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Test Cricket Tours - England to
West Indies 1973-74
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Tour of
West Indies 1973-74 Captain : Mike Denness
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England’s 55th Test
tour.
(January 1973 - April 1974)
Seventh Test-playing
tour of West Indies by England
(previous
tour 1967-68)
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If he had
been fit enough to play for Glamorgan in the previous summer, Tony Lewis
would have been first choice for the captaincy once the West Indies’ victory at Lord’s
had swept Illingworth out of consideration. The selectors turned to
successful county captain Mike Denness, a fact
leaked by the press several days before the official announcement.
Against
long odds Denness’s team won the final Test at
to square the series one-all.
Ironically, Denness’s main rivals for
the captaincy Greig and Boycott contributed the
vital runs and wickets.
Earlier in
a controversial incident at Port of Spain Tony Greig
had run out Kallicharran off the last ball of the
day’s play. The West Indies Board and M.C.C.
handled the matter quickly to make clear that Greig
would not be disciplined nor the progress of the tour affected because the
appeal against Kallicharran had been withdrawn
and he could resume his innings.
The tour
concluded with a brief visit to Bermuda to play two matches.
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Other England
tours
Previous Test
tour
India and Pakistan 1972-73
Next Test tour
Australia 1974-75
Next tour
of West Indies
1980-81
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Members of the
Test tour party (16)
Opening batsmen: Geoff Boycott, Dennis Amiss, John Jameson
Middle-order batsmen Keith Fletcher,
Mike Denness, Frank Hayes
Wicket-keeper: Alan Knott, Bob
Taylor
All-rounder: Tony Greig
Slow bowlers: Derek
Underwood, Jack Birkenshaw, Pat Pocock
Fast bowlers: Mike Hendrick, Bob Willis, Chris Old, Geoff Arnold
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D L Amiss
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Wk
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30
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RHB
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G G
Arnold
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Sy
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29
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RFM
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J Birkenshaw
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Le
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32
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OB
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G Boycott
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Yo
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32
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RHB opener
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M H Denness
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Kt
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32
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RHB captain
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K W R Fletcher
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Ex
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29
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RHB
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A W Greig
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Sx
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27
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RHB RFM/OB vice-captain
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F C Hayes
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Le
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26
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RHB
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M Hendrick
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Dy
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24
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RFM
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J A Jameson
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Wk
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32
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RHB opener
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A P E Knott
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Kt
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27
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WK
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C M Old
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Yo
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24
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RFM
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P I Pocock
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Sy
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27
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OB
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R W Taylor
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Dy
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32
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second WK
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D L Underwood
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Kt
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28
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SLA
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R G D Willis
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Wk
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24
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RF
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County representation:
Dy – Derbyshire (2)
Ex - Essex (1)
Kt -
Kent (3)
Le -
Leicestershire (2)
Sy - Surrey (2)
Sx - Sussex (1)
Wk - Warwickshire (3)
Yo - Yorkshire (2)
Average age of
team at time of first Test match
(2 February
1974) :
28 yrs 10
months
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Test Appearances
made before the tour
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Boycott 58, Knott 51,
Underwood 38, Fletcher
29, Amiss 21, Greig 19, Arnold 19, Pocock 11, Denness 9, Old 8,
Willis 6, Birkenshaw
3, Hayes 3, Jameson 2, Taylor 1,
Hendrick 0.
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Tour Officials
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Donald Carr
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Tour manager
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Bernard Thomas
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Physiotherapist
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Mike Turner, the
Leicestershire C.C.C. secretary, declined an offer to manager the tour.
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Selectors
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Alec Bedser
(chairman), Donald Carr, Aidan Crawley, Mike Denness (captain), Alan Smith, Brian Taylor, Ossie Wheatley.
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Selection
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The
captain was chosen on 27 August and his name announced on 31 August.
Not considered: Phil Edmonds, Cambridge University
captain and left-arm spinner, having been born in Zambia, was not qualified
to play for England until 1974.
Tour Party Announced :
9 September 1973.
Not selected: Ray Illingworth, Graham Roope, John Snow.
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Time between selection and departure from England
124 days
(9 September - 11 January)
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Travel
London Q Bridgetown
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The team left England on 11
January 1974, flying from Heathrow Airport to Seawell
Airport, Bridgetown, Barbados.
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Time spent in West Indies
days
(11 January
- 11 April)
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On-tour
selection panel
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Mike Denness (captain), Tony Greig , Geoffrey Boycott, Donald Carr
(tour manager).
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Reinforcements
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None
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Fixtures/Results
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a
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ϯ Castries
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Combined Islands (50
overs)
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Lost 5 r
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b
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Castries
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Windward Islands (3-day)
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Abandoned
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c
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ϯ Castries
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Windward Islands
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Drawn
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d
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Bridgetown
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President's XI
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Drawn
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e
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Port-of-Spain
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Trinidad
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Drawn
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f
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PORT-OF-SPAIN
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WEST
INDIES First Test
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LOST 7 w
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g
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Kingston
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Jamaica
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Drawn
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h
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KINGSTON
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WEST INDIES
Second Test
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DRAWN
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i
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St John's
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Leeward islands
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Drawn
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j
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Bridgetown
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Barbados
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Lost 10 w
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k
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BRIDGETOWN
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WEST INDIES
Third Test
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DRAWN
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l
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Georgetown
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Guyana
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Drawn
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m
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†New Amsterdam
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Guyana 2nd XI (2-day)
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Won 5 w
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n
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GEORGETOWN
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WEST
INDIES Fourth Test
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DRAWN
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o
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PORT-OF-SPAIN
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WEST
INDIES Fifth Test
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WON 26 r
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p
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†Hamilton
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Bermuda (3-day)
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Won inns 11 r
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q
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†Somerset
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Somerset C.C. (1-day)
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Drawn
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†not first-class
Time
spent in Australia before First Test:
2 days
(11
January - 2 February)
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Test appearances
on tour
(v West Indies
1973-74)
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5 - Amiss, Boycott,
Denness,
Greig,
Knott.
