Titmus, Jones Dropped From Third Test Squad

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31097, 28 June 1966, Page 19

Titmus, Jones Dropped From Third Test Squad

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) LONDON. F. J. Titmus has been dropped from England's team for the third test against the West Indian tourists, which will start at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, next Thursday. Titmus, an off-spinner and useful bat, has played 44 tests for England, taking 136 wickets. He is replaced by a newcomer, a Kent left-arm medium-slow bowler, D. Underwood, aged 21. Also dropped is the left arm pace bowler, J. Jones, who toured Australia last season. In his place, J. Snow, aged 24, the Sussex fast bowler, is recalled. Underwood is in his fourth season of first-grade cricket. In 1963. at the age of 18, he took 101 wickets for 21.12 runs each, and became the youngest cricketer to achieve 100 wickets in his first season. The following year he also took 101 wickets (average 24.45) and in 1965 his 89 wickets cost 25.38. This season he has been in fine form again with 59 wickets at 17.05 runs apiece.

Among specially good performances have been 10 wickets in the match against Middlesex at Lord’s, 11 wickets against Somerset at Bath, five for 57 against Surrey at the Oval and six for 20 against Essex at Dartford.

A bowler who varies his pace and flight considerably, Underwood received his county cap in his second season. Underwood, who comes from a family of keen club cricketers, received much help from G. A. R. Lock and K. E. Barrington at the Croydon cricket school. Snow has been in even better form than Underwood this year and is the leading wicket-taker in the country with 71 at 15.49 runs each.

A fortnight ago he played the leading part in helping Sussex beat the West Indies in two days, with seven for 29 and four for 18. Last week, at Leeds, his 10 wickets for 120 runs enabled Sussex to beat Yorkshire, also in two days.

Snow played twice for England last season, once against New Zealand and once against South Africa in a match in which he took four wickets for 146.

Titmus is perhaps unlucky to be dropped. Although he has been well below his best this season, in the first test at Manchester he was the only successful bowler with five for 83.

R. Illingworth, twelfth man for the second test against the West Indies at Lord’s, gains preference over him as the off spinner.

[ Barrington, in spite of his failures against the West Indies during this tour, has been given another chance. E. Russell, the Middlesex opener, is included in case T. W. Graveney has not recovered from his thumb injury. The squad is.—M. C. Cowdrey (captain), K. F. Barrington, G. Boycott, B. D’Oliveira, T. W. Graveney, K, Higgs, R. Illingworth, B. R. Knight, C. Milburn, J. M. Parks, E. Russell, J. Snow, D. Underwood. West Indies won the first test and the second was drawn.