BLUNT'S RECORD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 307, 29 December 1931, Page 3

BLUNT'S RECORD.

Six Double Centuries.—Other Big Scores.

Roger Blunt's huge score of 338 not out is casiiy a record for a Plunket Shield match. The previous best was 256 by the veteran S. G. Smith for Auckland against Canterbury in 1920.'

Curiously enough, it was in that match that Blunt, then a youth of 19, first blossomed forth as a provincial representative, for he played for Canterbury before moving to Dunedin. On a previous occasion Blunt made 221 for Otago against Canterbury. He has now made a double century on half a dozen occasions, three times in club games and three times in big cricket. He was the only New Zealand player to make a double century (104 and 103 at Wellington in the 1926-27 season) against the Melbourne Club and against the same club in the same season at Christchurch he scored 187. A special message from the " Star's " Dunedin correspondent says that another record standing to Blunt's credit is 42 runs in one over, hit up in a club match at Christchurch, when he made one of liis double centuries.

In England last season Blunt made 225 not out against.the Gentlemen of England, and he also scored 174 against McLaren's English team. Another record was his 1074 runs in club cricket in 192324 at Christchurch. He made 226 against Riccarton in that year, the previous highest score in his career. He has also won the Redpath Cup on two occasions.

Scores ranging from 400 to 500 runs have been frequent in Plunket Shield matches in the past six or seven years. In the 1925-26 season Wellington made 443 against Auckland at Eden Park (and then lost the match), they knocked up 497 (Hiddleston 212) against Canterbury at Wellington, and 447 (Kortlang 214) against Auckland at Wellington. In the second innings of this match Wellington made 374 (Hiddleston 204). The same season Canterbury made 495 (Cox 204) against Otago at Christcliurch, and Otago hit up 472 against Auckland at Auckland. The highest figures of the 1926-27 season were 539 by Auckland v. Otago at Dunedin, and 488- by Wellington v. Canterbury at Christchureh.

In the 1929-30 season Otago put up a record score of 602 against Canterbury, Blunt figuring largely with an innings of 221, while Canterbury made 523 for seven wickets in /the same match, and Auckland got 485 for live against Canterbury at Auckland.

Last season the highest scores were Canterbury's 519 against Wellington at Christchureh, and 473 for six v. Auckland at Eden Park, and Auckland's effective reply of 537 against Canterbury.