West Indies Test match find Colin Croft is beginning to settle to a career in English first-class cricket on a two-year contract with Lancashire. – Vintage Photograph

Description

Colin Croft, a 23-year-old, 6ft 4in fast bowler, is beginning to adjust to conditions in England after his meteoric rise to Test match history with the West Indies against Pakistan last winter. On May 27, 1977, Croft was briefly in action against Oxford University in the Parks, playing on a pitch of unpredictable bounce. He had cut down his run and his pace after a couple of balls had lifted off a length and hit John Claughton in the chest, and he was not called on to take the new ball when the Dark Blues followed on 150 runs behind. Croft had played only three first-class games prior to the West Indies tour, and he has yet to make his mark in England. This was only his third first-class game in the country, but he has four wickets for 33 against Gloucestershire under his belt.Colin Croft, a 23-year-old, 6ft 4in fast bowler, is beginning to adjust to conditions in England after his meteoric rise to Test match history with the West Indies against Pakistan last winter. On May 27, 1977, Croft was briefly in action against Oxford University in the Parks, playing on a pitch of unpredictable bounce. He had cut down his run and his pace after a couple of balls had lifted off a length and hit John Claughton in the chest, and he was not called on to take the new ball when the Dark Blues followed on 150 runs behind. Croft had played only three first-class games prior to the West Indies tour, and he has yet to make his mark in England. This was only his third first-class game in the country, but he has four wickets for 33 against Gloucestershire under his belt.

Dimensions: 19.4 x 19.4 cm

IMS SKU: SCAN-NQOX-04738304

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OCR computer generated text:

AFTER a cold, damp start on slow unresponsive generally pitches West Indies Test match find of last winter Colin Croft is beginning to settle to a career in English first-class cricket on a two-year contract with Lanca- shire. The 23-year-old, 6ft 4in fast bowler (pictured right, yesterday) has been briefly in action against Oxford Uni- versity in the Parks for the past two days but perhaps not seen at his best. For the game is being played on pitch of unpredictable bounce and when he bowled at something like his best, the ball reared up lively After a couple of balls had lifted off a length and hit John Claughton in the chest, the fast bowler cut down his run and his pace. This was no new ploy for he has been known to bowl off five different marks in the course of an over! fast, dangerously. By RON GRIMSHAW When the Dark Blues followed on 150 runs behind, Croft was not called on to take the new ball, which was very disappointing for a large number of spectators but merciful perhaps for the undergraduates. meteoric rise from Croft had apparent obscurity into Test match history in the West Indies against Pakistan last winter. a When he was drafted into the team both Michael Holding and after Daniel were injured, he had Wayne three first-class games. He played only in all five Tests and equalled played in a 33 victims in a series held the record by spin bowler Alf Valentine. One of those pre-Test games was for his native Guyana and another was for the President’s XI against Pakistan when he had match figures of 10-109. He was the first fast bowler from Guyana to have played for the West Indies for 27 years and is reputedly the fastest bowler Guyana have produced. He is an airport controller at Guyana Airport. He is not so loose limbed as Clive Lloyd, on whose recommendation he was signed by Lancashire, and in his run up seems not yet to have got it all together but is still in the process of to our conditions. He is also adjusting a trifle slow in the field, somewhat cumbersome on the turn but has a powerful accurate throw. The story goes that so little was of him that when he arrived to known sign for Lancashire they were expect- ing and talking of their new left arm fast bowler. A quiet, likeable, somewhat studi- ous character, he has yet to make his mark here but four wickets for 33 against Gloucestershire was not such a bad start and his appearance in the Parks was only his third first-class game in this country. On OPL 27 MAY 1977 46% 27-5-77.