INNINGS VICTORY

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 200, 21 May 1931, Page 9

INNINGS VICTORY

New Zealand Bowling

ENGLISH “PROCESSION”

Debacle in Second Strike

SENSATIONAL M.C.C. FALL

By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.

London. May 19.

The success of the New Zealand bowlers at Lord’s this morning was only a shadow of what followed. At lunch the M.C.C. score was 86 for the loss of seven wickets.

The M.C.C.’s first innings closed for 132 and Lowry called upou the home team to follow on.

Merritt and Blunt then dismissed the side, which, with two exceptions, is probably the best amateur eleven in England, for 48 runs.

New Zealand gained a sensational victory by an innings and 122 runs in only nine hours’ play. The wicket enabled the bowlers to turn the ball. The principal reason for the success was the accuracy of the attack and also the brilliant fielding. M.C.C.’s first innings was notable for Jardine’s solid batting and Cromb’s fine bowling. The second innings lasted sixty-five minutes. Merritt has seldom bowled

better, and he completely baffled the batsmen. Blunt’s success was also fully deserved. . * ~, . Chapman was out to the first ball he received in each innings. New Zealand's success has aroused considerable interest, and the critics believe that the attack is stronger then was considered previously. Details:— NEW ZEALAND. First Innings. Nine wickets for (Innings declared closed.) M.C.C. First Innings. Dawson, c. Lowry, b. Crumb 1 Hearne, b. Cromb ••••••• Crawley, c. Page, b. Matheson o Jardine.' not out Turnbull, 1.b.w.. b. Cromb " Jupp, e. and b. Cromb Cliapmati. c. Page, li. Cromb Robins, c. IHtuit. b. Matheson m White, c. Page, b. Cromb >• Franklin, 1.b.w.. b. Merritt - Allom. c. Kerr, b. Merritt J.jxtnis ; 1 Total I:i2 Bowling—Matheson took two wickets for 1(1 runs; Cronili, six for 40: Merritt, two for 411; and Blunt, none fur 11. Second Innings. Jardine, ti. Blunt >JJ Hearne, b. Merritt 1 Dawson, e. Merritt. b. Blunt - Crawley, b. Merritt * Turnbull. st. James, b. Merritt Chapman, <•• Page. li. Merritt *_ Jupp. e. Lowry, li. Merritt •' Robins, b. Merritt ” While, not out ■ Franklin, e. Kerr. li. Merritt Allom. Weir. b. Blunt !' Extra 1 a A Total •<8 Howling Analysis.—Merritt took seven wickets lor 2S rims: Blunt, three for lit: Matheson, none for 6. GRATIFYING RESULT English Team’s Hard Luck (By “Burwood.”) New Zealand's defeat of the redoubtaide M.C.C. eleven at Lord's by such a wide margin ns an innings and 122 runs makes excellent reading this morning. It is most gratifying to find that New Zealand at last has produced a really good stock bowler in I. B. Cromb. the Canterbury fast-medium right-handed trundler. He is an off-break bowler, after the style of Bill Howell, the famous Australian, and men who can make the ball whip in sharply from the off are rare birds: in fact, the whole cricketing world has been searching for them for years. When the M.C.C. had to follow on the wicket must have been drying, as Merritt and Blunt, New Zealand s great googly pair, fired the M.C.C. batsmen uncommonly cheaply.

il is not 100 much to say that in these two bowlers New Zealand possesses a pair of slow trundlers lit to compare favourably with any in the game to-day. Clarrie Grimmett could not have bettered Merritt's seven for 28.

tine can sympathise with tiie M.t.( . men in this game. They had the worst end of the stick from lhe start. New Zealand was assisted by a wet Wicket on Monday, whereas the wicket was drying on Tuesday, and all cricketers know that even I lie best of batsmen are helpless on a wicket which is drying under the action of a strong sun’s rays. In proof of this, it is only necessary to recall that England tired the Australians out for 36 runs at Birmingham m a Jest match in 1902. and Australia sent the Englishmen io the right-about for -l.> in the Test match at Sydney in the 1886-8< season. Both England and Australia have been dismissed four times for less than i 0 runs in Test matches on drying wickets. It is extremely pleasing to see that the New Zealand fielding is much superior to that displayed on the 1927 tour. The cables tell us that “Curly” Page took two brilliant catches in the slips. These would he the efforts which disposed of Crawley off Matheson, and Chapman off Cromb. Blunt also caught Robins oil Matheson. As the Aucklander rocks them in at a good pace, these must have been great catches. , . . “How is it.” one is frequently ashen. 'That the New Zealand cricketers appear to play so much better in Englund than they do in their own country.' the answer is simple. Me have neiei seen our own men in form. M hen tiw go on tour, they have nothing to do but think, talk, and play cricket, with tin result that every man on the side is soon at the top of his best form. The same tiling can be said «t New Zealand s Rngbv players. English people have seen (hem’to better advantage than we have.