Date-stamped : 19 Jan97 - 14:17
Day 1 report : Electronic Telegraph

Captain puts a brave face on suffering

By Paul Newman in Hamilton


HE has been forced to endure more than his share of negative
emotions throughout a tortuous winter. So, when faced with
another personal crisis yesterday on an otherwise outstanding
day for England, Michael Atherton reacted in the only way he
could find: he smiled broadly and headed for the bowling
machine.

The time was ripe, it seemed, for the England captain to put the
worst spell of his international career behind him in time for
Friday's first Test. Atherton had just seen his bowlers dismiss
Northern Districts, including New Zealand's opening pair, for a
paltry 69 and was then pitched in against an attack that, in
first-class terms, was barely out of nappies. Yet the bowlers
were mature enough to deal with the England captain.

Or, more precisely, Scott Styris was. The 21-year-old
part-timer, in only his 12th first-class match, had already seen
his even greener bowling partner, debutant Dion Bennett, provide
Atherton with a couple of anxious moments on his way to an
out-of-touch five.

Then Styris, born in Brisbane, stepped up for the fifth over of
the England innings. The ball, Atherton's 19th, was well pitched
up, the batsman's footwork was completely awry and the England
captain was palpably lbw. The misery, with only 208 runs from 15
tour innings, goes on.

Not that conditions were easy. Atherton had the good fortune to
be able to insert Northern Districts on a well-watered pitch
that offered prodigious movement.

No one took advantage more than Dominic Cork. The one English
bowler guaranteed his place at Eden Park was sensible enough to
pitch the ball up and allow it to swing in a devastating opening
burst that proved too much for Bryan Young and Blair Pocock, who
will face up to Cork and the new ball again in Auckland on
Friday, and Mark Bailey.

Satisfyingly for England, Cork was not short of support. Alan
Mullally was steady, Darren Gough was wayward but spirited and,
significantly, Craig White was the quickest of the lot.

England's top six, however, are certain of their places and,
Atherton apart, were offered some valuable practice. Alec
Stewart oozed confidence before dragging a long hop to mid-on
and Nick Knight was gaining fluency when he gave Styris his
second wicket.

Nasser Hussain became the first victim for impressive
17-year-old debutant slow left-armer Daniel Vettori before
Graham Thorpe, desperately in need of time in the middle
himself, and the authoritative John Crawley took the lead
towards 100. Afterwards, however, conversations were dominated
by talk of a certain Mr Atherton.

"Somebody is going to pay for this because once Michael gets in
he won't get out again," said David Lloyd, the England coach.

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

Day 3: The Press

ND Fighting Hard To Avoid Innings Defeat

HAMILTON -- Northern Districts were fighting hard to stave off
an innings defeat at the end of the second day of their four-day
cricket match against England in Hamilton yesterday.

Northern Districts were 99 for one wicket at stumps after
beginning their second innings needing 225 to make England bat a
second time.

Test opener Blair Pocock was on 60 and Matthew Bell had reached
35.

Bryan Young, Pocock's first-test opening partner, failed for the
second time in the match when he followed his first-innings four
with two yesterday, caught behind off fast-medium Dominic Cork.

Earlier, England had been dismissed for 294 in its first
innings, with middle-order pair Graham Thorpe and John Crawley
top scoring with 71 and 65 respectively.

Medium pacers Alex Tait and Scott Styris picked up five for 96
and four for 110 respectively for Northern.

Batting problems continued to plague England captain Mike
Atherton in the leadup to the first test against New Zealand,
starting at Eden Park in Auckland next Friday.

Atherton made just five in 19 balls before being trapped leg
before wicket to Styris.

His two innings in New Zealand so far have produced 12 runs. On
his tour of Zimbabwe and New Zealand he has scored just 208 runs
in 15 innings.

England coach David Lloyd insisted Atherton would come right,
once he sorted out some technical problems.

England took charge of the match when it dismissed Northern
Districts for 69 in 28.4 overs in the first innings.

England's four-pronged fast-medium bowling attack was lethal.

Wickets fell regularly, the only resistance -- and only
double-figure score -- coming from wicketkeeper Robbie Hart, who
hit 24 in 25 balls.

Source :: The Christchurch Press (http://www.press.co.nz)

Day 3- Electronic Telegraph

Cork's back injury spoils England day

Christopher Martin-Jenkins reports on faltering steps in revival
process

IT HAD all been going a little too well, perhaps. Not only did
Northern Districts make the England bowlers work much harder for
their spoils yesterday when they batted a second time but
Dominic Cork had to leave the field injured.

Cork, who had transformed a hitherto innocuous attack since
joining the tour in New Zealand, had to leave the field after
nine second-innings overs with severe pain in the lower right
side of his back.

