Hadlee, Howarth see victory snatched away in cricket competition

Press, 21 April 1979, Page 60

Hadlee, Howarth see victory snatched away in cricket competition

jNZPA London England’s clowning Derek Randall and the all-rounder, lan Botham, snatched and fought the world double-wicket cricket championship away from New Zealand yesterday.

prodded, with an occasional;] flash, their way to the win. p | New Zealand’s total of 67| I was made up of 30 from!] I Howarth, and 27 from Had- ] Ilee (10. extras) and with]; each being dismissed once, 1 the total was reduced to the I 17. Hadlee got two wickets 1 for 20 from his 10 overs, ; Jone to each of the other ( i batsmen but New Zealand ■ fared better than many of the more vaunted cricketing ! ['stars of the world. ! The top-liner, Alvin Kalliijcharran, totalled 39 but was i ■lout four times in a carefree 1 I knock, and Pakistan’s- Asif 1

New Zealand’s two repre-i sentatives, Richard Hadlee; and Geoff Howarth were! leading the tournament — a] type of professional’s tip' and run — after five of the' six sides from the world’s! main cricketing countries had batted. In fact, under the farcical scoring system used, Hadlee! and Howarth were the only; side at that stage to have] emerged with a positive; score. They finished with 17, | while the other four earlier! batting sides all had deficits; because of the rule which; decreed that each wicket’

-ilost cost 25 runs. . » The rules were so unfa-1 i miliar to real cricket that it] i was not until the final com-; q bination of Botham and Ran-i Udall got to the wicket that! ;! everyone understood it. ; Randall and Botham knew the rules of backyard cricket liwell enough to know that >|when chasing a target of 17 jail they needed to do was; dplay it safe to get through. ; ! And that’s what the nor-j ’mally ebullient Randall and] .Botham did. Hadlee and; •! Howarth, watching the slooo’ ;] prize-money slip away, could; nonly stand and fume as the! J two Englishmen calmly!

ilqbal top-scored with 67 but’ ’was out five times. I The Australian pait of' [Rodney Hogg and Peter Too-i hey finished third with an' [aggregate of minus 21 —'. Hogg made 38 and Toohev; 35 but both were out twice. ’ The defending champions,] Kallicharran and Vanburn Holder, finished last with a] dismal but fun-ioving minus’ 133. ihe crowd left Wembley] Stadium knowing that at least if it wasn't cricket, it j was fun; if a little bizarre I compared to Lord’s or the’ Oval — or even the Basin’! Reserve.