three-quarters of an hour after
the scheduled starting time for the match before the final IZ vehicle (driven
by none other than "Bilko" himself) glided rather sheepishly into the ground.
In the interim, T. R. H. Savill had fortunately won the toss and, after some
quick reshuffling of the preconceived batting order, the IZ innings commenced on
a rather green wicket, sporting visible signs of dampness-the legacy of an
overnight shower of rain.
Not so fortunately, M. T. McKaughan's innings terminated before the opening run
of the match had been registered. With the new ball swinging dangerously late in
the heavy atmosphere and cutting sharply off the seam on the first soft track
encountered so far, the No. 3 batsman. Cam Alexander, later admitted that he had
no alternative but to play from memory. However, having amassed only seven runs,
Mr Alexander's memory was to fail him.
Although handicapped by a torn hamstring muscle, Don Hoskins determinedly
assisted Bruce Powell in a valuable third wicket stand which realised 35 runs.
This also happened to be Powell's personal score when the partnership was broken
with the toppling of B.L.H.'s castle in the dying moments of themorning's
sesskion of
play.
The first twenty minutes of post-luncheon cricket saw the demise of Messrs.
Tubbs and Hoskins. The brothers Coleman mounted a partial recovery with a
partnership of 28 runs which nudged the IZ total along to 6 for 96.
Tim Savill then joined Philip Coleman and, in the ensuing 45 minutes, the match
captain personally contributes thirty of the forty runs scored during his stay
at the wicket. An excellent captain's knock but the IZs had mustered a mere 136
runs for the loss of 9 wickets when T.R.H.Savill made way for the first
B.A.Eastment innings of the tour. In fact, it was J.R.Hoyle who was the dominant
partner in the last wicket stand which took the total to 143-the lowest
completed innings by I Zingari so far on tour.
The Sydenhurst Ramblers' opening bowlers Rodney Turrell and Chris Terry, had
delivered 41.1 overs between them in capturing nine of the IZ wickets at a joint
cost of only 97 runs. The one scalp to escape these two fine exponents of swing
bowling was that of R.B.Tubbs, who had lost his middle stump when shouldering
arms
to a Jremy Browne off-cutter!!
Any faint hopes of a Sydenhurst Ramblers' collapse on the first and only
"bowlers' wicket" encountered on tour seemed completely unfounded when seventeen
runs had been posted by the Ramblers' opening batsmen after only one over apiece
from Messrs. Hoyle and Alexander. However, the seond and third overs by John
Hoyle
earned him the prized wickets of Messrs. Wiseman and Child-both falling to smart
catches in the slips.
At the conclusion of a penetrative six-overspell by J.R.Hoyle, Barry Eastment
was all but "watering at trhe mouth" as he placed a ring of close-in fielders
around the bat in preparation for his first over on this sharply turning wicket.
In fact, it was the final ball of Eastment's second over which captured his
first victim and
the Ramblers' total stood at 3 for 47 as the playetrs immediately adjourned for
the tea interval.
In the first two overs after tea, Barry Eastment struck again. The Sydenhurst
Ramblers were now reeling at 5 for 53 and the IZ total of 143 suddenly assumed
new respectability. The next seven overs bowled by Alexander and Eastment
yielded only eleven runs without loss but it was then that Mr.B.A.Eastment
produced a double-
wicket maiden. The two byes saw the Ramblers' score teetering on 7 for 66.
To this point all seven Ramblers' wickets had fallen at the same end of the
pitch.
The luckless Cam Alexander had bowled thirteen consecutive overs from the other
end, conceding ten runs in his opening over and only ten in the subsequent
twelve overs, seven of which had been maidens!
Thus, when the Ramblers' opening batsman, Mr. N.Harper, finally succumbed with
31 hard fought runs to his credit and his team's total at 8 for 70, it was
especially fitting that it was an Alexander delivery that had removed the last
principal barrier to an IZ victory.
Alexander and Eastment were to capture one more wicket each in their next overs
and the Sydenhurst Ramblers had been routed for a total of 75 runs, the last
eight wickets falling for only 28 runs. Credit for this victory belonged fairly
equally with all three of the IZ bowlers used by Mr.T.R.H.Savill.
However, it should be noted that the bowlers received unparalleled support (by
tour standards at least) from their fielders on this overcast July afternoon.
Eight catches were offered by Sydenhurst Ramblers' batsmen and all eight were
safefully accepted by the astutely placed IZ field. Indeed no less than seven
individual
fieldsmen held catches during the Sydenhurst Ramblers' innings-surely something
of a record when one considers that Mr. J.R.Hoyle and Mr.E.G.Wiles had shared
one each only eleven minutes apart!!
I Zingari Australia 143
(B.L.H.Powell 35, T.R.H.Savill 30) defeated Sydenhurst Ramblers 75 (B.A.Eastman
6-16 - the best IZ bowling performance in all 17 matches of this tour).
Rod Turrell's 5-52 was the fourth and Chris Terry's 4-45 the seventh best
bowling performances against IZ in all 17 matches.