Simpson Again Punishes England’s Bowlers

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30977, 5 February 1966, Page 13

Simpson Again Punishes England’s Bowlers

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

SYDNEY.

The Australian captain, R. B. Simpson, followed up his 225 in the fourth test with 123 for New South Wales against the M.C.C. at Sydney yesterday.

New South Wales, with many players who will face England in the crucial fifth test, beginning at Melbourne next Friday, took a heavy toll of the M.C.C. bowlers.

G. Thomas followed his captain’s example, and after being missed when 34, went on to score 129.

At the close New South Wales were 372 for four.

Simpson and Thomas added 156 in 118 minutes for the second wicket after the surprise opener, N. C. O’Neill, had made a brisk 36. The M.C.C. bowlers got little assistance from a perfect batting strip, but stuck to their tasks as Thomas and Simpson sprayed shots all round the wicket. O’Neill Unlucky

Simpson opened with O’Neill to make the seventh opening combination the state has tried this season. O’Neill, bidding for a place in Australia’s team to tour South Africa later this year, scored his first 31 runs in half an hour. He was going well when he was unluckily out for 36.

He advanced several paces down the pitch to B. R. Knight’s bowling but was struck on the pad and given out leg-before. Simpson and Thomas took the score to 106 at lunch, but it was after the interval that they opened out. M. J. K. Smith, the M.C.C. captain, ran

through all his recognised bowlers, but none could staunch the flow of runs.

Thomas raced past his 50 in 73 minutes and Simpson reached his century after exactly three hours. Simpson eventually tired of his mastery of the English bowling and skied a catch to mid-off after making 123. Thomas continued in freescoring vein and at tea B. C. Booth had made only nine of the 30 he and Thomas had added for the third wicket. Thomas showed no mercy after tea. G. Boycott was brought on for his first over of the match and Thomas hit 13 off it. Then he cut D. A. Allen for three to reach his century in 155 minutes. Boycott’s second over cost 14 runs and the third-wicket stand reached 50 in 34 minutes.

The total passed 300 in 245 minutes and Thomas treated the near 6000 crowd to a dazzling array of drives and cuts.

But he tried one big hit too many and was bowled by Boycott for 129. made in eight minutes under three hours. He had hit 4.4 fours and his third-wicket stand with Booth yielded 82 runs in 52 minutes. Knight took the new ball at’ 316 and immediately got rid of Booth, who turned a catch to Smith at backward short leg. K. D. Walters and B. Rothwell played Knight and J. D. F. Larter without difficulty, and Walters in successive overs unleashed two off-drives to the boundary which would grace any text book on batting. Unsuccessful Juggling The 350 came in 307 minutes, and Smith brought on K. Higgs and juggled with Knight and Larter at the other end without success. Walters and Rothwell made their fifth-wicket stand worth 50 in 58 minutes, and at the close Walters was 38 not out. He had hit five fours. N.S.W. First Innings R. B. Simpson, c Allen, b Barber .. 123 N. C. O’Neill, lbw, b Knight 36 G. Thomas, b Boycott . 129 B, C. Booth, c Smith, b Knight ..23 K. J. Walters, not out .. 38 B. Bothwell, not out .. 16 Extras <byes 4, legbyes 3) .. 7 Total (for four wkts.) 372 Fall of wickets: one for 77, two for 233, three for 315, four for 318.

Bowling 0. M. R. W Larter ... 14 2 64 0 Higgs .. 17 3 58 0 Knight .. 13 0 54 2 Allen .. 18 4 71 0 Barber .. 13 0 81 1 Boycott 4 0 37 1