Date-stamped : 09 Dec96 - 02:13
Report- Electronic Telegraph

England 'A' Tour: Ealham's return to form is all in vain 

By Peter Deeley in Wollongong

Scoreboard

THE only real consolation for England A from a rain-affected
game was that the draw extended their unbeaten run to eight on
this tour.

At one stage 58 for five, they had put themselves in a strong
position at 154 for six after 30.4 overs when the match was
called off because of the weather.

That could have been a winning total on a pitch which broke up
badly as the day wore on. England were willing to play on after
the break but apparently New South Wales did not have much
stomach for batting on such a dubious wicket.

Mark Ealham was the man who suffered most from the abandonment.
He has had only a moderate tour but had at last found form,
reaching an unbeaten 70 off 63 balls when the storm came.

Probably the best crowd of the tour, about 1,000, had turned up
at the seaside town for this second limited-overs contest
between the sides, played on what is mainly a football ground -
which could explain the poor pitch preparation.

After rain had delayed the start, Adam Hollioake won the toss
and with Mark Butcher recovered from his migraine, England's
opening pair moved comfortably to 27 before Michael Vaughan was
marginally run out.

Then Somerset's Shane Lee, fresh from his hard-hitting century
in the first match, produced a devastating spell with the ball.
In his first five overs he took four wickets, including
Hollioake caught behind for nought.

But Ealham and Craig White, not trusting the wicket, threw their
bats at everything, adding 86 in 14 overs before the
Yorkshireman was caught on the boundary. Ealham hooked fast
bowler Steve Nikitaris for six to reach his half-century in 55
balls.

Both Ealham and Hollioake were hit on the hand and Warren Hegg
on the helmet but all are expected to be fit for the final game
of the tour against Queensland which starts tomorrow.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk)

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