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Tony Howard had it rough in his only Test match.

Before he bowled a ball, he was warned by an influential figure that he would have difficulty getting a wicket in the match.

Howard, a well-built off-spinner from Spartan Cricket Club, had replaced Guyanese legend Lance Gibbs for the fourth Test against New Zealand at Bourda in April 1972.

The people in Guyana did not like the fact that I replaced Gibbs, Howard said. The fact that only three wickets fell and I got two of them I felt I did rather well.

He took two for 140 off 62 overs on a flat, placid pitch which offered no assistance to the bowlers. The other wicket went to Howards spinning partner David Holford.

New Zealand, batting second, made 543 for three declared off 268 overs. Glenn Turner made 259 lbw b Howard, and Terry Jarvis hit 182. Howards other wicket was also a solo effort Martin Burgess bowled for eight.

Turner and Jarvis added 387 for the first wicket after the West Indies made 365 for seven declared, of which hometown boy Alvin Kallicharan made 100 not out. In the second innings the West Indies reached 86 without loss. Overall 994 runs were scored for the lost of just ten wickets.

I had quite a few appeals and most of them were turned down, said, Howard, now 52 and the present Barbados team manager. In those days I used to bowl a pretty fast straight ball and I thought I got Turner at least four times.

He said he was later presented with a picture which showed Bevan Congdon with the ball lodged between his ankles facing down the pitch and that decision was not given either. Congdon made 61 not out.

It was hard, but what happened was all part of cricket, he said. They (the New Zealanders) had a dour batting line-up and the idea was not to lose at all. They were not too interested in winning, just not losing.

Howard, who batted left-handed, never got a chance to have a knock, but said he had no regrets about that part. He said he settled well in the team and felt quite comfortable to be playing at the highest level, in a team that included four other Barbadians.

In those days the West Indies was almost a representative Barbados team, so I had no problem fitting in, he said. Garry (Sobers) was captain and I was playing with him since 1966, so it was nothing really unusual.

Howard had another obstacle before he even reached Guyana. On the day he found out of his selection, his son was born and he had to persuade his wife to let him leave to play in the match.

When I returned from the hospital Mr. (Eric) Inniss from the Barbados Cricket Association informed me that I was selected, said Howard, a former Harrisonian who was 25 at the time.

My wife said I would have to be mad to play in the match, and she was right, but I wanted to play. I had worked hard all my life for that day and the opportunity had come.

Howard said he would have loved to have played more and felt a bit unfortunate not to have been selected subsequently.

I felt I had bowled well under the conditions, but in those days it did not seem to matter, he said. Not to be given an opportunity on the Trinidad pitch, which I knew would turn, or here in Barbados, where I took five wickets in the tour match, was a little error on (the selectors) part.

He said he never received his West Indies hat or blazer, but that did not really matter. I worked all my life to play a Test match and I did. That mattered most of all, he said.