ANDY COLQUHOUN, Cape Town | Monday 1.00pm.
FORMER captain Michael Atherton and uncapped Chris Adams put on 147 to spare England’s blushes as they gave an otherwise indifferent batting display against the combined Western Province and Boland X1 on Sunday.
Atherton scored 83 and Adams hit 89 in contrasting style in their fifth wicket stand which lifted England from 87 for four to 234 for four.
However, their last six wickets tumbled for 15 and England were all out for 249 – 109 behind on first innings.
At the close on the third day of the four-day match, the combined side had increased that by 51 to 160, but at the cost of four wickets to some aggressive bowling from England’s pace trio of Andy Caddick, Alan Mullally and Alex Tudor.
It was a fighting finish by the touring team to a day on which England’s brittle batting was redeemed by Atherton and Adams.
England resumed on 78 for two but slipped to 87 for four in the first seven overs.
Michael Vaughan added only three to his overnight 33 before he was lbw to Charl Willoughby. Alec Stewart survived only five balls before he was bowled by Roger Telemachus for a duck.
The watchful Atherton and more aggressive Adams repaired the damage. Adams hit 11 fours and a six as he dominated their partnership, although he was twice dropped in the 50s.
He struck two powerful fours off medium pacer Donovan Koch to reach 89 but in attempting a third in the same over he miscued to mid-off.
Atherton’s resolute effort of six and a quarter hours ended in the next over when he was bowled by a yorker from slow left-armer Claude Henderson after facing 295 balls.
Koch and Telemachus shared the last four wickets between them as the England tail folded tamely – three of them falling to catches by the keeper. — Reuters