Crown and Andrews Test Match

Not as Bad as some of the other reviews say – I bought it for my cousin for Christmas and played on Christmas Day. As mentioned in other reviews if you use the bowler at full power it is impossible to control and you constantly give away 4 byes as it is also impossible to hit. But if you slow down the bowling the game becomes more playable, but batting is still very difficult compared to the… Read more

old version. It’s also very hard to control the batsmen without hitting the slip fielders.

The design is is definitely inferior to the older version, it would have been good if they increased the size of the field and included the option of the ramp bowler as well.

Complete disappointment what a waste of money and time thanks for producing more useless waste – Bowler and batsman are impossible to control for any sort of enjoyment Can’t understand why they have re engineered the game to a poorer version Would not recommend any one to purchase or consider this product Show details

This game is rubbish – We have tried for 3 days to hit the ball in this game. It is impossible to hit it more than a few cm in front of the batsman. The toy batsman does not have enough punch to hit the ball. It is rubbish and the manufacture Goliath Game should redesign it or remove it from sale. We have not been able to make any contact with the manufacture. My son… Read more

used his Xmas money to buy this and is now very upset. We will be returning this back for a refund.

Garbage, Garbage, Garbage

Don't waste your money

Bowler action makes this game unusable – As others have stated, the change from a bowling ramp action to a catapult action has made what was once hours of enjoyment into something I put straight into the bin. Absolute rubbish. Show details

Sealed box, no bat, it’s useless – I purchased this game for a giggle for my hubby, but left with no joy at Christmas. When we opened the sealed box and put the game together a vital piece was missing. How do you play cricket with no BAT. Can’t comment on playability as there is no way to play it. Not happy Jan. Show details

Do not waste your money, time or effort with this rehashed crap – Impossible to control the bowler, the batsman can’t adjust to a bouncing ball bearing, bring back the ramp bowler, and sack the bloke who came up with the idea of the bouncing bowler!! Don’t waste money, time or any effort on this game!!! Show details

Terrible purchase – What a terrible version of the game. It is impossible to hit the ball. Batsman has so little back lift. Do not buy this game as it pales in comparison to its former self Show details

They destroyed a classic Game – The new version is unplayable. We bought it as a gift but the new version is so bad none of the kids wanted to play it. We ever up throwing it out after a couple of months. They're trading off the memory of the old game and it's disgusting! Show details

A shadow of its former glory – My kids love it because they know no better. This is a shadow of its former version, who in their right mind thought this was a good product? Buy a second hand version of the old one. Show details

This game is terrible!!! – My son received this game from Santa and he is very disappointed. And so am I. The batter is impossible to control and hit well, while the bowler has too much power and is impossible to hit full stop the original Game where the ball roll down the ramp was much more fun. Do not buy this game. Show details

Disappointed – I bought this game for my twelve year old grandson who is cricket mad. He was really happy when he received it; however that changed about half an hour into the game. There was him, his younger sister, his Uncle & myself playing. We all agreed it was very disappointing & quite a boring game.

Prefer to pay double and get original Batter & Bowler – My all-time favourite game as a kid. I bought a new edition for my son for Xmas. The new bowler is impossible to control and it comes through to quickly. The new batsman’s head fell off before the first wicket was taken. I’ve repaired my 1970’s ramp bowler, salvaged the solid boundary edges & added the old scoreboard. Wish I could buy a replacement string operated batsmen! Hopefully, C&A bring out a premium version.

Spare parts for the game – My niece has broken the arm of our bowler in our board game. Wondering if you can buy extra pieces from anywhere. We have tried to stick back on with super glue but it still doesn’t work. My son is Devastated that he is unable to play the game without it.

Bring back the good old days – This gets an OK because I love cricket, doesn't play as well as the original version. Bouncing ball and batsman mechanism is a bit clunky in comparison to the 'traditional' version. Would much rather they didn't change it up. Overall still fun though and worth consideration for any cricket fan.

Disappointed Remake: Bring back the Original – We purchased this as something to pass the time, between friends on holidays. The new idea and concept is great, to make it more realistic, however I am sure it requires a great deal of practice to have this play like a game of real cricket. The original version, though not realistic was far more fun, and the learning curve was simple. Hopefully a newer version will find a correct balance. Plus: The fielders, and field is great.

This game has been destroyed - The old version of this game was great – Looks like the game has been changed over the years from a great game to absolute rubbish. Bring back the original. I will be taking it back for a refund its unplayable. The game parts are poor quality. Looks like a production cost reducing exersise has been done on the original game.

The new design is poor and is unplayable – Grew up on a different/better version. The new one is unplayable. The batsmen moves around a lot which you can manage, but you can't hit the ball to the boundary due to a combination of plastic bat (metal in old version) and the bat swing arc doesn't seem to reach out far enough (i.e. it doesn't go past the batsmen's feet enough) and therefore… Read more

can't time a shot well. Very frustrating as I know how good it used to be. I will be returning as it's impossible to bat. The bowler mechanism is also a failure compared to the hinged/shoot type bowler where you could get some curve/swing on the ball. Poor R&D on this.

perfect, can't live without it – So much fun I had hours of excitement and I could have gone for years. The people who wrote other wired things need to get a life and learn how to have some fun in their time alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why are people so dumb? This has been going for years and it never gets old it's insane

Test Match Cricket – What a great game!! I had one when I was growing up in the late 60's early 70's and am pleased it is still around to play with my grandchildren (ages 12-7-5yrs) . Have noted some improvement to the bowler & batsman but prefer the original bowler (my taste only) We have had many great hours playing against imaginary 'World' teams. After some… Read more

hard slogging the batsman broke (think the children do it) but Crown & Andrews replaced it . The new batsman is tight but used some washing up liquid on the joint and it loosened.