He had bowled superbly on Saturday and had dismissed Bryan
Young, New Zealand's first-choice opening batsman, a second time
with the new ball yesterday, but a little of his snap already
seemed to have gone when Mike Atherton asked him to continue
after taking one for six in his opening spell before tea.

Wayne Morton, the physiotherapist, said that after coming off
the field immediately after his ninth over Cork had complained
of a "sharp, stabbing pain as he bowled his final ball". He had
been feeling his lower back throughout his previous over.

It was a cool, showery day with a strong cross-wind and it had
already looked unwise for Cork, warm though he obviously was
well into a bowling spell, to be the only member of the side not
wearing a sweater in the field after tea.

It would be a most unfortunate irony if he were to be unfit for
the first Test with a back injury after all the hard work he has
done at home to strengthen the muscles in his legs in an attempt
to prevent any recurrence of his knee problems. Whatever else
might have gone wrong in Zimbabwe, it was a tour free of
injuries to any of the specialist bowlers.

Cork was immediately given the kind of treatment accorded to
thoroughbred racehorses on the eve of a big race when there is
what trainers call an "interruption to their preparation".

Not surprisingly so, because he is the best bowler England
possess. Morton gave him "massage, manipulation and mobilisation
treatment and non- steroid anti-inflammatory drugs" before
packing the offending area in ice and finally wrapping him up in
a corset.

Morton said that the immediate symptoms suggested something
fairly serious. "He was struggling to move, and it's fairly
unusual for a right-arm bowler to have pain in his right side.
But sometimes bowlers twist themselves and recover quickly. It
may be 24 or 48 hours before a clearer diagnosis is possible."

It is a further, if lesser worry for England that, in the last
game before the Auckland Test begins on Friday, Nick Knight and
Alan Mullally have now contracted the flu-type virus which
nearly prevented Craig White from playing.

These are all too familiar problems, but it was just as well for
England that Northern Districts did not roll over and surrender
a second time yesterday.

Having disposed so easily of all their opponents so far, there
was a danger of their thinking that all New Zealand sides were
going to be a pushover.

Blair Pocock's determined 60 not out has introduced some realism
and he found a willing partner yesterday evening in Matthew
Bell, who batted equally soundly and has clearly benefited from
a season with the MCC Young Cricketers at Lord's.

Cork's injury was not the only setback in a match which began so
stunningly well for England. Mike Atherton's complete lack of
confidence and form will remain a genuine personal crisis until
he plays a substantial Test innings, at least.

He was leg before, playing half-cock on the crease, having
already escaped an appeal for a bat-pad catch. He has been hard
at work since on another bowling machine.

In other respects he had reason for satisfaction. The fast
bowlers all did their job well in the first innings in ideal
conditions for seam and swing, and the batsmen had to work hard
for their runs, which is exactly what Graham Thorpe and John
Crawley did in putting on 125 together for the fifth wicket.

The attack which confronted them, when they resumed their
partnership yesterday morning on the only Test ground in the
world with no more than a single pavilion and pleasing, grassy
banks for spectators, was very inexperienced.

The bowling was well directed, however, with two strong seamers,
Scott Styris and Alex Tait, preparing to work hard and left-arm
orthodox spinner Daniel Vettori bowling exceptionally well in
his first first-class match.

It would be dangerous, knowing how Pakistan keep producing
teenage cricketers who look comfortable in international cricket
overnight, to say that Vettori is the best 17-year-old spinner
in the world, but he dismissed David Sales and Owais Shah on
five occasions when taking 12 wickets at 24 each in the under-19
'Tests' in England last summer.

Though he did not add yesterday to the wicket of Nasser Hussain,
caught at slip driving, he might twice have got John Crawley out
with a little more luck.

This is to say something because Crawley is batting beautifully.
He re-opened his account yesterday with two controlled nudges
for four to third man from balls which left him, but soon he was
driving and forcing with impeccable timing.

Thorpe's three good catches at first slip, as Northern Districts
were hustled out for 69 in 28.4 overs before lunch on Saturday,
did no harm to his morale and his workmanlike innings was just
what he needed.


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

Day 4 report - The Press

Smooth Run For England

HAMILTON -- England's smooth progress towards this week's first
cricket test against New Zealand continued unimpeded yesterday
when it beat Northern Districts by 10 wickets with more than
four sessions to spare.

Northern Districts began the third day of the four-day match in
Hamilton on 99 for one.

They were dismissed for 259, leaving England 35 to win, which
openers Nick Knight and captain Mike Atherton got in 8.1 overs.

That gives England two first-class wins well inside the distance
since its arrival in New Zealand.

Atherton admitted his pre-test plans for the team had worked out
ideally.

"I'm delighted with the way we've started the New Zealand tour,"
he said.

"Both games have been won in about 2 1/2 days. We've controlled
them throughout, played good cricket, and haven't really had a
bad session."

England will travel to Auckland today, and will have the day off
before spending two days training before the test starts on
Friday..

