Date-stamped : 05 Jul95 - 10:27 Tour match: openers relish batting picnic BY RALPH DELLOR IN THE PARKS First day of three: West Indians 493-4 v Comb Univs WHATEVER doubts Andy Roberts, the West Indies coach, might have harboured, and expressed, about the Lord`s pitch for the second Test, he can have no such criticism of the surface in The Parks. It looked a batsman`s paradise from the outset - an opinion confirmed by the way in which the West Indians set about the students` attack. This had to be rated as one of the best day`s free entertainment on offer in high summer. No charge can be levied for admission to The Parks, and about 5,000 people took advantage of the opportunity to watch some of the world`s leading players. Brian Lara was not on view until late in the day, despite being listed at No 3 on the scorecard. His absence from the action, however, was hardly noticed as the other batsmen went through their extensive repertoires. At one time it looked as if both openers, Carl Hooper and Stuart Williams, would reach a century before lunch. Hooper did get there, off 111 balls with 13 fours and four sixes, but Williams followed one over after the resumption, taking one more delivery with just the 16 fours. Both were out in similar circumstances, lifting catches to long off and long on respectively. Shivnarine Chanderpaul came in to maintain the assault on a beleaguered attack with some delightfully wristy strokes. It was an attack devoid of Neil Killeen, who played for Durham against the tourists, and Umer Rashid, attached to Middlesex. It was decided by those who control such matters that their development would be better served by playing for the England Under-19 side against Yorkshire`s second XI at Bradford than bowling against the West Indies. Looking at the bowling figures, they might have opted for Bradford anyway. Although Junior Murray missed out, edging the persevering Simon Renshaw to slip, all the other batsmen made the most of an idyllic practice. Chanderpaul was deprived of his century when Gregor Macmillan tossed the ball a little higher, and Jimmy Adams completed his before retiring to allow Lara to appear belatedly at No 7. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Tour match: Students bat with style BY RALPH DELLOR IN THE PARKS Second day of three: Comb Univs (310) trail West Indians (637-5 dec) by 327 runs THE thousands who thronged The Parks on another sun-drenched day were treated to a display of batting expertise. The students, if unable to match the brilliance of Brian Lara, gave a thoroughly good account of themselves. Lara was in the sort of form which makes him impossible to bowl at. He brought up his fifty from only 45 balls before, on 87, holing out at long on. When Keith Arthurton reached his century, the West Indies declared. The Universities` openers, Chinmay Gupte and Iain Sutcliffe, batted with great composure, as did all their top-order colleagues, and captain Gregor Macmillan took the attack to the tourists with a mixture of strokes. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Revenge for Windows BY RALPH DELLOR IN THE PARKS West Indians (637-5 dec & 216-6 dec) drew with Comb Univs (310 & 136-1) THIS was one of those days when events off the field dominated what was happening in the middle. While Winston Benjamin was preparing to leave the tour, his colleagues were going through the motions of completing one of their less demanding matches. Deciding to bat again rather than enforcing the follow-on, Junior Murray completed a century and Courtney Walsh hoisted three straight sixes - one off his Gloucestershire colleague, Matt Win- dows, who later had Walsh caught in the deep attempting a repeat. Scott Ellis, of Warwick University, was the pick of the student bowlers with five for 59 on his first-class debut. Iain Sutcliffe enhanced his batting average with an innings of great maturity. Thanks :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)