Jeremy Coney hit the runs that gave New Zealand their first Test win in England in 29 attempts. When he came out, nerves were jangling with the team 61 for 4, with 40 more needed and Bob Willis charging in at his best. Coney held firm and eventually got New Zealand home with a four through leg off Ian Botham. "Was thinking of all the New Zealand players who have been coming here for 52 years, and making sure their sweat and effort had not been in vain," he said later.
Richard Hadlee was at the non-striker's end when the winning runs were hit. His punishing 75 in the first innings had helped New Zealand gain a vital 152-run lead. Though New Zealand enjoyed little success outside the Leeds Test, Hadlee typically showcased his all-round skills all through: he finished the four-match series as the top wicket-taker - 21 at 26.61 - and one of only two New Zealand batsmen to aggregate over 300 runs - 301 at 50.16.
Bruce Edgar made a vital 84 off 207 in the first innings... in two parts. Hit by Botham on the thigh, he was forced to retire hurt 50 minutes into his knock, on 19. He resumed his vigil after some poor running triggered a mini slide, coming back out at 218 for 5 and batting nearly another four hours to steady the ship and guarantee a substantial lead. He finished the series as New Zealand's top scorer, with 336 runs.
John Wright scored 93 in the first innings - the highest score for New Zealand across the four Tests - but he almost undid three and a half hours of hard work with a few moments of madness: first, his indecision while taking a run left the captain, Geoff Howarth, stranded; later, more misjudgement on Wright's part resulted in the run-out of Jeff Crowe. Clearly jolted, Wright miscued to mid-off the following over, resulting in a third wicket falling for the addition of one run.
Martin Crowe was one of two Crowes in the game, alongside older brother Jeff. He produced a moment of magic in the field to help put New Zealand ahead on day one. England were rather comfortable at tea with eight wickets in hand when, after the break, Crowe junior pulled off a fine diving catch at square leg to end a promising innings from Allan Lamb on 58 and cause a tumble which England could not recover from: they were bowled out half an hour before the close.
At 33, Lance Cairns produced his best ever innings figures - 7 for 74 - in the first innings. His medium pace was well suited to moving it around in the helpful conditions in Leeds, and he pitched it fuller too, extracting swing that undid England. He followed up with three more wickets in the second innings, registering his match best. No surprise then that he was named Man of the Match, prompting the customary shower of champagne and other beverages from his team-mates.
In the second innings, Ewen Chatfield was New Zealand's hero with the ball, taking a five-for. Like Cairns, he bowled the right speeds and lengths, slicing through England's top and middle. New Zealand were left with a paltry target of 101. Chatfield had taken out openers Graeme Fowler and Chris Tavaré cheaply, before returning to get Derek Randall and Phil Edmonds, leaving England six down with their first-innings deficit yet to be wiped out.
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