Source :: The Christchurch Press (http://www.press.co.nz)

Day 4 report - Electronic Telegraph

Croft misses the boat for victory cruise

THE opposition were no better than one of the weaker county
sides and the spin of the coin gave them a distinct advantage,
but when all was said and done, and with one serious
qualification, England could feel very content with their
10-wicket victory over Northern Districts, writes Christopher
Martin-Jenkins.


It was completed halfway through the middle session of the third
day at Trust Bank Park (formerly Seddon Park) yesterday, with
all the bowlers except Robert Croft playing significant roles.

Craig White had a good match all round, Graham Thorpe played
himself back into form and a less tentative Mike Atherton came
unscathed through half an hour at the crease as England passed
the 35 they needed to achieve their second convincing win in the
last week. The qualification, of course, was the injury to
Dominic Cork, but even that was looking less like a matter of
life and death by the time Nick Knight had square-cut the
winning boundary.

Cork said that a combination of massage and anti-inflammatory
pills had eased the stiffness in his lower back and that he was
hoping to be able to practise with the rest of the players
tomorrow after a day off earned through some honest professional
cricket.

There were times yesterday when England made hard work of the
business of taking nine more wickets on a pitch which had slowed
but also become a shade uneven in bounce. Inspired by a
penetrative spell by Darren Gough in the first hour of a sunny
day, however, there was never a doubt that the job would be
done.

That Atherton should have had even a very brief innings was
helpful to the cause. He scored his first runs in front of
square, including a crisply pulled boundary, and began to show
the benefit of several long sessions against the bowling machine
placed behind the dressing rooms at the ground. The game won, he
went off in search of trout on the Waikato river, in his words
"delighted at the start we've made in New Zealand".

Coach David Lloyd was not present to see the third day's play,
having driven the 70 miles to Auckland to watch the New Zealand
side playing a practice match of 115 overs a side against the
Auckland team. Atherton had given permission for Bryan Young to
leave the match in Hamilton early but much good it did him for
he was out third ball. There is no doubt which of the two sides
will be the more ready for a Test match when the rubber starts
at Eden Park on Friday and if Cork's departure on Sunday and the
words of medical doom which accompanied it prove to have been a
false alarm, England's morale will be all the higher.

The only disappointment yesterday was Croft's inability to take
a wicket. When the New Zealand leg of the tour began he was a
point or two ahead of Phil Tufnell but having looked like
getting a wicket at any moment when he opened the bowling with
Gough, his loop and curve seemed to desert him. Two or three of
his early balls hit the batsman's gloves and one crept through
at shin height, but three strikes back over his head by Mark
Bailey damaged his figures and there was no disguising the
relative ease with which he was played by the later batsmen
compared to Gough, White and Alan Mullally.

With Cork on the massage table, Gough no doubt felt he had a
point to prove and he was quickly into his stride, mixing nasty
bouncers with inswinging yorkers and the occasional slow
off-break. Matthew Bell, who had combined so effectively with
Blair Pocock the previous evening, lasted only three more balls
before he shouldered arms and lost his off stump. Pocock batted
for the first 10 overs but they had brought him only nine more
runs when he drove across a ball of full length and, no doubt to
the bowler's surprise, persuaded the Test umpire, Doug Cowie, to
lift his finger, an action he undertakes only with extreme
reluctance.

Mullally was rather less fortunate when he took over from Gough
after a spell of 7-5-6-2. His wicketkeeper and close fielders,
however, did him no favours by appealing virtually every time
one of his inswingers either passed the bat or struck the pads.
England's cricket and demeanour may have improved in several
respects since leaving Zimbabwe, but their fondness for the
frivolous appeal has not waned. At least Alec Stewart had the
good grace to disown a catch behind off White after umpire Chris
King had given Bailey out following the instinctive yell of
triumph.

His and England's reward was a flurry of wickets before lunch,
Bailey falling instead to a fine catch low to his left at first
slip by Thorpe and the Hart brothers departing in successive
overs, Matthew spooning a catch to cover, Robbie groping at a
good-length ball by White.

That England were made to bat again was largely due to Michael
Parlane, the No 5 batsman who had made two hundreds this season
in the only first-class match he had played prior to this game.
Stocky, and admirably unbothered when occasionally he played,
missed and received a withering glare from a bowler, he timed
his square shots well on both sides of the wicket. During his
170-minute innings he added two pulled sixes to his six fours.
No doubt England will come across him again in their match
against New Zealand A between the first and second Tests.

Mullally, quickly recovered from the 24-hour flu bug which is
prevalent here, took two more wickets after lunch, finishing the
innings with a fine reaction catch off his own bowling, but the
nastiest deliveries were undoubtedly bowled by White. He hit the
helmet of batsmen three times during his 17 overs and his
skidding bouncer is going to trouble a few more players now that
he is beginning to believe in his own ability.

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

<END> Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)