THE BEST YET.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 121, 25 May 1927, Page 7

THE BEST YET.

FINE CRICKET BATTLE.

! Middlesex Extended to Win by! Three Wickets.

DO WELL,

CB/ Cable.-Presg Association. -Cowrtgau

(Received 10 a.m.» LONDON. May 24. The match. Middlesex v. y e w Zealand cricketers, ended in a win for the county by three widreta with little time to spare. With their backs to the wall the New i made a aurprisiaglv fine \ recovery, thanks to JlcGirr and" James, i The former took risks and twice in oue ! over lifted the ball close to out-fields- I men. Nevertheless he played uianv I polished strokes till he hit eWs a fa/t ! one trom Tanner., alter batting for! seventy-two minute,. He hit nine' tours. James' W *hot.> were cover drives and he evejfcuallv threw- awav hi- wicket in trying to pull an off ball to .quare leg. • « The other* played dosjedly to the 1 end. and the last tive wickets added 174 runs in two hour , ;.

Middlesex at. one stage looked like iliavLug a liard struggle to get the runs, : but Stevens adopted a forcing game. Hβ i kept one end going, till Hearne came in and played a stylisfs winning game. Hearae Missed Twice. ! But for dropping Hearne before he ! had scored, and another bad m iss before he was set. the New Zealanders might have beaten Middlesex. The uphill fight is widely commended. Merritfc bowled tirelessly and trickily, but the other bowlers were somewhat erratic. At the tea adjournment Middlesex had four wickets down for 17(j, and then required 104. Scores:— XEW v.y. a[.anp J First Innings ZH Second Innings. Mills, b Haig a Blunt, b Stevens *7 Page, e Tanner, b Stevens tto j Dempster, b Stevens 5 ; Daere, b Hearne 3j j Lo\yy, c and b Stevens jl James, b Hearne .._ 44 iicGirr, b Tanner 72 llerritt, c and b Enthoven 15 Henderson, b Stevens Id j Cunningham, not out 13 | Extras 18 I Total 335 Bowiing.—Stevens, five wickets for 103 runs; Hearne, two for -34; Haig, one | for 49; Tanner, one for 17; Enthoveu, I one for lfr>; Durston, none for 72; Allen, I uone for 6. I MIDDLESEX. First Tunings 230 Second Innings. Stevens, c Cunningham, b Blunt . S'J j Lee, c Merritt, l> Henderson 14 Hendren. b Blunt ~ Gray, st James, b Merritt I'o i Heanie, not out 73 j Allen, c Cunningham, b McGirr ... 2.3 Enthoven, st James, b Merritt .... 27 Haig, st James, h Merritt 3 Tanner, not out 01 Extras 141 Total for seven wickets .... tSO Bowling.—Henderson, c wicket for l>o runs; McGirr, one for 24; Blunt, two for 88; Merritt, three for 4o; Cunningham, none for 30. I FEATURES OF THE GAMS, i

To the average reader the record of two draws and three losses by the NewZealand cricketers in England is disappointing, but close followers of the game appreciate that in the Essex match the luck of the wicket gave the win to the county, and that there was very little between win. draw and loss in the county game against Middlesex. The most pleasing feature of the iliddfeses game to New Zea landers was the recovery by Dacre, James, ilcGirr and the tail-end batsmen, after the collapse of the first three wickets in conjunction with the leeway of oii ou the" first innings had made the game practically a forlorn hope for the colonials. In the circumstances, to carry the innings to 335 against such an array of bowlers as Durston. Tanner. Hearne, Allen. Stevens. Haig and Enthoven. and then t press such batsmen as Stevens. Hendren. Allen and Hcarne to their limit to get the win jast on time was a very fine performance. It was known, of course, that the New Zealand bowling was not; stroDg enough in either variety or sting, bat the one real disappointment to date is to read that but for missed catches the Middlesex and M.C.C. and Hoiyport matches might have given the team the prestige of victory. There is consolation in the individual performances of the WelKngtonians. James and McOirr, in this game, and in the fact, that despite all weaknesses. Middlesex just managed to snatch the victory out of the jaws of time. On the third day of a match play is timed to cease at j.30 pjn., with a proviso that either side may claim an extra half hour for the purpose of securing a definite result. Whether or not Middlesex claimed the extra time is not stated in the cable, but it is obvious that the New Zeatinders almost saved the day by a draw on time. The feature of the game from the iliiglisß point of xievr. of course, was the performance of G. T. Stevens, in taking live wickets for It>-3 in-the New Zealand second innings, and dashing op 89 runs in the Middlesex second innings when run* were wanted quickly.