THE FOURTH TEST

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 123, 6 March 1936, Page 6

THE FOURTH TEST

M.C.C.’S SENSATIONAL START. loss of two wickets; for ten. SCORE 10G RUNS FOR BIX. (Per Press Association). CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. The weather was perfect and the wicket in good order for the start of the fourth test match, New Zealand versus Marylebone Cricket Club, at Lancaster Park to-day. The wicket wps a trifle slow at the start, hut. with the warm sun and easterly breeze was improving. The teams were: — Marylebone—E. R. T. Holmes (captain), D. Smith, J. H. Parks, W. Barber, J. M. Hardstaff, J. H. Human, S. CL Griffith, James Langridge, J. M. Sims, A. D. Baxter, H. ID 1 . Read; twelfth man, N. S. Mitchell-Innes. New Zealand —I. B. Cromb (captain), J. L. Kerr, P. E. Whitelaw, M. W. Wallace, G. G. Vivian, W. A. Hadlee, C. S. Elmes, A. W. Roberts, B. Griffiths, C. K. Jackman, E. I). Blundell; twelfth, man, F. iP. O’Brien. The hours of play to-day, to-morrow, and on Monday are 11.30 a.m. to> 1.15 p.m., 2 p.m. to 4.15 to 6 p.m. England won the toss and batted. With only nine runs on the board, two of the best batsmen. Parks and Hardstaff, were back in the pavilion. Parks and Barber opened steadily butslowly against Roberts and Blundell, but in the Wellington man’s third over a sensation came. Parks tried to get his first ball away to leg, but missed, and Jackman brought off one of the finest pieces of stumping seen here for some time. Blundell’s next ball, swinging late, completely beat Hardstaff, to take his stumps. Smith foiled, Blundell’s hat trick. Smith opened with two big hits off Blundell, but thereafter lie and Barber settled down to quiet play, runs coining at a steady pace. Smith’s desire to hit the ball out of the paddock cost him his wicket when he missed a good one from Griffiths, the ball breaking on to his wicket. Three wickets were down for 49 runs. The English captain watched Barber send Griffiths to the off boundary, but when he faced the slow bowler he snicked one into Jackman’s ready hands, and four M.C.C. wickets were down for 53. Human and Barber carried on until the total was 85 ; then Barber, who had played extremely sound cricket for 60 runs, was clean bowled by Roberts with a ball that turned a few inches and hardly rose from the ground. J. Langridge made one off Griffiths, but the first ball of Roberts’ next over —a real “beauty”— whipped back to level liis off stump. Six wickets were then down, for only 97. Details are; — M.C.C 1 . • First; Innings. Parks, c Jackman, b Blundell ... 8 Barber, b Roberts GO Hardstaff, b Blundell ft Smith, b Griffiths ... ... ••• 16 Holmes, c Jackman, b Griffiths ... 2 Human, not out 13 Langridge, b Roberts 1 Sims, not out ... 1 Extra 1 Total (for six wickets) ... 103