SLOW GOING FOR ENGLAND AS AUSTRALIA FINISH ON TOP

England ended a hot and frustrating first day 43 runs ahead of Australia in the first Cricinfo Women's Test match at Shenley Park, two late-afternoon wickets making up for the morning's agonising struggle with the bat.

After winning the toss and deciding to bat, Clare Connor was in no doubt that her side were in with a chance of reaping some early rewards on a good pitch that gave little assistance to the bowlers.

However, two hours later England had lost three wickets and, scoring at a snail's pace rate of 13 runs an hour, the batsmen were making the friendly track appear like a bowlers' paradise.

Opener Arran Thompson departed in the fifth over to Cathryn Fitzpatrick who is widely regarded as the fastest bowler in women's cricket. Her intention was clear from the outset and, finishing with 5-29 during England's 83.1 over innings, she yet again delivered the goods for her skipper Belinda Clark, reducing England to a disappointing 103 all out.

Australian Cathryn Fitzpatrick talks to Kate Laven about her 5-29 against England and looks ahead to the women's series 28k

After lunch, debutantes Kate Lowe and Caroline Atkins continued where they left off in their fourth-wicket partnership to produce the most lively cricket of England's innings.

Lowe, the 25-year-old Thrumpton batsman, unleashed a powerful cover drive in the first over after lunch followed soon after by a wristy flick through mid-wicket to raise hopes of around 1,200 mainly English spectators in building a strong platform before tea.

But the work was undone when Fitzpatrick trapped Atkins lbw. Her marathon innings, which yielded ten runs from 140 balls, had come to an end after almost two and a half hours at the crease.

The partnership had added 24, but when Lowe was bowled by Fitzpatrick having made a relatively quick 23 from 66 balls, the score was 50 for five.

A useful partnership of 37 followed between Taylor and Harper - the highest stand of the innings - but when Taylor was run out attempting an improbable single, it started a slide with the fall of three wickets with the total on 87; a situation that England simply could not come back from. The 100 came up in the 80th over, but just three more runs were added before Dawn Holden became the fifth wicket for Fitzpatrick, bowled with the first ball of a new and decisive spell.

It was not the confident show that England were hoping for from their young side which included six debutantes. With an average age of 23, England are building for the future so their frustrations on the opening day of this series will not have dented their enthusiasm too much.

If anything, it was boosted when Lucy Pearson made early inroads into the formidable Australian order by having opener Clark leg before for nine. Her replacement, the hard-hitting Karen Rolton, was also dispatched back to the pavilion before she could settle, comprehensively bowled by the lively Nicky Shaw for a duck.

At the close, Australia were 60 for two with their two biggest names contemplating a day in the sun but England will need to produce more fire and extra pace to finish day two in a more equitable position.

AUSTRALIA TAKE HONOURS IN AFTERNOON SESSION

At tea, England had crashed to 90 for eight, with the last three wicketsfalling in nine momentous balls, with Olive Magno featuring in all threewith two catches and the wicket of Nicky Shaw who survived one ball.

Resuming on 26 for three following a desperately slow morning, the fourth-wicket pairing of Kate Lowe and Caroline Atkins set off with a new sense of urgency, the debutant Lowe producing a delightful cover drive in the opening over to record the first boundary of the afternoon.

She struck again next over, this time with a deft flick through mid-wicketwhich also saw the ball tumbling towards the boundary over a fast outfield.

But when the partnership had put on 24 runs, Atkins, who was also making herdebut, got a toe to a yorker from Cathryn Fitzpatrick and was leg before forten, having been at the crease for almost two and a half hours, facing 144balls.

Lowe was bowled by Fitzpatrick having made 23 off 66 balls,which included three boundaries.

With minutes to go before the tea interval, Claire Taylor was run outattempting an unlikely single and Shaw departed first ball, giving a catchoff her gloves to first slip. Laura Harper chipped the ball to Magno at mid-wicket to give Therese McGregor her second wicket of the day.

SLOW GOING FOR ENGLAND

After two painstaking hours of absorbing play, England had accumulated just26 runs, having been kept firmly under the cosh by some top- class pacebowling from Australia’s Cathryn Fitzpatrick and Charmaine Mason.

Fitzpatrick, the fastest women’s bowler in the world, made sure the morningbelonged to the visitors when she had opener Arran Thompson caught at thirdslip in the fifth over of the morning after England captain Clare Connor won thetoss and chose to bat first.

England made just 13 runs in the first hour of play, finding the pace andaccuracy of Fitzpatrick and Mason intimidating on a greenish, lively pitch.

By lunch, Fitzpatrick had also picked up the vital wicket of Jane Cassar whoplayed on having made a single, and after 35 overs England were threewickets down though 20 year-old opener Caroline Atkins had produced a stoicperformance in her debut international match to finish the morning unbeatenon 10.

She played with admirable patience and displayed a solid defensive techniqueto fend off the new ball but her more experienced partners struggled. Connorfaced six balls before driving sweetly through mid on to get off the markbut after making eight runs in an hour she was beaten by a ball that cutback from Therese McGregor.

The first boundary came in the 32nd over when Atkin straight drove legspinner Olive Magno but England’s confidence looked fragile as Atkins andKate Lowe were faced with the task of pushing up the run rate on a warm andsunny afternoon.

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Date-stamped : 24 Jun2001 - 22:36