If i could give it zero i would – When growing up this was a great game, well made and could play for hours. For those who loved cricket this is what you played when it rained. For xmas (2014) got the new one for my nephew who is a lover of cricket . I was hoping he would enjoy it the way i did in the past. Anyway bowler broke after the first 10 min, cant control where the ball… Read more

goes. Batsmen and bowler move around too much. Fieldsman's catching zone too shallow and the plastic bat makes it to hard to score runs. This game is now the most poorly built disappointing game I have played. Who is in charge of the R&D? needs to be sacked. This game is unplayable. Do not buy. if you can find an old one i suggest you purchase that.

ruined – Played this game to death as a kid/teenager with the original ramp bowler and metal batter. Used to have multiple teams all painted, scoreboard, sponsors stickers on the boundary fences. Was given a recent crown and andrews version and it's pretty bad. The bowler's action catapults the ball all over the place and even when you get the ball on… Read more

target, the batter's light weight plastic bat means only the perfectly timed shot will make it to the fence. So disappointed - why ruin a simple, but effective mechanism?!

Used to be able to bowl swing with the old ramp bowler and knock the fielders over with airborn shots off the metal bat - so good! Don't expect anything like that with this weak version.

Total rubbish - a great game ruined – Was really looking forward to playing TM with my kids based on how much fun me and my brother had playing it back in the 80's. Firstly the bowler action is terrible. You have no control of the ball as it bounces. The batsman has no power and it is almost impossible to hit the ball properly. I rang Crown to register my disappointment and will take it back to toys R Us for a refund. How C&A could put this sub standard product out is a mystery.

Necessary changes – I had the original test match which was so much better than this current version. The trick is to get this version to play like the old version. After days of brainstorming, development and testing, i've got it playing as close to the original as possible so try these modifications and see how you go. 1) The Bowler. This seems to be the… Read more

biggest source of frustration. The original version's bowler was hinged in the middle that was not spring loaded, but also had a ramp and the ball ran all the way along the playing surface. The new bowler does have a hinge in the middle that is spring loaded, but does not have the ramp so accuracy is much more difficult. The problem is the spring loaded hinge at the bottom which allows for faster bowling, but causes the ball to go everywhere. The solution I found is to bypass the bottom hinged spring by gluing the bowlers front foot down to the gantry. The spring loaded hinge in the bowler provides enough speed and is much more accurate. The ball will reach the batsman very easily along the playing surface just like the original. Also apply a little oil to the bowlers hinge.

2) The Wicket Keeper

The original wicket keeper was attached directly to the batsmans gantry. The problem with the new version is that it moves around too easily. The solution is to apply velcro hook to the bottom of the wicket keeper so it wont move. Also try velcro on the fielders to stop them falling over all the time.

Update:

After all of my modifications, I have now been playing this game for 10 months and thoroughly enjoying it.

I have had feedback and co-operation from crown and andrews. An earlier version of the game had a very lightweight ball with a small magnet inside, and the fielders had magnetic bars. The problem here was that the ball was delivered so fast that not only did the batsman have no hope of hitting the ball, but it would also bounce over the wicket keeper. The solution here is a heavier ball which crown and andrews now supplies.

I managed to get a hold of the mattel version of the old test match game and was very disappointed particularly in comparison to the old crown and andrews version. It has the problems of the old test match especially with the batsman, but also the plastics used are poor compared with the original version. the bowler gantry warps and the boundaries are made of much thinner plastic compared to the original.

I am now happy to upgrade my product rating on crown and andrews test match

everything, especially the bowler

It just doesnt work! – I had the Freddie Truman version as a kid and loved it. In fact, a love of the board game developed my love of cricket. I bought this version for my son and it is terrible. Instead of being able to control the bowling down a ramp, the ball just goes anywhere. Instead of timing the drop of the bat, you can move the batsman anywhere to hit the ball. It is a far inferior version of what it used to be.

Why wreck a good game – This game used to be terrific. Now it's absolute cheap rubbish, just bought the newest version and it is the worst quality I've ever seen. Very disappointing. I have seen a copy-cat version which seems much better but not sure who makes it. Steer clear of this Crown & Andrews version, it's terribly sad how they can change one of their best… Read more

games with metal parts that actually worked to its current poor quality plastic parts that break if you look at them sideways.. Nothing Cheap plastic rubbish that doesn't work and should never have been released

Very disappointing! – Our 9yr old son brought game today (from his hard earned savings) and parts were missing and batsman head was broken off. Continued to play with it as was and then bowler broke. Very poor quality and very disappointing and left our son in tears. Will be taking it back tomorrow. parts missing and poor quality