Lancashire: Crawley ton set to earn Ashes selection (15 Aug 1998)

15 August 1998

Crawley ton set to earn Ashes selection

The Lancashire Evening Telegraph

John Crawley can start packing for Australia this winter, writes ANDY WILSON.

The Lancashire batting ace hit 180, his first Roses century but his fourth in five championship innings, on a record-breaking first day at Headingley.

The England selectors have ignored him all season and may even stick with Graeme Hick for the last Test of the summer against Sri Lanka at The Oval in a fortnight.

But Crawley is now a certainty for the Ashes tour. The only question is, will he be picked as an opener or in his previous position as a middle order batsman.

All five of Crawley's centuries for Lancashire this season have come when he has been filling in for Mike Atherton at the top of the order. "Batting at number three you have to be ready to face the new ball so I don't mind opening," he explained.

"John has been outstanding for us all season whatever we have asked him to do," added coach Dav Whatmore.

It meant that Crawley could drive Yorkshire on to the back foot right from the start of the match yesterday.

With Neil Fairbrother, Graham Lloyd and Warren Hegg offering him aggressive support, Lancashire raced to 190-3 in 34 overs at lunch and claimed maximum batting points by passing 350 in only the 78th.

Lloyd was the only other batsman to make a half century, with 56 from 49 balls, but Ian Austin added 49 and their close of play total of 455-8 was a new record for Lancashire in Yorkshire, although skipper Wasim Akram would have declared earlier if the light had allowed his bowlers to get at Yorkshire.

Crawley, who hit 24 fours and a six and who has 1151 runs this season, also carved out his own place in Roses history. His innings was the highest ever by a Lancashire player in the championship in Yorkshire, beating 178 by Ernest Tyldesley at Sheffield in 1922 - although Graham Lloyd smashed 225 in the pre-season friendly last year.

And it was the joint third top score for Lancashire in 232 Roses championship matches, equalling Albert Ward in 1892 and behind only Clove Lloyd's 181 at Old Trafford in 1971 and Reggie Spooner's 200 not out in 1912.

Source :: Lancashire Evening Telegraph (https://www.reednews.co.uk/let/)