9 wickets. New South Wales vs MCC Peter May rejoined the team when they came back to Sydney to replay New South Wales, by far the strongest state side and the match was almost played at Test level. New South Wales were sent in to bat by May on a humid day with the ball swinging and patches on the wicket thanks to poor covering against the recent rain. Frank Tyson (4/55) and Brian Statham (4/36), the new ball partnership of 1954–55, showed that they could still be very dangerous. Roy Swetman dropped Watson in the first over from Tyson, but caught him off Statham for a duck. Norm O'Neill was hit on the elbow by a rising Tyson delivery and retired hurt on 37/2. Neil Harvey made another 92 and fought back with fellow left-hander Neil Marks (42) as they took the score past 150 without further loss, but Tyson came off a short run at fast-medium pace and removed Harvey, Marks, Grahame Thomas and Richie Benaud as they crashed to 171/6 before stumps. O'Neill returned at the start of the new day, but was l.b.w. to Trevor Bailey (2/40) and Statham removed the tail and New South Wales were out for 215. Gordon Rorke (4/57) removed Peter Richardson l.b.w. first ball and Tom Graveney for 14 and generated great pace off his short run, but his long drag left him only 19 yards from the batsman when he bowled and he was very difficult to play. Trevor Bailey was hit repeatedly by Rorke, but stuck in for 54 and Peter May made a powerful 136 as they added 179 for the third wicket. The captain saw off Rorke and attacked the spinners, hitting the New South Wales captain Richie Benaud for six over mid-on and cracking drives through the covers with such ferocity that four fielders could not stop him hitting the boundary. May was 99 not out on the Saturday evening and returned on the Monday, but without the same certainty. Bailey went down the pitch to Jim Burke (1/30), missed and was stumped miles out of his ground, but the crowd shouted that Burke ought to be given a coconut because he shied the ball. Rorke caught May (136) with a beautiful ball that swung from leg to hit off stump and had Willie Watson leg before, then Benaud (5/83) spun through the tail to give