Cricket: Thorpe's bold effort in vain

ENGLAND A slipped to defeat by 24 runs in their one-day match against Tasmania in spite of a stylish 78 by Graham Thorpe in Launceston yesterday.

Watched by Ted Dexter, England's chairman of selectors, who had arrived from India, the Surrey batsman went on the attack after England's top four batsmen had failed in reply to Tasmania's 224 for 3 from their 50 overs.

Thorpe, who came in after Mark Lathwell, Mike Roseberry and the captain, Martyn Moxon, had been dismissed with only 28 runs on the board, shared an 88-run stand for the seventh wicket in only 16 overs with Dominic Cork (54).

The pair put England within sight of victory, but the task of scoring eight runs an over proved too great for the tourists.

Earlier, Tasmania - fielding seven of their Sheffield Shield regulars - owed much to a superb unbeaten 99-run partnership between the promising teenagers Ricky Ponting (59) and Michael DiVenuto (42).

Leicestershire's David Millns produced 10 overs of sharp, but wayward, fast bowling and England's five-man attack showed a lack of penetration.

After the match, it was discovered that Tasmania's Ian Connell had bowled an illegal 11th over. However, the England A manager, Mike Vockins, said: 'So what? They scored more runs than us - they won the match.'

TASMANIA

D F Hills c Lathwell b Boiling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

N C P Courtney c Russell b Caddick. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

J Cox c Cork b Capel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

R Ponting not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

M J Di Venuto not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Extras. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Total (for 3, 50 overs). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

Did not bat: * R J Tucker, M G Farrell, M N Atkinson, S Oliver, N Brookes, I Connell.

Fall: 1-7 2-113 3-125.

Bowling: Caddick 10-1-41-1; Millns 10-0-59-0; Cork 10-0-44-0; Capel 10-2-41-1; Boiling 10-1-32-1.

ENGLAND A

M A Roseberry c Courtney b Oliver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

M N Lathwell c Atkinson b Oliver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

* M D Moxon c Hills b Oliver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0

P J Prichard c Farrell b Connell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

G P Thorpe run out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78

D J Capel c Atkinson b Tucker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

] R C Russell c Farrell b Farrell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

D G Cork c Farrell b Connell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

A R Caddick run out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

D J Millns not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

J Boiling st Atkinson b Di Venuto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Extras. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Total (49.2 overs). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Fall: 1-17 2-21 3-28 4-46 5-67 6-78 7-166 8-168 9- 188.

Bowling: Oliver 10-3-29-3; Brookes 9-1-36-0; Connell 11-3-47-2; Farrell 9-0-36-1; Tucker 6-0-26-1; Di Venuto 4-0-21-1.

TASMANIA WIN BY 24 RUNS

An unbeaten 78 by Robert Cunliffe and a painstaking 19 not out from Glen Chapple in just over two hours earned England a draw in the second youth Test in Delhi yesterday. India led by 74 runs after declaring their second innings and at one stage England were 51 for 4.

SECOND YOUTH TEST (Delhi): England Under-19 347 and 162-5 (R Cunliffe 78 no). India Under-19 421-9 dec (M Broadhurst 3-72). Match Drawn.