With Mike Watkinson already gone for 24, brilliantly caught one-handed by a
With Mike Watkinson already gone for 24, brilliantly caught one-handed by a diving Stelling at short mid-off, he day tormented England's tail with eight successive maidens. However, when both were out in quick succession, Russell took over with his now renowned crab-with-a-spade role, and the mountain view won out.DeFreitas, modules extcal who had one or two points to prove in this match, looked uninterested until modules the second new ball. His dismissal here, bowled driving loosely at Stelling, was almost identical to the one in England's second innings in Johannesburg, where Brian modules extcal McMillan forced a similar stutter in his footwork, a day flaw that, until corrected, is likely to be ruthlessly exploited by South Africa's new-ball bowlers.In fact, only extcal a breezy modules half-century from his Surrey team-mate, Thorpe, and a hard-hit cameo from Graeme Hick, that included a cleanly struck straight six off Drew, prevented England from losing out completely to the php?year=2010&month=3&day=4 scenery. His php?year=2010&month=3&day=4 last Test fifty as an opening batsman for England was at Lord's against New Zealand, 16 months ago. After Mark Ramprakash's two-ball journey to the precipice modules of no return at the Wanderers, Crawley is set to play in the next Test, but not necessarily at No 3 where Smith may yet make a return.Of all the possibles, Alec Stewart would probably be best suited to the role. All looked well, but after cracking a cover drive for four to get off the mark, he was clumsily stumped by php?year=2010&month=3&day=4 Louis-Mark Germishuys after lurching down the pitch to the off-spinner Brian Drew. But just as Smith promised his most fluent knock of the tour he was was bowled for 39, by a beauty from Billy Stelling that seamed away off the pitch to hit off-stump.The dismissal meant an early day php?year=2010&month=3&day=4 opportunity for John Crawley to show his many supporters here, many of whom are sporting closely cropped heads, that he has the kind day php?year=2010&month=3&day=4 of credentials, if not the extcal most politically correct haircut, to make the day England No 3 spot extcal his own.
Last year the equivalent match here against New Zealand had to be abandoned, the umpires ruling the pitch too dangerous after several batsmen were struck in the throat. To prevent this happening, the groundsman has taken to watering the pitch just before the start, and already this season two matches have been delayed because of his lavish use of the hosepipe.If the surface was damp and sporty, it did not show, for the opening hostilities from Phil DeFreitas were muted, the Derbyshire man quickly opting for line and length after seeing Robin Smith bludgeon his opening partner, the lanky Scharl Willoughby, for three quick boundaries.Willoughby fed Smith's off-side repertoire as if it were a slot machine with a saucy smile and England raced to fifty in only 54 balls. Only Graham Thorpe and Jack Russell seemed intent on making the undemanding Boland bowlers work for their wickets, with Thorpe scoring 56 and Russell batting close to three hours for his 45.This ground is only in its second first-class season. Although these are qualities Michael Atherton has been preaching and practising since assuming the England captaincy, his team do not seem able to follow their leader.Atherton was not playing yesterday as England, after the thrilling stodge of last Monday, seemed unable to maintain interest on a pitch whose surface behaved like drying putty. DEREK PRINGLE reports from Paarl England 263-8 v BolandThe supreme effort needed by the voortrekkers to breach the lofty Drakenstein mountains that flank this pleasant ground made them a determined and hardy bunch, not given to failure. His strike after 27 seconds for England against France in 1982 was the fastest goal recorded in the World Cup finals, while his 38-second effort against Yugoslavia in 1989 is the fastest recorded at Wembley.Ray Spiller, of the Association of Football Statisticians, said that Cowperthwaite's goal was generally recognised as the fastest in history. However, he said the arguments were likely to rage on because the football authorities have no system for officially recognising the time of goals..
The match referee confirmed that time for Jim Fryatt's goal for Bradford Park Avenue against Tranmere in 1964, while off-pitch observers also recorded four seconds for Malcolm Macdonald's lob for Newcastle United in a friendly against St Johnstone in 1972.At international level Bryan Robson has the rare distinction of holding two records for the fastest goal. From the kick-off Bradley Hasell passed to Mori, who promptly lobbed the ball over Perosh and into the net. The goal was timed at four seconds.Other goals have been recorded at four seconds (and indeed one at 3.5sec), but Mori may have the most legitimate claim as his goal was filmed, unlike most of those in the record books.Adelaide City officials said they would send a copy of the film to the Guinness Book of Records, which currently lists four goals, all scored in six seconds, as the fastest in history: Albert Mundy (Aldershot v Hartlepool, 1958), Barrie Jones (Newport v Torquay, 1962), Keith Smith (Crystal Palace v Derby, 1964) and Tommy Langley (Queen's Park Rangers v Bolton, 1980).One other notable goal was recorded at six seconds, but the scorer is probably glad that his name does not appear in most record books: Pat Kruse's strike after six seconds while playing for Torquay against Cambridge in 1977 is believed to be the fastest own goal in history.In fact most statisticians agree that the fastest goal of all time was scored by Colin Cowperthwaite, who found the net after 3.5sec playing for Barrow against Kettering Town in 1979.There are also two instances in professional football of goals said to have been scored after only four seconds. Bates wants to accommodate a hotel, shops, offices and flats. Harding believes the investment in the team should take precedence.. GUY HODGSON AND LIZ SEARL The statisticians will no doubt continue to disagree among themselves, but an Australian international by the name of Damian Mori has staked what could prove the best claim yet to the fastest goal in senior football history. As Mori's team, Adelaide City, lined up for the start of Wednesday night's Australian National League match against Sydney United, the striker spotted the opposition goalkeeper, John Perosh, off his line.