CRICKET.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 76, 11 January 1936, Page 2

CRICKET.

THE FIRST TEST MATCH. VISITORS MAKE GOOD START. DUNEDIN, January 10. Tho first day's play in the cricket match between M.C.C. and New Zealand proved rather disastrous for New Zealand, which, in the first innings, made only 81, the second poorest score put up against the Englishmen on the tour. The New Zealand batsmen were completely baffled by the M.C.C. attack, and at no stage did any of them look like making a stand. At stumps the visitors in their first innings had lost two wickets for 277 runs. Smith and Parks opened for M.C.L., Smith facing the bowling of Roberts. The first over netted one and Cowie took up the attack at the other end. Both boAvlers sent down a good deal of loose stuff in the first few overs and in a few minutes 10 had appeared on the score-board. Neither Smith nor Parks was long in settling down, and runs came rapidly. 30 going up in 22 minutes. Elmes then replaced Roberts, hut the batsmen continued to pile on runs. In half an hour the score reached 40, and a few minutes later Merritt took over from Elmes. Fifty appeared in the same- number ot minutes. Roberts replaced Cowie, and with the first ball of his second over clean bowled Smith with a beautiful ball, which turned in from the off. Smith batted for 43 minutes and his total of 26 included four fours. With the Englishmen's, total at 52, Barber joined Parks and was dropped by Elmes at fine-leg off Roberts in the next over when only one. With the dismissal of Smith there was a noticeable slackening in the rate of scoring. The total reached 70 after the Englishmen had been batting for an hour, Parks being 30. Cowie replaced Roberts, and Ciomb took over from Merritt. New Zealand's total of 81 was passed in 71 minutes. " Merritt and Roberts continued with the attack after the tea adjournment, and the M.C.C. total reached 100 after the visitors had been batting lor 88 minutes. Parks, who was not scoring at anything like the pace at the start, had reached the half-century, and Barber's total stood at 27. Both hatsmen treated Merritt with respect, but anything off the wicket was promptly hit to the boundary. With the total at 121, Vivian was put on in place of Roberts, eight being hit off the Auckland left-hander's first over. The visitors' total reached 150 in 112 minutes, and Barber reached 50 by hitting Vivian for a six almost as spectacular as the six hit by Talbot in the OtagoM.C.C. match last week. At 72 Parks gave a chance to Merritt in the slips. Merritt made a feeble attempt to hold the ball. With the exception of a few instances, the fielding of tlie New Zealanders was poor. Frequent changes in the attack had little effect on the batsmen, who were scoring steadily with some betautifully-placed shots. Two hundred came up in 133 minutesParks 86, Barber 83. At 93 Barber gave a chance to Cowie in tho slips off Roberts. Cowie failed to hold the ball, which bounced out of his hands toward Merritt, who also let it drop. Almost immediately after this, Parks, who was 97, gave a chance to Jackman behind the wickets off Roberts, and once again the catch was dropped. The score-board showed both Parks and Barber at 99 when Barber, who had been at the wickets for 107 minutes, hit a single. , Parks reached the century after batting 156 minutes, and was* then caught by Roberts in the slips off Elmes. He gave a polished

exhibition and hit 10 fours. Barber was joined by Hardstaff, the partnership carrying the score to 277 at stumps.