ENGLAND v WEST INDIES 1976

At Scarborough, August 26. West Indies won by six wickets. A promising first representative appearance by the Middlesex left hander Barlow took some of the sting out of England's defeat. With luck on his side the blond, powerful Barlow made an unbeaten 80 out of England's 202 for 8, a total made to look quite inadequate by yet another stroke-filled century by the batsman of the year, Vivian Richards. Richards made the result a formality long before West Indies cruised home with 14 overs to spare, King finishing the match with a six in the direction of Trafalgar Square.

After England had been put in they lost Wood first ball and three wickets before the sun had burned off a slight sea fret. Barlow, aided by Amiss, Gooch and Knott, then revived the innings in a stay of two and three-quarter hours. He was missed at square leg when 19 and the luckless bowler Julien should have caught and bowled him at 38.

Barlow was one of the principals in a freak incident which baffled players and spectators and defeated the umpires. When 71 he answered Knott's call for a single when the wicket-keeper played the ball to fine leg. Holding's throw hit the nearest stumps with Barlow well in and he immediately called Knott for a second. However, the ricochet beat Barlow down the pitch and hit the stumps at the bowler's end with both batsmen in mid-pitch, a fact confirmed by the television cameras. There was a pause of a few seconds before Clive Lloyd, seeing the bails off at both ends appealed to Umpire Jepson who gave not out.

The loss of Fredericks, bowled by Hendrick in the second over, brought in Richards and he was soon blazing away in his very best style. Twice he might have been bowled driving at Underwood but no other bowler caused him any concern as he moved stylishly to his century. Richards hit a six and twenty 4's. Greenidge and Lloyd both got out as they were looking dangerous, but Rowe was right out of touch or England might have been beaten even more quickly than they were.

The gates were shut half an hour before the start on a crowd of 13,000, advancing the claims of Scarborough for further representative cricket in the future.