N.Z. test captains against England

Press, 23 February 1978, Page 21

N.Z. test captains against England

The late Tom Lowrv could fairly be termed .Xew Zealand’s most aggressive captain. He captained New Zealand on its tours to England in 1927 and 1931 and managed both the 1931 and 1937 sides. Lowry played 198 firstclass matches, totalling

9421 runs, with 18 centuries included. During his time as a Cambridge University student, he toured Neu- Zealand with an M.C.C. team in 1922-23 under the captaincy of Archie MacLaren. In the third unofficial test match of that tour, Lowry scored 130 at the Basin Reserve. Lowry made his first appearance for New Zealand in Australia in 192526. On the 1927 tour of England, he added 11$ in only 59 minutes with Ces Dacre against the M.C.C. and scored 106 in 100 minutes himself. In addition to being one of the finest batsmen of his time, “Curly” Page was also one of New Zealand’s six double All Blacks. Page became New Zealand’s captain against South .Africa in 1931-32 when Lowry was unavailable, and held the position for seven tests. He

played in 14 tests, scoring 492 runs at 24.6. He still shares the record fourth

wicket partnership of 142 with Roger Blunt, at Lords in 1931. His sole appearance in an All Black jersey came in 1928 when he played half-back for a losing New Zealand side against New South Wales at Lancaster Park. Walter Hadlee has been involved in New Zealand cricket for 41 years. He made his test debut in 1937 on New Zealand’s tour of England and made his final appearance against England at Wellington in 1950-51. Since that time, he has held virtually every position in New Zealand cricket that it is possible to hold; selector, manager,

member of the New Zealand Cricket Council and chairman of the board of control. Hadlee captained the second most successful team ever to tour England, in 1949. It’s sole loss was to Oxford University on a pitch of dubious nature. The 1948 Australians under Sir Donald Bradman created a record impossible to better, being undefeated on tour.

Hadlee played 116 firstclass matches scoring 7421 runs at 40.11, including 17 centuries. His test average was 30.16 from 11 tests. John Reid was a leader in the truest sense of the word. He led by example and bis aggregate of 16,128 runs in first-class cricket in New Zealand and for New Zealand abroad is second only to Bert Sutcliffe’s.

He captained New Zealand to its first test victory over the West Indies at Auckland in 1956, and his run-scoring spree in South Africa in 1961-62 is

unsurpassed by anyone in world cricket. He scored a total of 1915 runs, beating the previous record of Dennis

Compton by 134 runs. His average was 68.39. His record of 58 test appearances should have been equalled by that most durable of cricketers, Bevan Congdon, by the end of the current series. Murray Chapple was made captain of the New Zealand team for the first time against England at Lancaster Park in 1965-66. It turned out to be the last of his 14 tests. Chapple first played for New Zealand in South Africa in 1953-54 under the captaincy of Geoff Rabone. He made three half

centuries, the highest being 76 at Cape Town in the third test of that series when he added 126 with Rabone for the -first wicket.

His test, average was 19.11 from 497 runs and he was a member of the New Zealand team which beat the West Indies at Auckland in 1956, its first test win.

Graham Dowling fashioned a fine record as New Zealand’s best opening batsman of his time during his 10-year test career, beginning in South Africa in 1961-62.

He played in 39 tests, his first of 19 as captain being New Zealand’s sixwicket victory over India at Lancaster Park in 1968. It was in this match

that Dowling accomplished a personal best test score which was also the best score by a New Zealand player in tests for four years — 239.

Dowling played in 157 first-class matches, scoring 9399 runs with 16 centuries. His first-class average was 34.94, which is

slightly better than his test average of 31.16. He totalled 2306 runs in his test career which ended, sadly, when he was forced to return home from the West Indies with a bad back injury. Few cricketers have risen to the task of captaining his side with such dedication and resourcefulness as Bevan Congdon when he took over from Graham Dowling in the West Indies in 1972. Before he became cap-

tain, Congdon had played in 33 test matches, scoring 1944 runs with two test centuries. While he was captain, Congdon scored a further 1506 runs in 23 tests with a further five

centuries. His bowling also took on a new dimension, giving New Zealand an extra strength at the bowling crease. He captained New Zealand to its first test win

against Australia at Lancaster Park in 1974 and almost succeeded, in 1973, in beating England twice, his part in these two matches being consecutive scores in the 170 s.