Date-stamped : 30 Jul96 - 02:16
Tour Match
Nottinghamshire v South Africa 'A'
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
26,27,28,29 July 1996

====> REPORT (Day 1, 26 Jul 1996)

Tour Match: Gibbs tucks into feast

First day of four: South Africa A 396-6 v Notts

FOR LONG periods at Trent Bridge this could well have been  South
Africa`s  first choice playing  Nottinghamshire`s seconds instead
of the other way round, writes Brian Bearshaw.

For one reason or another,  Notts  were  at  half  strength  with
such as Robinson, Cairns, Evans, Pick, Metcalfe and Bowen sitting
it out from a team  including  only  four capped players.

Five batsmen took advantage to score fifties, the pick being Her-
schelle  Gibbs,  whose  95 included several exquisite drives both
sides of the wicket.

He hit 16 fours in facing 119  balls  and   looked  set  for  his
second century of the tour when he offered  gully a simple catch.
His partnership of 140 in  20  overs  with Hylton Ackerman was  a
delight.

====> REPORT (Day 3, 28 Jul 1996)

Tour Match: Gibbs continues to plunder runs

By Brian Bearshaw at Trent Bridge

Third day of four: South Africa A  (455  and  180-6)  lead  Notts
(340) by 295 runs

HERSCHELLE Gibbs, the 22-year-old South African batsman,  contin-
ued  his  successful tour of England with his second half-century
in the match to add to his 183 against MCC two weeks ago.

Gibbs, from Western Province, followed his first  innings  of  95
with  85  in the second to take his total of  runs on tour to 456
for an impressive average of 76.

With a little more care he could have had a century in  each  in-
nings. He seemed to lose concentration  on  the  opening day when
he popped a simple catch to gully and  in  the second was outwit-
ted  by  substitute  wicketkeeper  Wayne Noon who whipped off the
bails when the batsman strayed out of his crease after  the  ball
had   bounced   off   his   body.   Noon, standing in for Lyndsay
Walker who had aggravated a thumb injury, also held  two  catches
on a day when 33 overs  were lost to rain.

Nottinghamshire had occupied almost all the  morning  session  in
advancing  from  273  for four to 340 all out  with Graeme Archer
missing out on his first century of the season by only 13    runs
to  a fine piece of fielding by Gary Gilder.  Archer, going for a
second run to third man, was beaten  by a throw from Gilder which
smacked into  the  wicketkeeper`s gloves.

Chris Tolley`s off stump was sent flying  by  Lance Klusener, who
also  removed  Richard Bates and  Bobby  Chapman, both to catches
down the legside.

====> REPORT (Day 4, 29 Jul 1996)

Tour Match: Cairns ties himself to Notts

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE need all the encouragement they can  get  in  the
current  circumstances  and there were some positive signs to em-
erge as their match against South Africa A drifted towards a tame
draw.

The news that New Zealand all-rounder Chris  Cairns wants to  re-
turn  to  Trent  Bridge  next season was one comforting prospect.
Cairns decided against  signing  a  long-term contract late  last
summer,  agreeing  only to one more season, citing the rigours of
playing all year round. A  year  on, however, he feels much  hap-
pier.  "I  now know I can cope with all the demands of an English
season and still play successfully for New Zealand," he said, "so
I`d  like   to  come  back and I`d like to have an input into the
direction of the club in the future."

The direction Notts took yesterday was largely dictated   by  the
weather,  with  heavy  overnight  rain washing  out the morning`s
play and then showers making a target  of 296 in a minimum of  64
overs impossible.

But there was sufficient  time  for  Usman  Afzaal,  the  England
Under-19  spinner, to continue his improvement  with the bat in a
partnership that yielded a further   69   runs   for the   second
wicket with Paul Pollard.

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

<END> Contributed by Shash (shs2@*.cwru.edu)