UNINSPIRING BATTING BY SUSSEX

Chronicle (Levin), 30 May 1949, Page 5

UNINSPIRING BATTING BY SUSSEX

LONDON, May 28. Sea breezes provided the only iife about the ground at Hove when Sussex .von the toss and could only score 17b .or four against the New Zealanders, in an easy batsman's wicket. Rain prevented play until 2 p.m. bnt the ..•icket had been entirely covered aua it was thoroughly dry and placid. With Hadlee taking his first rest, vVallace captained New Zealand. Cowie bowled eight overs to Jo-hn Langridge and Smith, f'ound the ieg muscle which he strained at Leicester troubling him again, and retired unci. Monday. Langridge, who at one time was1 m the running for 1000 runs in May, aaaed 92 not out to his total of 625, but ne is not a stroke player and plodded aiong quietly against steady bowling oy Haves, Cresswell, Burke and Rabone. He brightened up in the last .alf hour probably with the intention if relishing a century during the weekend but it was not an impressdve knock and he was rather lueky to get as far -is he did. When he was 14 Reid might have had hiin at first slip off Cowie. The baii fiashed like a streak and hit the Xew Zealander on the wrist. Cresswell could .;ave had Langridge eaught and bowied when the Sussex batsm^n 'drove ffraight back at him. Cresswell was a iittle off his balance and the batsmen ran four. Rabone gct his first wicket with his third ball of the day when he bowled the lefthander Smith, and after tea Hayes bowled Charles Oakes with one that kept low. Ba.rtlett, who in his prime scored the fastest century on record against the Australians (in 55 minutes in 1938) thumped around with some cheerfuiness until he swiped a tnrning long hop from Burke to .Smith at cover. Mooney caught Cox off Burke and thou'gh Langridge finallv bestirred himself, nobody was sorry to get awav for the weekend. The first hour's play brought only 3U runs and the average rate for the whoie afternoon did not rise much above 40. The New Zealanders' fielding was not quite up to the standard they have set hitherto. Their batting order on Monday will be: Sutcliffe, Reid, Smith, Wallace^ Donnelly, Rabone, Mooney, Burke, Cowie, Haves. Scott, with a black eye still plastered, occupied some of his rest at tne netsGvith Cave bowling to Hadlee. Scores: — • SUSSEX. . First Innings. John Langridge, not out 92 D. Smith, b Rabone 30 C. Oakes, b Hayes 4 H. Bartlett, c Smith, b Burke .... 25 G. Cox, c Mooney, b Burke 4 James Langridge, not out ..... 3 Extras • • 12 Total for '4 Wiekets V. .! ..170 Bowling: Cowie 0 for 8, Hayes 1 for 37. Cresswell 0 for 30, Burke 2 for 29, Rabone 1 for 45, Reid 0 for 7, Sutcliffe 0 for 2. '