Cricket: Hollioake sets an example

South Australia 203-7 England A 204-4 England A win by six wickets

The England A side overcame reservations about the venue to bounce back from their opening defeat to claim a convincing six-wicket victory over South Australia in a one-day match in Adelaide yesterday.

Expecting to play the game at the Adelaide Oval, a Test venue, they were relegated to a neighbouring nursery ground which was on a par with a municipal venue in England. Despite some concern over the venue, the tourists managed to restrict the Sheffield Shield holders to 203 for 7 in their 50 overs before reaching their victory target with 5.1 overs remaining.

It was a comprehensive victory and the England A captain, Adam Hollioake, said: "They were not first-class conditions but we weren't going to make any excuses.

"There were a few moans from the players, because we weren't playing on the Adelaide Oval, and we had to change out on the park.

"But I said to them that we would complain about that afterwards. I told them that if we won the game they wouldn't even notice it and there wasn't one complaint in the dressing- room afterwards, so I was pleased with the attitude from the players."

Hollioake led by example by claiming 3 for 44 to restrict South Australia to their modest total, and then steered his side to victory in 44.5 overs with an unbeaten 27.

Greg Blewett, a candidate for Australia's problem No 3 spot in the first Test against the West Indies later this month, got South Australia off to a promising start with 45 off 85 balls despite tight opening spells from both Glen Chapple and Dean Headley.

However, it was Darren Lehmann, who hammered an unbeaten 61 off just 59 balls, who allowed the Australians to set a challenging target, after being dropped on 34 by Michael Vaughan off Peter Such.

England A got off to a flying start, with their opener Mark Butcher punishing the Australian attack with 76 off 103 balls, including seven boundaries, but his dismissal - just one over after Owais Shah had fallen for 16 - put their victory in jeopardy.

Hollioake, however, teamed up with Craig White and the pair forged an unbroken 60-run partnership to seal success with 31 balls remaining.

South Australia won toss

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

G S Blewett c White b Hollioake 45

B A Johnson c Hegg b Headley 8

*J D Siddons b White 5

G R Parker c Hegg b Ealham 14

J M Vaughan c & b Hollioake 13

J A Brayshaw b Hollioake 4

D S Lehmann not out 61

T H Nielsen b Chapple 30

J C Scuderi not out 5

Extras (lb7, w5, nb6) 18

Total (for 7, 50 overs) 203

Fall: 1-18, 2-52, 3-74, 4-94, 5-101, 6-114, 7-185.

Did not bat: B E Young, P Wilson.

Bowling: Headley 9-2-35-1; Chapple 9-2-32-1; White 6-0-27-1; Ealham 10- 1-26-1; Hollioake 10-0-44-3; Such 6-0-32-0.

ENGLAND A

M A Butcher b Lehmann 76

M P Vaughan c Parker b Young 14

A McGrath c & b Wilson 31

O A Shah c Nielsen b Parker 16

*A J Hollioake not out 27

C White not out 30

Extras (b1, lb7, w2) 10

Total (for 4, 44.5 overs) 204

Fall: 1-50, 2-117, 3-144, 4-146.

Did not bat: M A Ealham, W K Hegg, G Chapple, D W Headley, P M Such.

Bowling: Wilson 10-0-26-1; Scuderi 5-1-32-0; Young 10-2-55-1; Johnson 5-0-20-0; Lehmann 7.5-0-35-1; Parker 7-2-28-1.

Umpires: P Angley and D Rebbeck.