Date-stamped : 21 May95 - 22:24
SUNLG: Hampshire v Kent, Southampton, 21 May 1995

Rock solid Cowdrey tops charts - Doug Ibbotson

Kent (276-5) bt Hampshire (210-6) by 66 runs

AS A counterpoint to a nearby pop concert on Southampton  Common,
cricket`s  Sunday clatter-about might have assumed an almost sym-
phonic dignity. Not at all. Enter Graham  Cowdrey, a  pop   music
connoisseur,  to  join his captain, Mark Benson, in Kent`s answer
to Take That.

To summarise a  show  which  finally  raised  276  for  five  and
overwhelmed  Hampshire by 66 runs, Cowdrey produced a magnificent
undefeated 105 off 62 balls with three sixes and 12 fours.   Ben-
son,  run  out  on  92, faced 104 balls and hit 10 fours and they
shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 145 in 16 overs.

All of which looked somewhat unlikely as, in the  first  half  of
the  innings, Benny and the Pacemakers scored an unexceptional 84
for the loss of Trevor Ward (10), Matthew Walker (15) and Aravin-
da De Silva (3).

At this point Benson had reached 38, chiefly in cuts and  glances
against the seam of Cardigan Connor, Norman Cowans and the acting
captain John Stephenson, whose movement defeated Walker  and   De
Silva.

The arrival of Cowdrey, who a week earlier had raised 92 not  out
against  Leicestershire,  produced  a  stunning upbeat. By way of
openers, he square cut the first  ball  from  Stephenson to   the
boundary.

Having seen out the hundred, he then launched the  first  of  his
sixes  -  all against Shaun Udal - on to the players` balcony. By
such means, and with Benson also playing  fluently, the   century
partnership  came  up  in 12 overs, the second fifty in only four
overs.

The departure of Benson did not stem the flow of  boundaries  and
when the innings closed, the tally had reached 28, plus the three
sixes. None were sweeter than Cowdrey`s impeccably timed  drives,
lofted pulls and square cuts.

Hampshire`s reply began promisingly but, at 67 in the 13th  over,
that  man  Cowdrey struck again with a brilliant running-in, tum-
bling, over-the-shoulder catch to dismiss Stephenson  off  Martin
McCague.

Next Robin Smith was  bowled  for  17,  giving  Dean  Hedley  the
chance,  then Sean Morris, having compiled a brisk 46, was super-
bly run out from cover with a direct hit from The  Who?  No,  the
Cowdrey,  of course.  Now the Hampshire innings went into decline
and when Paul Terry was lbw to Hedley for four, 153  were  needed
off 14 overs.

Matt Fleming`s first ball bowled Paul Whitaker for  15  and  Kent
were  on  the  way  to  preserving  a  100 per cent record in all
limited-overs cricket this season.

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk)
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