Cricket: Solanki and Davies lead victory stroll

England A 455 & 100-2 South Island 217 & 337 England A won by 8 wkts

THE LEFT-ARM spinner Michael Davies and the Worcestershire batsman Vikram Solanki took the last-day honours as England A completed an accomplished eight-wicket win over South Island here yesterday.

The tourists played with an enviable professionalism and did not lack for a killer punch, Davies finishing with 4 for 71 and Solanki, unbeaten on 52, then leading the charge to the victory target.

Solanki, with the Somerset left-hander Marcus Trescothick, saw his team through to 100 for 2 after the hosts' second innings had realised 337 all out.

South Island had added the required 99 runs needed to make England A bat again, but the tourists' second innings was little more than an exercise in discipline. The hosts resumed on 139 for 3, and it took only 11 balls for Mark Alleyne to uproot Jarrod Englefield's off-stump. Then fortune smiled on Solanki as Mark Richardson jammed the ball into the ground and back on to his bails. Solanki then caught Aaron Redmond off the bowling of Solanki and Alleyne had Gareth Hopkins caught behind.

Wisneski made 60 in 93 balls with nine fours and a six before he gloved a ball from Davies to slip. The tail then fell cheaply to leave England needing 100 from a minimum 38 overs.

Ian Ward and Michael Gough hit 11 in the first over, but the Surrey left- hander was lbw offering no shot to Wisneski, who then had Gough caught at slip. Solanki and Trescothick soon regained control, the Worcestershire youngster facing 42 balls and including two hooked sixes in his half-century.

Final day of four; England A won toss

ENGLAND A - First Innings 455-9 dec (M W Alleyne 152 no, I J Ward 60, V S Solanki 59; W A Wisneski 5-98).

SOUTH ISLAND - First Innings 217 (A J Redmond 51; S D Thomas 4-56) and 139-3.

SOUTH ISLAND - Second Innings

(Overnight: 139-3)

M H Richardson b Solanki 45

J I Englefield b Alleyne 37

A J Redmond c Solanki b Sheriyar 23

G J Hopkins c Turner b Alleyne 32

W A Wisneski c Gough b Davies 60

P J Wiseman lbw b Davies 39

C E Bulfin c Turner b Sheriyar 12

C S Martin not out 0

Extras (b5, lb15, w4, nb5) 29

Total (126.1 overs) 337

Fall: 1-34, 2-60, 3-76, 4-144, 5-173, 6-195 7-249 8-311 9-337.

Bowling: Sheriyar 28-7-66-2; Irani 16-6-39-0; Trescothick 7-3-14-0; Davies 36.1-14-71-4; Thomas 7-1-29-1; Solanki 12-4-28-1; Alleyne 20-5-70-2.

ENGLAND A - Second Innings

M A Gough c Gaffaney b Wisneski 7

I J Ward lbw b Wisneski 5

V S Solanki not out 52

M E Trescothick not out 30

Extras (lb1 w1 nb4) 6

Total (for 2; 14.3 overs) 100

Fall: 1-11, 2-31.

Did not bat: *M W Alleyne, D J G Sales, R J Turner, R C Irani, S D Thomas, M K Davies, A Sheriyar.

Bowling: Bulfin 6-0-41-0; Wisneski 6-1-34-2; Martin 1.3-0-16-0; Wiseman 1-0-8-0.

Umpires: G A Baxter and R S Dunne.