England batsman Graham Thorpe pulls on his way to 55 against the Vice Chancellor's XI at the Sir Frank Worrell Oval at UWI yesterday. England won the three-day encounter on yesterday's second day by 85 runs.
-Junior Dowie photo
Tony Becca
, Contributing Editor
THE TOURING England cricketers warmed up for Thursday's first Test against the West Indies with a comprehensive victory over the Vice Chancellor's XI at the Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Ground, Mona Bowl, yesterday.
Led by pacers Matthew Hoggard and Simon Jones and left-arm spinner Ashley Giles with three wickets each, the tourists routed the Vice Chancellor's XI for 70 runs in their second innings to win by an innings and 85 runs with a day to spare.
Final score, Vice Chancellor's XI 119 and 70, England 274.
BATTING ONE SHORT
The Vice Chancellor's XI, batting one short due to the illness of Kenyan Steve Tikolo, were routed in 24 overs with all nine wickets falling for 29 runs in 12 overs in what, despite a devil of a pitch, was an embarrassing performance.
Trailing by 155 runs in the first first-class match of the tour, the Vice Chancellor's XI survived some good bowling on the difficult pitch and got to 41 without loss before they surrendered without a fight.
The first to go at 41 for one was Kennedy Otieno who, after a handsome on-drive off Hoggard to the mid-wicket boundary, attempted to drive through the offside and was caught by Collingwood in the covers.
The second, at 41 for two, was captain Jason Haynes - the left-hander bowled by Giles going forward to a delivery that kept low; the third was Dwayne Bravo - leg before wicket at 49 for three to Hoggard to another delivery that kept low; and the fourth was David Bernard Jnr. at 55 - the batsman going forward to Giles and nicking a catch to Flintoff at slip.
After that, it was just a matter of time, and with Hoggard and Giles, three wickets each, on the rampage and Jones coming on and picking up the last three, it was not long before it was over.
Resuming on 152 for two with Nasser Hussain on 76 and Paul Collingwood on one, the tourists lost an early wicket when Jerome Lawson, immediately after being hooked for four, bowled Hussain for 86 at 166 for three.
With Collingwood driving pacer Jason Bennett to Bravo at mid-wicket and departing for 14 at 190 for four and Andy Flintoff falling leg before wicket to Bernard for four at 198 for six, the rest of England's batting was centred around Graham Thorpe who scored 55 off 100 deliveries before he went back to medium-pacer Tonito Willett, attempted to pull a short delivery and was caught at mid-wicket at 261 for eight.
