Cricket: Ilott takes six as sick England take to beds: Tourists triumph with only four fully fit players

Transvaal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161 and 200

England A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .293 and 69-1

England A win by 9 wickets

AT ONE stage yesterday the England A tour looked just like the real thing. A 'mystery' bug was in the air, sick players lay groaning in the dressing-room and the management were on the defensive. It was Madras and that infamous Chinese prawn-inspired innings defeat to India all over again.

But then play began and the comparison was swept away as the tourists, fielding five substitutes, including the coach and the physiotherapist, beat Transvaal by nine wickets with a day to spare.

The outstanding display came from Mark Ilott, one of just four fully fit players, who bowled from lunch to tea to finish with 6 for 61. But all involved showed a spirit not commonly associated with recent English displays. Of the seven players suffering from a gastric virus, three brave, or foolish, players defied medical advice. One, Darren Gough, paid for it, suffering a relapse after an eight-over effort marked by the key wicket of Mike Haysman and sprints to the pavilion.

The seven had spent the morning asleep in the dressing- room as England, in a move believed unique in first-class cricket, were granted permission to forgo the first session in an attempt to raise 11 upright fielders for the rest of the day.

They did so by including the physio, Wayne Morton, and the coach, Phil Neale, as well as the three non-playing squad members, two of whom - Martin Bicknell and Martin McCague - are nursing minor injuries.

While four players, the captain Hugh Morris, John Crawley, Adrian Dale and Mal Loye, were sent back to the hotel, Gough, Dominic Cork and Mark Lathwell volunteered to play. Their decision went against the advice of the Transvaal club doctor.

Fortunately for England the air temperature dropped considerably, but the 5,400ft altitude remained unchanged and Gough - who like Cork and Morris had an anti-nausea injection in the morning - looked increasingly uncomfortable, alternating in the field with Morton - whose previous cricket experience consisted 'of a few games in the Leeds League'.

England had the option of postponing the day's play and extending the game to tomorrow but Bob Bennett, the England manager, said: 'We have a responsibility to the people who have come to the match.'

After the ailing Gough had Haysmen well caught low down on the leg side by Steve Rhodes, Ilott took over. Bowling from close to the stumps with sustained accuracy and movement, he took three wickets in five balls including the prized one of Cook, leg before as he shuffled across, for nine.

With Rhodes, who claimed eight catches in the match, combining twice more with Ilott, Transvaal fell to 157 for 8. But Steven Jack thumped 24 in 22 balls and Mark Rushmere rode his luck - Robert Croft dropped him and Lathwell should have run him out - to put them 68 runs ahead before the returning Peter Such took two wickets in his first three balls to end the innings.

The drama, however, continued as Lathwell was out hooking Jack first ball. Had Stefan Jacobs - one of seven close fielders - held on to an early edge from Alan Wells, Morris, having risen from his sick bed, would have been sent to the crease. But Wells survived and, with the emergency opener Rhodes resolute, England eased to victory.

(Third day of four; Transvaal won toss)

TRANSVAAL - First Innings 161 (M D Haysman 52; A Dale 3-34).

ENGLAND A - First Innings 293 (M N Lathwell 83; M Hobson 4-76).

TRANSVAAL - Second Innings

(Overnight: 100 for 2)

M D Haysman c Rhodes b Gough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

M Rushmere not out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

*S J Cook lbw b Ilott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

D Laing c Wells b Ilott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0

] N Pothas lbw b Ilott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

S Jacobs c Rhodes b Ilott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

C Eksteen c Rhodes b Ilott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

S D Jack c Rhodes b Such . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

M Hobson b Such . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0

Extras (lb16 w2 nb5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Fall (cont): 3-114 4-131 5-131 6-133 7-143 8-157 9-200

Bowling: Ilott 26-5-61-6; Gough 14-2-53-1; Such 15.3-4-43-2; Cork 10-5-13-1; Dale 6-2- 14-0.

ENGLAND A - Second Innings

M N Lathwell c Hobson b Jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0

] S J Rhodes not out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

A P Wells not out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Extras (b4 w4 nb1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Total (for 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Fall: 1-0.

Did not bat: *H Morris, M B Loye, J P Crawley, D G Cork, A Dale, D Gough, M C Ilott, P M Such.

Bowling: Jack 6-1-17-1; Hobson 5-0-30-0; Eksteen 3-1-6-0; Jacobs 2.3-0-12-0.

Umpires: C Mitchley and R Koetzen.

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