LACK OF SPIN BOWLER

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22121, 17 June 1937, Page 17

LACK OF SPIN BOWLER

LESSONS AT CARDIFF AND OXFORD TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND CRICKETERS COWIE IMPRESSES CRITICS (From Our Special Correspondent With the New Zealand Cricket Team) LONDON, May 21. Only the Cardiff and Oxford games, the first two away from London, were necessary to show what a blow the New Zealand cricket team suffered when B. Griffiths (Wellington) was excluded from the side through being unable to pass the doctor, and to suggest that the selectors might have been wise to include L. J. Groves (Otago). On the perfect batting wickets at both centres, the absence of a proved leg-spin bowler was severely felt. D. A. R. Moloney (Wellington) is the only one who bowls slow leg breaks and the indications are that he will have to take a much bigger share of the attack on tour than he does in matches in New Zealand. He was quite successful at Cardiff, taking three for 55 and three for 21, having three stumped in the first innings by E. W. Tindill (Wellington) and two caught at long-on in the second by J. L. Kerr (Canterbury). He can make the ball turn appreciably, but his flight Is rather high and his length tends to be rather erratic, and it still remains to be shown that he is capable of dismissing good batsmen consistently. Moloney proved the big success of the early matches, being the only player to strike his best form immediately. He scored 40 and 85 at Cardiff and 32 and 67 at Oxford, making his runs well at both places. Kerr, against Surrey and against Glamorgan, opened the innings brightly but was dismissed just when he appeared to be on the way to a big score. At Oxford he played himself in properly, but fell after batting for an hour for 35. He was one who shared in the unfortunate earl" epidemic of colds and certainly was not himself at Oxford. M. L. Page (Canterbury) played a good knock of 41 at Cardiff but a cold kept him out of the game at Oxford.

Tindlll's Form Tindill gave the side good service at Cardiff with timely innings of 39 and 25, going in seventh, but when he was promoted to opening batsman at Oxford he rather unexpectedly fell early, though he made 32 in the second innings. H. G. Vivian (Auckland) <'Q V e perhaps the best display of the team in making 37 in the first innings at CardifT, but he made only small scores in the second innings there and in the first at Oxford. M W Wallace (Auckland) was run'out at Cardiff, but to him goes much of the credit for re-establishing the teairTs morale at Oxford. On the second morning, when live wickets were down for less than the century. he did not score a run for a quarter of an hour, playing himself in with great care, but then he thrashed the bowling all round the field, hitting 14 fours in making 78 out of the 111 scored while he was in. His driving and cutting were perfect, and his hooking of the short ball delightful. M P. Donnelly (Taranaki), in the same way as against Surrey, when he partnered W. N. Carson in a big stand, batted well for 31, the pair taking the sco-e from 91 to 187. The way they attacked the bowling inspired the others, and the last four batsmen carried the score on to 335. A. W. Roberts (Canterbury), driving and cutting well, scored 75 not put, hitting two huge sixes. N. Qallichan (Manawatu) simply "thumped" the bowling for 33, and J. A. Dunning (Otago) batted really well for 29. The second day at Oxford was a heartening sight. The batsmen, for the first time on the tour, shaped as they usually do in New Zealand. Howard Marshall, discerning critic of the "Daily Telegraph," commented. Until the batsmen proved that all they needed was more practice and reasonable weather to be extremely formidable. Conscientious Practice It was not for want of trying that the batsmen did not strike form earlier. Net practice was obtained at every opportunity. At Oxford, while play was in progress on 'he main ground, G. L. Weir, J. R. Lamason. W. A. Hadlee, M. L. Page, and T. C. Lowry were over on a back pitch bowling and batting for hours. It seemed that the players were just not able to gain touch at Cardiff, after a week in London with practically no practice through rain, and they were much happier after a good day at Oxford. The bowling and fielding, in marked contrast to the batting, have been excellent so lar, except for the unfortunate afternoon when five catches were dropped against Surrey. Tindill has kept wickets well to the faster bowlers and excellently to the slower men. his stumpings being quick and clean. For fast running, clean gathering, and quick throwing it would be hard to better the work of Wallace, Donnelly, and Hadlee. The team is strong in slow left-hand bowlers, but results so far raise some doubt about their ability to dismiss good sides on good wickets. They can keep the runs down; Vivian bowled 35 overs for 73 runs at CardifT, and Oallichan 26 for 70 at Oxford. This team, in fact, has kept the scoring rate to a run a minute on perfect wickets so far by steady bowling combined with smart fielding, a performance seldom equalled by the teams of 1927 and 1931. Roberts, Dunning, and Cowie, the faster men. are three heroic workers. Any captain could count himself fortunate to have such conscientious bowlers under his command. Many English writers seem to think that Roberts will be the most consistently successful, and it is highly probable that this prophecy is correct, for he maintains an excellent length and makes the ball swing both ways in England. At Cardiff and Oxford he had to bowl on perfect pitches, but even so one-third of his overs were maidens. Dunning has been almost as difficult to score from. He has been bowling round the wicket and over the wicket by turns, spinning the ball back from the off. With any help at all from the wicket or the atmosphere both these bowlers will probably be very successful in England.

Fine Performance by Cowie Cowie has inspired spells. He had one when lie took three wickets after lunch against Surrey, and another memorable one when he captured three wickets in one over and four in three overs against Oxford. At Oxford his performance was really wonderful, for he was wearing two sweaters because of a heavy cold, and only played at all after trying himself out in the nets in the morning to see if he could stand the strain. In England he brings the ball back from the off in a way that is amazing. Against both Surrey and Oxford he bowled men with balls which pitched outside the off stump and hit the top of the leg. "The Times" declared that such deliveries would be regarded as a little severe by even Walter Hammond or Don Bradman. Occasionally he makes one run away toward the slips, but generally only

with the new ball. English critics suggest that if he could bowl that one more often he would be a really great fast-medium bowler, for they share a great admiration of his physique, his action, and his resolution. It is perhaps unfortunate that only a limited number of players can be included in a team, and that some good ones have to be left behind. It would be a great sight to see Cowie bringing the ball into the batsmen at one end and C. K. Parsloe (Wellington) making it run away from them at the other on some o£ the grounds of England. With these two in top form Ne.w Zealand would have a great pair of opening bowlers in English conditions.