THE South Africans made the most of their country house match against the Duchess of Norfolk's XI yesterday, as Bob Woolmer ensured they would with the fixture oddly situated in their build-up to the one-day series.

The tourists won by 61 runs on their first visit here since 1960, and it would be easy to scoff at the one-sided nature of such a match against a scratch team. However, the arrival of 7,000 spectators to enjoy the sunshine on Arundel's grass banking amid the oaks and limes was hardly disastrous for cricket.

This was a day of families, trestle lunches and panama-and-blazer gentility among the marquees, not to mention a rare sight at a cricket ground - four sweltering Gurkha officers manning a fund-raising tent for ex-servicemen in Nepal.

Hugh Morris's team were not strong enough to give the South Africans a competitive match after their three-day success at Worcester the previous day.

It all had the makings of relaxation, though Woolmer, South Africa's coach, insisted they would ``make value'' out of the occasion in the one-day disciplines. ``With only two games to go before the one-day series against England, not to do so would be stupid,'' he said.

Morris, the England Cricket Board's director of coaching, was donning whites for the first time since retiring from Glamorgan last season, and Allan Lamb had not lifted a bat for two years, concentrating on his corporate travel and hospitality business in Northampton.

``I don't know what I'm doing here,'' Lamb said. ``Someone persuaded me to play.'' Though he looked far from upset about it.

Andrew Whittall, the Zimbabwe off-spinner now coaching at Dulwich College, and Alamgir Sheriyar, of Worcestershire, proved to be the best Norfolk XI bowlers.

Matthew Mason, a trundling Western Australia seam-bowler, bruised Hansie Cronje's foot and dismissed Adam Bacher and Daryll Cullinan, but his analysis ended up draped all over the ground - two for 72 off 10 overs.

Morris passed a 63-ball fifty to top-score for his team, running out Darren Thomas, his former team-mate, on the way, and a late flurry from Mason narrowed the losing margin in a relaxed finish.

Barry Richards, that great South African batsmen, now in England for radio commentary, was among the crowd, having had a successful cataract operation on his left eye in Australia. This means bad news for bowlers in veterans cricket because, at 52, he was more than useful with one eye ...