Date-stamped : 16 Aug96 - 18:30 Tour Match TCCB XI v South Africa 'A' Chester-le-Street 15,16,17,18 August 1996 ====>REPORT (Day 1, 15 August 1996) Tour Match: Kirtley seizes his opportunity By Tim Wellock at Chester-le-Street SOUTH AFRICA A, unbeaten and unimpressed in their eight matches against the Counties, were on the point of becoming positively contemptuous when they raced to 131 without loss in a match billed as the showpiece of their tour. They paid the price, however, as their extravagance created the breach, which the TCCB XI exploited, reducing the Tourists to 231 for seven before a 56-ball half- century by Meyrick Pringle re- stored respectablity. After selecting from counties not involved in current cham- pionship matches, the TCCB XI were further restricted by in- juries to bowlers Simon Brown and Jason Lewry. But Sussex`s James Kirtley seized his opportunity im- pressively. In only his fifth first-class match he swung the ball at pace to claim three for 48, while Ian Salisbury bowled with good control to take four wickets, two of his vic- tims being caught on the leg- side boundary. Ashley Cowan and Danny Law came under early fire as Nicky Boje plundered 65 before surrendering with an ungainly slog, then all the bowlers responded to more encouraging overcast conditions after lunch. Kirtley took two wickets in three balls, skidding one through to trap Gerry Liebenberg lbw for 52 then despatching Hylton Acker- man with the help of a juggling trio of slips. David Graveney, managing the TCCB XI, felt that more than half the side would be in contention for a tour this winter and one of those, Mark Butcher, was looking well set when he edged left-arm seamer Greg Smith to the wicket- keeper. ====>REPORT (Day 2, 16 August 1996) Tour Match: Kirtley threatens tourists` record By Tim Wellock at Chester-le-Street WITH Alistair Brown in the lead role, the entertainment more than compensated for South Africa A`s funereal over-rate of 13.6 an hour, runs continuing to flow at more than four an over. But with the exception of Jimmy Daley and Richard Montgomerie, there was little appetite for giving Durham fans a rare taste of a fourth day`s play and James Kirtley briefly threatened to end the contest in two. Sussex have given him only four first-class matches but Kirtley, 21, followed Thursday`s career-best three for 48 by bowling with that rare combination of pace, accu- racy and move- ment to take three wickets in eight balls. The tourists, 36 behind, were reduced to five for three through no fault of the pitch and only their cap- tain, John Commins, showed much concern for the preservation of their unbeaten tour record. He was on 60 not out when bad light ended play with eight overs left and might yet have enough support to make England`s hopefuls work for victo- ry. Brown and Daley made their best first-class scores of the season and while they were putting on 130 for the fourth wicket, the TCCB XI were on course for a much healthier lead. The slide from 264 for three started when Brown`s 81-ball salvo ended with a catch to long-on as he tried to hit Meyrick Pringle for a fourth successive four. He made 62 of his 79 in boun- daries. On the ground where Daley`s career has been inter- rupted by three broken fingers, he got back on track with an innings full of forcing back-foot strokes. With poor sup- port after Brown`s exit, he was starved of the strike and was last out for 76. ====>REPORT (Day 3, 17 August 1996) Butcher displays promise Tim Wellock at Chester-le-Street CRYSTAL ball-gazing might have proved more profitable in terms of assessing England potential, but Mark Butcher, at least, did his prospects no harm as the TCCB XI beat South Africa A by eight wickets yesterday. The Surrey left-hander, averaging 61.13 before this match, fell 12 short of his 13th half-century of the season. But with the target of 157 within sight his studious approach against the swinging ball ensured there would be no hiccups on the road to victory. David Graveney, the England selector in charge of the TCCB team, said: "Mark is a very accomplished player who has impressed everyone he has played against this sea- son. "He doesn`t give his wicket away and he has shown the necessary level of courage against a lot of short-pitched bowling here." The South Africans were not impressed by the qual- ity of opposi- tion in their eight unbeaten matches against the counties. But after a hectic 50-day schedule which involved 33 days` play and 12 of travel, they faded badly in this contest after reaching 131 for no wicket on the first day. It was a low note on which to finish the tour, especially as the match ended with a day and a half to spare, which could not be blamed on the pitch. The ball swung throughout and Butcher`s technique was thoroughly examined as he showed the application lacking elsewhere in mak- ing eight runs in 13 overs before lunch. He flourished afterwards in partnership with Alan Wells, whose presence in the side had been questioned on the grounds that he is already consigned to the ranks of one-cap wonders. Graveney stressed, however, the need to field a competitive side from the counties not on championship duty in the hope that the gesture will be reciprocated on England A tours. The selectors meet on Sept 9 to choose the squad for this winter`s A tour to Australia and it is probably too late for James Kirtley to force his way into contention, despite his remarkable success as a late replacement here. The 21-year-old Sussex paceman improved his career- best figures for the second time in the match when he struck with the fourth ball of the day. Racing in like an untrained colt in only his fifth first-class game, his boyish enthusiasm knew no bounds and it was high fives all round when he bowled Meyrick Pringle in his second over to finish with five for 51. "With the ball swinging away I got the bit between my teeth," he said. "I haven`t had many opportuni- ties, but with Paul Jarvis out for the season I hope to get a run in the Sussex team." With Ed Giddins`s immediate future clouded by this week`s hearing into his alleged use of drugs, much more might yet be heard of Kirtley this season. Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by Ravi (sista@*.latech.edu)