1.
GV PLAYERS TAKING THE FIELD.
0.05

2.
SV DITTO.
0.10

3.
GV PULLAR AND SUBBA ROW WALK ON.
0.13

4.
GV PLAY STARTS.
0.19

5.
GV DAVIDSON BOWLS TO PULLAR (1 RUN)
0.31

6.
CU DAVIDSON BOWLS TO SUBBA ROW.
0.35

7.
CU SUBBA ROW HITS (2 RUNS)
0.44

8.
GV GAUNT BOWLS TO SUBBA ROW.
0.49

9.
CU SUBBA ROW HITS 4 RUNS.
0.51

10.
GV AUSTRALIAN RUNNING AFTER BALL.
0.56

11.
GV PULLAR BOWLED BY RENAUD.
0.59

12.
CU STUMPS.
1.01

13.
GV COWDREY WALKING ON.
1.03

14.
GV CROWD.
1.05

15.
GV SUBBA ROW LBW BOWLED GAUNT.
1.13

16.
LV COWDREY CAUGHT BY GROUT OFF DAVIDSON
1.20

17.
CU COWDREY WALKS OFF.
1.23

18.
CU SCOREBOARD (20 - 3)
1.24

19.
CU BENAUD BOWLS TO DEXTER.
1.27

20.
CU DEXTER HITS A 4.
1.30

21.
SV CROWD.
1.32

22.
LV DEXTER WALKING AFTER BEING CAUGHT BY GROUT OFF GAUNT.
1.38

23.
CU SCOREBOARD (67 - 4)
1.39

24.
LV MAY HITS 4 BOWLED BY MACKAY.
1.46

25.
SV CROWD.
1.49

26.
DAVIDSON BEING COOKED BY BARRINGTON FOR 4 RUNS.
1.57

27.
LV MAY SCORING HIS 50.
2.11

28.
CU MAY.
2.13

29.
LV MAY CAUGHT BY LAWRY FROM BALL BY BENAUD.
2.22

30.
CU MAY WALKING OFF PITCH APPLAUDED BY CROWD.
2.25

31.
CU SCOREBOARD. (147 - 5)
2.27

32.
CU BARRINGTON SCORING 3 RUNS WHICH MAKES UP HIS 50.
2.34

33.
SV CROWD.
2.36

34.
CU BARRINGTON WALKING OFF AFTER BOWLED BY GAUNT.
2.40

35.
CU SCOREBOARD (193 - 6)
2.42

36.
LV LOCK BEING CAUGHT BY GROUT.
2.49

37.
SV MURRAY WALKING OFF CAUGHT BY O'NEILL BOWLED MACKAY.
2.52

38.
CU SCOREBOARD (202 - 8)
2.54

39.
CU DAVIDSON BOWLING TO BRIAN STATHAM.
2.56

40.
CU STATHAM MAKING DEFENSIVE STROKE.
2.59

41.
GV SCOREBOARD READING 210 FOR 8 TILT DOWN TO PLAYERS WALKING OFF PITCH.
3.04



Initials IM/V/MT/LW


EDITORS NOTE: ONLY TWO MINUTES RUNNING TIME TO BE USED FOR ANY ONE PROGRAMME.

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: AFTER WINNING THE TOSS ENGLAND WENT INTO BAT ON A GOOD WICKET ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE FINAL TEST MATCH AGAINST THE AUSTRALIANS AT THE OVAL, AUG 17. DUE TO WEAK BATTING AND INEFFECTUAL STROKES THEY LOST EIGHT WICKETS WITH ONLY 210 RUNS SCORED. MOST OF THE DAMAGE WAS DONE BY THE AUSTRALIAN PACE ATTACK OF DAVIDSON AND GAUNT, HELPED BY WICKETKEEPER GROUT.

OPENERS PULLAR AND SUBBA STARTED OFF IN FINE FORM FOR THE FIRST FEW OVERS UNTIL PULLAR PLAYED ACROSS TO A BALL FROM DAVIDSON AND WAS BOWLED FOR EIGHT WITH THE TOTAL ON 18. FOR THE NEXT 20-MINUTES COWDREY AND SUBBA ROW WERE PINNED DOWN UNTIL GAUNT TRAPPED SUBBA ROW LBW WITH THE SCORE ON 20 AND THE BATSMAN ON 12. WITHOUT A RUN BEING ADDED COWDREY WENT FORWARD TO DAVIDSON AND WAS CAUGHT AT WICKET FOR A DUCK. THIS PUT ENGLAND ON 20-RUNS FOR 3-WICKETS.

ENGLAND CAPTAIN PETER MAY WAS THEN JOINED BY DEXTER AND THESE TWO STAGED A RECOVERY. BOTH BATTED CAUTIOUSLY BUT WERE ALWAYS ON THE WATCH FOR THE BAD BALL, WHICH WAS STROKED MAINLY THROUGH THE COVERS. IN THE FINAL OVER BEFORE LUNCH DEXTER TRIED TO CUT A SHORT ONE FROM GAUNT AND GROUT TOOK THE CATCH. DEXTER HAD HIT 24 AND WITH MAY BROUGHT THE TOTAL ON TO 67.

AFTER THE INTERVAL BARRINGTON AND MAY WERE CONTENT TO STAY AT THE WICKET AND LET THE RUNS COME. BY THIS TIME IT WAS MACKAY WHO WAS MOST ABLE TO MOVE THE BALL IN THE AIR BUT BOTH BATSMEN PLAYED HIM WELL AND TOOK NO CHANCES. BENAUD CAME ON FOR A SPELL AND MAY RESPONDED BY OPENING HIS SHOULDERS TO ANYTHING SHORT OF A LENGTH. WITH ONE SHOT MAY ALMOST HIT THE AUSTRALIAN CAPTAIN INTO THE PAVILION FOR SIX. SOON AFTER HE TRIED TO REPEAT THE SHOT AND WAS CAUGHT BY LAWRY FOR 71. MURRAY JOINED BARRINGTON WITH ENGLAND AT 147 FOR 5.

MURRAY PLAYED A STEADY INNINGS AND KEPT PACE WITH BARRINGTON UNTIL ONLY 20-MINUTES WERE LEFT FOR PLAY. BY THEN THE NEW BALL HAD BEEN TAKEN AND DAVIDSON AND GAUNT HAD THE ENGLISHMEN IN DIFFICULTIES. MURRAY TRIED TO HIT MACKAY OUT OF THE GROUND AND WAS CAUGHT AT MID-ON BY O'NEILL, FOR 27. BARRINGTON LOST HIS FIGHT AGAINST THE NEW BALL WHEN GAUNT FORCED HIM TO PLAY AT ONE WHICH WAS CAUGHT BEHIND THE WICKET BY GROUT.

BARRINGTON HAD KNOCKED UP A FIGHTING 53, BUT ENGLAND WERE IN TROUBLE WITH 7-WICKETS DOWN FOR 199-RUNS. THE SCORE HAD MOVED TO 202 WHEN GROUT TOOK HIS FOURTH CATCH OF THE DAY TO GET RID OF LOCK OFF MACKAY FOR 3. ALLEN AND STATHAM MANAGED TO HOLD OUT FOR THE LAST FEW MINUTES AND PUSHED THE SCORE TO 210.