Date-stamped : 23 May96 - 18:16 22 May 1996 Lloyd casts off baggage for catching practice By Charles Randall DAVID LLOYD is not the type of man to dwell on the past, and one of his first acts in charge as England coach yesterday was to sling all political baggage into the skip. For a man razor-sharp with words, this was well timed because a barrage of verbal mortar shells had landed at Lord`s, not far from the Oval where England were practising for tomorrow`s one-day international against India. Lloyd held a brief meeting with the Texaco Trophy squad in the morning to emphasise that every player was starting afresh. Any tensions that might have existed would be forgotten. This message would have been especially reassuring for Chris Lewis and Matthew Maynard, both restored to the international scene after some frustrating experiences with England. Even as Lloyd`s Accrington vowels were rolling around the Oval dressing-room, Ian Botham was calling chairman of selectors Ray Illingworth "an old prat" in a mass circulation newspaper, and comments by Illingworth himself, about Devon Malcolm, were being referred to the Test and County Cricket Board`s disci- plinary committee. Lloyd showed he had a way with words - as a top motivator and after-dinner speaker - and it was difficult to imagine him becoming entangled in the way Illingworth had been yesterday, when extracts of the Yorkshireman`s forthcoming book were published earlier than he wanted in the Daily Express. Botham, an MCC committee man, was rebutting in his distinct way a sneering Illingworth comment about his motivational qual- ities. Lloyd stuck to intensive fielding practice. Balls, cricket and tennis, were flying everywhere at the Oval. If anyone thought the only connection between cricket and lawn tennis was the word "out", they should have seen Lloyd belting his forehands at the fielders to sharpen reflexes. His timing was not as sweet as his Davis Cup namesake, but it was much better from England`s point of view than Illingworth`s book publishers. Lloyd`s lively elimination catching contest - five quid in the kitty and winner takes all - was won by Graeme Hick, who beat Maynard in the final. It was clear that sound fielding against India would be more important than usual because the Oval outfield looked badly scarred by the drought and cold weather, more reminiscent of conditions in India in some areas, where reseeding had not tak- en. Serious net practice is planned for today and England`s players will then have the chance to see Lloyd`s video - a 25-minute compilation of successful moments involving each player. Confidence is the keynote with Lloyd`s methods, and there is no looking back. "I`m not really into what`s gone on in the past," he said. * Edgbaston`s reserve Test pitch has been given the all-clear to stage the first match of the India series, starting on June 6. Problems of grass growth on the original strip led to a change of plan by Warwickshire officials - and an inspection, carried out yesterday morning, by Test and County Cricket Board pitches consultant Harry Brind. Dennis Amiss, Warwickshire`s chief executive, said yesterday: "We always cut two wickets in advance of a Test but there was not enough grass growing on our first-choice one. But, with all the cold weather, everyone has been having the same problems - and we were heartened to hear confirmation of that from Harry. "He had a good look at the other pitch this morning and it looks a lot better. It`s far more evenly grassed and he was very sa- tisfied with it. "Harry will come here another couple of times before the Test to make sure all is going well but we have always had good cricket on this strip in previous seasons." Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http.//www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by Shash (shs2@*.cwru.edu)