Date-stamped : 09 Aug96 - 22:29 Tour Match Worcestershire v South Africa 'A' Worcester 9,10,11,12 August 1996 ====>REPORT (Day 1, 9 August 1996) Tour Match: Pitch blameless as 26 wickets tumble By Brian Bearshaw at Worcester First day of four: South Africa A (202 and 160-6) lead Wor- cestershire (77) by 285 runs ON a day when 26 wickets fell, neither coach would lay blame on the pitch. "We have no complaint," said Worcestershire`s David Houghton. "We bowled too short in the morning but after lunch we put more balls in the right place." South Africa`s Duncan Fletcher said: "There was a bit of climb and when the sun came out the ball began to swing more. But you can`t blame the pitch." The only half-centuries in the day came from South Africa`s John Commins and Derek Crookes, whose team-mate, 22-year-old Gary Gilder, achieved the best bowling return by a tourist at New Road, a career best eight for 22. Gilder, in his third game after replacing the injured Roger Telemachus, bowled left-arm at lively pace to take the first six wickets before tea. He swung the ball and took advantage of some bounce as he bowled unchanged through a Worcestershire innings which lasted only 20.5 overs. The morning`s play gave no indication of the mayhem that was to follow. South Africa were 164 for two at lunch after 37 overs of highly entertaining batting by Gerry Liebenberg, Herschelle Gibbs and Commins. But inside an hour they lost eight wickets for 38 runs with Paul Thomas taking four for 33. Worcestershire, without six regular first-teamers, were 59 for six at tea after an afternoon session which brought 14 wickets and 97 runs. Ten more wickets fell in the evening on a day which produced 439 runs and a lack of application by too many batsmen. ====>REPORT (Day 2, August 10 1996) Tourists set up by Pringle Brian Bearshaw at Worcester THE South African A team will take their caravan to Chester-le- Street this week to conclude their successful eight-week tour. They will go into their ninth and final match, against a TCCB team, looking for the victory that will put the icing on their cake. This will be their toughest encounter after a series of games against counties, all of whom have used the matches to rest players and blood others. At the Oval, where Surrey fielded a team contain- ing only two regular first-teamers; South Africa won easily, their second victory following an innings win over Glamorgan. A third success looks a near-certainty at Wor- cestershire, where 26 wickets fell on the first day. Good bowling, confronted by some cavalier bat- ting, enabled South Africa to start the second day 285 ahead with four wick- ets standing. From 160 for six they went to 325 all out, thanks to a maiden century from pace bowler Meyrick Pringle, who scored 105 in 116 balls. He had a piece of luck when he was 99. Last man Paul Adams edged, but Vikram Solanki dropped the catch. Worcestershire, without six regulars and dismissed for 77 in the first innings, were set 451 to win in two days and two sessions - a target that looked far away when they reached 96 for three on a day in which 47 overs were lost to rain. ====>REPORT (Day 3, August 11 1996) Tour Match: Rhodes bats well for his pig roast By Brian Bearshaw at Worcester A CENTURY partnership between David Leatherdale and Steve Rhodes, two of only three capped players in the Worcestershire team, denied the South Africans victo- ry inside three days. A game in which 26 wickets fell on the first day staggered its way into a fourth and final day today. The weath- er helped with 109 overs lost to rain, but Leatherdale and Rhodes played the major part in the recovery from a bleak position. When play started at 3.30, Worcestershire were 96 for three when needing 451 for victory, and had 139 overs at their disposal. But their ambitions seemed much more mod- est - had they the desire to see off the 43 overs remaining in the day and take the game into today. Rhodes had one compelling engagement - a pig roast for his benefit at The Old Bush at Callow End. But that was only five miles away with an eight o`clock launch. Easy. He was soon at the crease, after Worcestershire lost two wick- ets in the first four overs. Vikram Solanki was lbw without offering a shot to Gary Gilder, who took eight for 22 in the first innings, and James Ralph was caught at first slip. Leatherdale and Rhodes then defied the tourists in a stand of 125 in 35 overs before Leatherdale edged to the wicketkeeper after scoring 73, his best of the season. But Rhodes, acting captain, held on before dashing to the pig roast ====>REPORT (Day 4, 12 August 1996) Tour Match: Tourists march on By Brian Bearshaw at Worcester THE South Africans took 14 overs to wrap up the remaining four Worcestershire wickets and secure their third first-class win of the tour. The last wicket fell just as the cathedral clock struck 12, ad- ding its own congratulation to an unbeaten team. The game against a Test and County Cricket Board XI at Chester- le-Street, starting on Thursday, will probably represent the stiffest challenge yet to the South Africans, who have so far drawn five and won three. There has been some disappointment among the tourists at the weakness of their opposition but they still have every right to feel satisfied with their eight-week tour. The game, which had managed, with the help of rain, to find its way into the final day after 26 wickets had fallen on the first, was completed by pace bowlers Meyrick Pringle and Greg Smith, who each took two wickets. Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by Ravi (sista@*.latech.edu)