CricInfo Home
News Home

NEWS FOCUS
Rsa in Pak
NZ in India
Zim in Aus

Domestic
Other Series

Police 215 v Wanderers

Figures alone sometimes never tell the full story.

Anyone who looked into the scorebook at the end of the opening day in the contest between Police and Cockspur Wanderers would not have raised their eyebrows after glimpsing at Michael Edwards' figures.

He took three for 66 from 20 overs of off-spin, but it was his overall contribution to the game that contributed to a resilient fightback against the defending champions.

Apart from capturing the crucial scalps of Stanton Proverbs and captain Leslie Reifer, he took three catches including one, inches off the ground, effected a run out and slowed a rapid Police pre-tea advance.

The enterprising lawmen reached 129 for three at the break, but their initial launch was just as brisk as their final demise in which the last seven wickets fell for 70.

The turning point was Edwards' removal of the dangerous Proverbs, whose scintillating 52 came off just 30 balls with typically exciting strokes.

Proverbs, last season's second highest run-scorer, lashed nine fours, including three in succession through the off-side off Edwards.

After adding 77 for the second wicket with the solid opener Feliston Gilkes, both Proverbs and his partner were dismissed in successive overs.

The 30-year-old Edwards, who has chosen to relinquish the captaincy he had held for the last few seasons, had a part to play in both dismissals. He held a firm cut by Gilkes at gully and induced Proverbs into edging a similar shot to the 'keeper.

Wanderers should have taken a firmer grip of proceedings then, but they muffed three chances off fast bowler Irwin Armstrong in the space of 10 minutes, two of them in successive balls to newcomer Brian Corbin.

Edwards was one of the culprits, but he made up for it with a stunning diving effort at gully that accounted for Rudolph Clarke.

Clarke and the struggling Corbin both went at the same score to leave Police 145 for five. They found runs hard to come by after that and both captain Leslie Reifer and William Callender fell trying to push on.