4 - Fletcher,
Hayes, Old, Pocock, Underwood
3 - Arnold, Willis.
2 - Birkenshaw, Jameson
1 -
0 - Hendrick, Taylor.
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Match
appearances
T Test match
o one-day
international
x other match
W won L lost D drawn T
tied
N no result A abandoned
C cancelled u unknown result
It is debatable whether the second match
against Windward Islands on 19 January was actually a fresh match, or
simply the first carried on as one without f-c- status? John Woodcock in
The Times wrote “…for two hours and a half
play was possible, though in such poor conditions that the match was stripped
of its first-class status”
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a
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b
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c
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d
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e
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f
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g
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h
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i
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j
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k
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l
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m
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n
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o
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p
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q
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D L Amiss
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x
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x
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x
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x
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T
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T
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x
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T
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x
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T
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T
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x
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G G
Arnold
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x
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x
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x
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x
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x
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T
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x
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T
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T
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x
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J Birkenshaw
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x
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x
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x
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x
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x
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T
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T
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x
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x
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G Boycott
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x
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x
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x
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x
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T
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x
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T
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x
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T
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x
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T
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T
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x
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M H Denness
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x
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x
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x
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x
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T
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x
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T
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x
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T
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x
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T
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T
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x
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K W R Fletcher
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x
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x
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x
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x
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T
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x
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x
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x
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T
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x
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x
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T
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T
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x
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A W Greig
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x
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x
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x
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T
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x
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T
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x
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T
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x
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T
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T
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x
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F C Hayes
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x
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x
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x
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T
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x
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T
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x
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x
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x
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x
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T
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T
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x
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x
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M Hendrick
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x
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x
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x
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x
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x
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x
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x
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J A Jameson
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x
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x
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x
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x
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T
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x
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x
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T
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x
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x
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x
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A P E Knott
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x
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x
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x
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T
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x
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T
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x
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x
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T
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x
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T
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T
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x
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C M Old
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x
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x
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x
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T
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T
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x
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T
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x
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T
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P I Pocock
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x
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x
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T
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x
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T
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x
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T
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T
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x
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x
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R W Taylor
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x
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x
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x
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x
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x
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x
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x
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D L Underwood
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x
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x
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x
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T
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T
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x
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x
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x
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T
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T
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x
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x
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R G D Willis
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x
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x
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T
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T
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x
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T
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x
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x
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x
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x
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R E S
U L T S
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L
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A
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D
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D
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D
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L
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D
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D
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D
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L
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D
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D
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W
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D
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W
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W
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D
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England’s six previous
Test tour results
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Highlights
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• T
•
•
•
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Tour Summary
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F
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W
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L
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D
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Aban
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Test Matches
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5
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1
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1
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3
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-
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Other
first-class matches
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6
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0
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1
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5
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-
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†Minor matches
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5
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2
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1
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2
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-
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All Matches
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16
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3
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3
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10
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F Fixtures W
Won L Lost
D Drawn T Tied
Canc Cancelled Aban abandoned
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Return to
England
Trinidad Q Bermuda Q London
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The team flew from Piarco Airport, Trinidad, and arrrived
in Bermuda on Saturday 6 April to play two friendly matches. They flew back
to Heathrow Airport on 11 April.
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Time away from England
90 days
(11 January -
11 April)
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Finances
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Accounts of the
tour
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"Testing
Time" by Christopher
Martin-Jenkins (MacDonald and Janes,
1974)
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Postscript
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Other tours in
1973-74
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New Zealanders
to Australia 1973-74 - captain Bevan Congdon
Australians to
New Zealand 1973-74 - captain Ian Chappell
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Acknowledgements
To general reading of The Times newspaper digital
archive (Gale Group); Jamaica Gleanor archive;
National Library of Australia Trove; Papers Past NZ.
From former British Newspaper Library, Colindale and
online: The Age, Melbourne Argus,
Bangladesh Daily Star, Barbados Advocate, Canberra Times, Daily Telegraph,
Dawn, Eastern Daily Press, The Hindu, The Independent (Dhaka), Indian
Express, The Island (Lanka), Lahore Times, New Nation, New Zealand Auckland
Herald, Sri Lanka Daily News, Stabroek News,
Straits Times, Sydney Morning Herald, The Telegraph (Calcutta), Times of
India , The Tribune Chandigarh, Trinidad Guardian, The West Australian.
cricketweb.net; ESPN cricinfo;
cricket archive; www.cricketcountry; www.coverpoint
Magazines/periodicals including Australian Cricket, B & H
West Indies Annual, The Cricketer International, Cricketer Quarterly,
Indian Cricket, Indian Cricket Field Annual, Playfair
Cricket Monthly, Shell Cricket Almanack of New
Zealand, Wisden Cricket Monthly, Wisden Book of Test Cricket, Wisden’s Cricketers’ Almanack.
Men In White, A History of Australian Cricket (Harte), A
History of Indian Cricket (Bose), A History of West Indies Cricket (Manley)
Biography and
tour books (own collection and at the M.C.C. Library at Lord’s
Ground)
ALL CONTENTS OF THE TEST-CRICKET-TOURS.CO.UK WEBSITE ARE COPYRIGHT
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