West Indies v New Zealand - Tour Match

President's XI v New Zealanders
Beausejour Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, St Lucia
4 Day Game
Umpires: DM Archer & CE Cumberbatch
Toss: President's XI

PXI: AF Rae, *JB Stollmeyer, RB Richardson, AI Kallicharran, CL Hooper, AL Logie, BD Julien, +JL Hendricks, CC Griffith, IR Bishop, WW Daniel.
NZ: GM Turner, BA Edgar, AH Jones, MD Crowe, MP Donnelly, *JR Reid, RJ Hadlee, +KJ Wadsworth, AR MacGibbon, RO Collinge, SL Boock.

Rain badly affected New Zealand's warm-up match in St Lucia, but the tourists will still be taking a number of positives into the first Test after their performance at the BCG. The President's XI batted first on what was a very flat pitch, and their innings was totally dominated by skipper Jeff Stollmeyer, who amassed an unbeaten 203 out of a total of 360-7 before he declared shortly before the end of the second day's play. It was a near faultless innings, and as well as the Kiwi bowlers toiled, Stollmeyer was simply immovable. The next highest score was 34 from Julien at number seven, and rarely will one witness such a dominant display.

The New Zealanders responded well though, Turner and Edgar adding 99 for the first wicket before Jones joined Turner in a 158 run partnership for the second. Jones could have been caught behind off his very first ball, but the edge evaded Hendricks and Jones took full advantage, progressing to an excellent century that will surely fill him with confidence ahead of his likely Test debut in Jamaica. Turner also reached three figures, and New Zealand's batting held up well against the pace of Griffith, Daniel and Bishop.

Reid declared on the final afternoon with his team still 26 runs in arrears, but when the President's XI stumbled to 51-6 the tourists suddenly seemed in with a chance of an unlikely victory. Logie and Hendricks held firm though, and put together an undefeated partnership of 62 for the seventh wicket before time was finally called and the draw secure. MacGibbon may well have bowled his way into the Test side with a match return of 5-74 off 36 overs, and the Black Caps will be as optimistic as ever ahead of the first Test, although how long that optimism will last is most certainly up for debate.

Scores
PXI 1st Inns 360-7 dec. (Stollmeyer 203*)
NZ 1st Inns 334-5 dec. (Jones 110, Turner 104, Edgar 48)
PXI 2nd Inns 113-6 (Logie 45*)

MATCH DRAWN