Cricket: Giles teaches Academy a spinning lesson

Australian Academy 258 v England A

Ashley Giles gave another masterful display of bowling here yesterday to cap a disciplined and determined England A performance as Australia's best young cricketers were dismissed for 258 on the opening day of England's latest tour match.

The Warwickshire bowler claimed 4 for 63 to underline his claims as England's left-arm spinner in waiting as the much-heralded Academy lost their last six wickets for 99 runs in 27 overs.

Giles, Peter Such and Andrew Harris had given the tourists a great start by reducing the Academy to 34 for 3 but Michael Dighton and Shawn Craig embarked on a fourth-wicket partnership of 125 which threatened to undo England's early success.

Giles, however, dismissed Craig (61) and Dighton (72) either side of tea before claiming the final wicket of the innings in the final over of the day.

Ticket sales for England's matches against Australia next summer have topped pounds 2m for Test matches at The Oval, Trent Bridge and Edgbaston. The Texaco Trophy match at The Oval is a sell-out and there are only a few seats left on Fridays and Saturdays for the Tests at all three grounds.

England's cricket team have lost their long-time sponsors, Carlsberg Tetley. Tetley's, who are understood to have put more than pounds 10m into the English game since becoming involved in 1991, have cut short an agreement originally planned to extend until September 1999.

AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY - First Innings

M Dighton lbw b Giles 72

J Cassell c and b Harris 2

A Carseldine c Ealham b Such 13

*J Poole c Hollioake b Giles 3

S Graig b Giles 61

A Smith c and b Such 23

D Thornley lbw b Harris 26

E Haddin c Ealham b Chapple 13

I Hewett not out 12

D Nash run out 21

E Sutherland c Hegg b Giles 0

Extras (b6 lb4 nb2) 12

Total (92.4 overs) 258

Fall: 1-4 2-29 3-34 4-159 5-164 6-200 7-221 8-225 9-257.

Bowling: Chapple 18-4-68-1; Harris 10-2-28-2; Such 35-9-72-2; Giles 24.4- 9-63-4; Ealham 5-1-17-0.

ENGLAND A: M A Butcher, M P Vaughan, J E R Gallian, O A Shah, *A J Hollioake, M A Ealham, W K Hegg, A F Giles, G Chapple, A J Harris, P M Such.

Umpires: A Hunter and K Russell.