West Indies v South Africa - Tour Match

West Indies Board XI v South African XI
Beausejour Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, St Lucia
4 Day Game
Umpires: HBD Jordan & FCP Kippins

WIB XI: AF Rae, *JB Stollmeyer, RB Richardson, AI Kallicharran, SM Nurse, CL Hooper, +JL Hendricks, IR Bishop, CC Griffith, AL Valentine, BP Patterson.
SAF XI: BA Richards, *TL Goddard, B Mitchell, AD Nourse, DJ Cullinan, JN Rhodes, +JHB Waite, PM Pollock, HJ Tayfield, PS Heine, NAT Adcock.

South Africa's first ATG tour of the Caribbean got under way in St Lucia, and a perfect strip at the picturesque Beausejour Cricket Ground gave the tourists' batsmen, if not their bowlers, the opportunity for a profitable work out ahead of the first Test in Georgetown.

The South Africans took their time amassing a total of 371-5 before Goddard declared on the second afternoon, an innings centered around Bruce Mitchell's 462 minute, unbeaten, 155. It was an innings of two halves, full of confident strokes on the first day but stolid on the second, and it was almost outshone by Daryl Cullinan's confident 79 off 101 balls, an innings that threatens to rob the out of touch Jonty Rhodes of his place for the first Test.

Jeffrey Stollmeyer's West Indian team responded in kind though, and the Springboks' bowling attack - minus the rested Procter and Donald - lacked penetration as the hosts passed South Africa's total with only four wickets down. Richie Richardson led the way with a clinical innings of 162 from just 186 deliveries, and his second wicket partnership of 220 with the obdurate Rae (65) lasted most of the third day. Rae was dropped twice before he had scored though, and the South Africans were unusually lacklustre in the field for most of the Board XI's innings. Adcock and Heine both bowled commendably, Peter Pollock and Tayfield did little to enhance their Test claims, and Stollmeyer was able to declare at lunch on the final day 44 runs to the good at 415-4.

Although the game was now consigned to a draw, Barry Richards put on a solo masterclass over the course of the final two sessions, bludgeoning a hundred off 95 deliveries after being dropped first ball by Stollmeyer off Patterson. Richards eventually scythed his way to 142 (144 balls; 22 x 4, 2 x 6), and the fact that the scoreboard read 182-2 upon his dismissal showed just how dominant he had been. South Africa thus appear to be in confident mood with the bat ahead of the first Test, especially with Graeme Pollock to add to the mix, but Trevor Goddard will want to see better form from his bowlers in what promises to be an enthralling series.

Scores
SAF XI 1st Inns 371-5 dec. (Mitchell 155*, Cullinan 79, Goddard 49)
WIB XI 1st Inns 415-4 dec. (Richardson 162, Kallicharran 78*, Rae 65, Hooper 60*)
SAF XI 2nd Inns 203-2 (Richards 142)

MATCH DRAWN