NEW ZEALAND 409 FOR SEVEN

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25834, 20 June 1949, Page 7

NEW ZEALAND 409 FOR SEVEN

Second Match With Surrey SUTCLIFFE MAKES 187; SCOTT 96 (From A. W. MITCHELL, Special Correspondent N.Z-P-A) (Rec. 7.30 p m.) LONDON, June 18. New Zealand scored 409 for seven wickets on the first day of the return , match with Surrey at the Oval, and I Sutcliffe, batting for five hours and five minutes, scored 187, his first cen- I tury of the tour. He hit 21 fours. He j was dropped off Alec Bedser at slip I when he had made 17. I It was a day of records to satisfy 1 the most enthusiastic statistician. ! Sutcliffe and Scott (who made j 96) made their third successive | opening partnership of more than 100 | and their fourth of the tour; they i scored 229. which is a new first wicket I partnership for New Zealanders in I England, beating the 173 made by i Dempster and Mills against Leicester I in 1931; this was the fourth new record ’ partnership of the tour, the others be- I ing for the fourth, seventh, and tenth ! wickets; Sutcliffe’s was the twelfth ! century of the tour, which equals the | number scored by the 1937 New Zea- | land team during its entire tour. Sutcliffe had the slice of luck that every batsman needs occasionally, and he has also remodelled his batting. He has discarded a habit of walking into the ball to pull it to leg, which was fatal once or twice earlier in the tour. One of the most interesting features of his play to-day was his powerful off and cover driving. He off-drove Parker, a medium pace bowler, twice at the very start of his innings, and thereafter used the shot frequently. When Laker, a slow off-spinner, replaced Parker, the scoring rate fell, for both he and Bedser were bowling well. Sutcliffe was particularly cautious with Bedser and the Surrey bowler lifted his hands in despair when Parker dropped the New Zealander when he was 17. Sutcliffe, indeed, was about to walk away from the crease. It was the only chance that Sutcliffe gave. Scott, whose batting has improved since he has been in England, hit some good cover drives and showed he can cut. At lunch, after two hours’ batting, the score was 111 (Sutcliffe 58, Scott 45). Sutcliffe Reaches Century Sutcliffe reached his century in three hours, moving from 91 to 95 with singles, then off-driving Laker for a throe and a four. The applause lasted nearly a minute, while Sutcliffe waved his bat happily, and Laker shook hands with him. In 76 minutes after lunch, 100 runs were added. Parker and Bedser took the new ball at 195, and Bedser made it fly from the green patch in the wicket. Scott became a little erratic in his eighties, and was inclined to play across the ball. Sutcliffe cover drove Bedser to deep boundary and ran five. When Scott was 96 he snicked a good ball from Bedser to Barton at second slip. Hadlee was in one of his tentative moods and, playing forward to Bedser. was caught off his glove, Barton, the Surrey captain, taking his second catch. Bedser was exploiting the green patch cleverly. ' At tea New Zealand, after four hours five minutes, were 258 (Sutcliffe 143, Wallace 2). In the next hour Sutcliffe and Wallace flogged Eric Bedser and Laker, and put on £O. Then Sutcliffe, who was hitting every other ball, was bowled by Laker. Immediately afterwards Wallace was well caught by Alec Bedser at mid-wicket off Eric Bedser, a slow spinner. He is still 29 runs short of his 1000. Smith made 19 in as many minutes before he was caught behind the wicket; Donnelly, after his energetic sprinting at Southampton, opened more sedately. He gave Squires at cover a difficult chance when he was I nine, and shortly afterwards he walked right in front to Laker. s Scores:—

NEW ZEALAND First Innings B. Sutcliffe, b Laker .. 187 V. J. Scott, c Barton, b A. V. Bedser .. 96 W. A. Hadlee, c Barton, b A. V. Bedser .. 7

Total for seven wickets .. 409 Fall of wickets: one for 229, two for 250, three for 348, four for 348, five for 372, six for 387, seven for 409.

W. M. Wallace, c A. V. Bedser, b E. A. Bedser 47 M. P. Donnelly, lbw, b Laker 15 F. B. Smith, c McIntyre, b Laker 19 J. R. Reid, b Laker 8 G. O. Rabone, not out 13 T. B. Burtt, not out 0 Extras 17

Bowling O. M. R. W. A. V Bedser . . 30 8 71 2 J. F. Porker .. 18 1 73 0 J. C. Laker . . 35 8 86 4 J. W. McMahon 11 0 45 0 E. A Bedser . . 18 2 76 1 H. S. Squires .. 8 0 41 0