Cricket: Kiwis dampen home prospects

New Zealand 127; England 102

New Zealand win by 25 runs

'PROFESSIONAL coaching,' Rachael Heyhoe Flint once observed with her customary flair for sound bites, 'is a man trying to get your legs close together when other men had spent a lifetime trying to get them wider apart.' The New Zealand women, however, have patently absorbed their lessons well and yesterday put them to good use to dampen England's World Cup hopes.

Even at such an early stage in proceedings, this was supposed to be the match that decided Australia's opponents in the final. Emboldened by Tuesday's demolition of Denmark, England appeared to be coasting as Gill Smith and the captain, Karen Smithies, mined the seam to keep New Zealand well within bounds, whereupon an accomplished display of out-cricket left them well short.

Unlike their opponents, the New Zealanders enjoy the full co-operation and approval of the male authorities. Mixed-sex clubs have been in existence for 10 years and last year the country's 7,000-odd female exponents were assimilated under the protective umbrella of the national governing body, New Zealand Cricket, affording greater coaching and sponsorship opportunities.

Glenn Turner and Geoff Howarth, who contributed so much to the rise of New Zealand cricket, passed on their considerable one-day expertise at the training camps that preceded the World Cup.

Lack of pace notwithstanding, the Kiwi mixture of hurlers and lobbers, supported by some excellent ground-fielding, pegged away with relentless accuracy on a devilishly slow pitch. Two needless run-outs mirrored the home frustration, a tea score of 58 for 4 off 42 overs even more so.

Jo Chamberlain briefly threatened to justify her Bothamesque billing but when a welly to deep midwicket was expertly caught by Emily Drumm barely a foot inside the distant ropes, New Zealand joy was unconfined.

There were three further run- outs amid the ensuing panic, leaving the hosts having to beat Australia next Monday. For the psychologist attached to the team, restoring self-belief could be even trickier.

(England won toss)

NEW ZEALAND

P D Kinsella c Kitson b Taylor. . . . 1 T L Anderson c Plimmer b Taylor. . . 21 D A Hockley b Hodges. . . . . . . . .20 M A M Lewis b Smithies. . . . . . . .11 * S L Illingworth run out. . . . . . 5 E C Drumm c Smit b Smithies. . . . . 24 K V Gunn c Smit b Smithies. . . . . . 7 S McLauchlan b Smith. . . . . . . . .10 J A Turner b Smith. . . . . . . . . 15 J E Harris c Smithies b Smith. . . . .0 C A Campbell not out. . . . . . . . . 0 Extras (lb3 w4 nb6). . . . . . . . . 13 Total (54.3 overs). . . . . . . . . 127

Fall: 1-1 2-51 3-54 4-60 5-86 6-101 7-108 8-118 9-124.

Bowling: Chamberlain 4-0-22-0; Taylor 12-3-21-2; Smith 11.5-6-16-3; Hodges 12-2-30-1; Kitson 5-1-12-0; Smithies 10-2-23-3.

ENGLAND

J A Brittin run out. . . . . . . . . 14 H C Plimmer lbw Drumm. . . . . . . . 17 C A Hodges c Illingworth b Campbel. .18 B A Daniels run out. . . . . . . . . 11 * K Smithies b McLauchlan. . . . . . 22 J M Chamberlain c Drumm b McLauchlan. 13 D Maybury run out. . . . . . . . . . .1 S J Kitson run out. . . . . . . . . . 6 C E Taylor b Harris. . . . . . . . . 1 J Smit run out. . . . . . . . . . . . 4 G A Smith not out. . . . . . . . . . .1 Extras (nb1 lb2). . . . . . . . . . . 4 Total (57. 2overs). . . . . . . . . 102

Fall: 1-30 2-39 3-40 4-55 5-79 6-87 7-91 8-92 9-100.

Bowling: Turner 8-1-17-0; Campbell 12-7-14-1; Harris 8.2-1-20-1; Gunn 12-4-14-0; Drumm 5-3-11-1; McLauchlan 12-1-23-2.

Umpires: A Garton and V Williams.

Other scores, Sporting Digest, page 35