Cricket: Spearman happy to stay in England

By MARK GEENTY in Nottingham

Former test batsman Craig Spearman is resigned to not playing for New Zealand again despite his remarkable 341, the third-highest score by a New Zealander.

Spearman, 31, broke a 128-year-old Gloucestershire record held by the legendary WG Grace as he plundered the Middlesex bowlers all over Gloucester on the third day of their county championship match on Saturday.

Grace's record, set in 1876, was 318 and Spearman let out a jubilant punch of the air when he went past it.

"It's very special to break a record held by the father of cricket," Spearman said, who had received a good luck call from last year's Gloucestershire and now New Zealand coach John Bracewell to spur him on.

Spearman, who played 19 tests and 51 one-day internationals, confirmed he wouldn't reconsider Bracewell's offer of six months ago to become available for New Zealand's one-day team.

Spearman decided to remain an English-based player rather than an import, due to his Welsh mother, making him ineligible for New Zealand selection.

"I'm really happy here in Gloucester and I've got a two-year contract. I got married in March this year and county cricket is a lot easier than international cricket.

"I don't regret leaving New Zealand. I was always in and out of the [national] team and you can't make a living out of first-class cricket there."

He was poised to threaten Bert Sutcliffe's New Zealand record of 385, but was caught behind off South African allrounder Lance Klusener.

Sutcliffe has the top two New Zealand scores, 385 for Otago against Canterbury in 1952-53, and 355 for Otago against Auckland three years earlier.

Just five other New Zealand batsmen have topped 300: Roger Blunt, Glenn Turner, Ken Rutherford, Mark Richardson and Peter Fulton.

Spearman batted 534 minutes, faced 390 balls and hit 40 fours and six sixes.

He was 208 not out overnight, already having topped his previous best first-class score of 180, and cruised to 300 just before lunch off 337 balls.

Bracewell was delighted after day two of the third test here but said there was nothing he could do to persuade him back.

"He made the decision, not me. The offer was there, the door was open to return had he shown he wanted to," Bracewell said. "I rang him and congratulated him, and said, 'See if you can knock off WG's record. Don't throw it away'.

"This hasn't surprised anybody. If you get on a run on that particular ground, it's a very fast scoring ground, and if you've got class all you have to do is stay there."

NZ triple centurions

- Bert Sutcliffe Otago v Canterbury, Christchurch, 1952-53

- Bert Sutcliffe, Otago v Auckland, Dunedin, 1949-50

- CRAIG SPEARMAN, Gloucestershire v Middlesex, Gloucester, 2004

* - Roger Blunt, Otago v Canterbury, Christchurch, 1931-32

- Ken Rutherford, New Zealand v DB Close's 11, Scarborough, 1986

- Glenn Turner, Worcestershire v Warwickshire, Worcester, 1982

- Mark Richardson, New Zealand v Zimbabwe A, Kwekwe, 2000-01

* - Peter Fulton, Canterbury v Auckland, Christchurch, 2002-03

* denotes not out

- NZPA