ENGLISH TAIL WAGS STRONGLY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 71, 25 March 1937, Page 13

ENGLISH TAIL WAGS STRONGLY

BIG CRICKET AT BASIN RESERVE

Conditions for the continuation of the M.C.C.-New Zealand match at.' the Basin Reserve today left little to be desired, though the fresh northerly breeze kept the temperature cool. The wicket appeared to be drier than yesterday, giving more assistance to pace 'bowlers! It was this factor which helped tp break the visitors' overnight partnership, Verity spooning up a simple catch off a ball from Cowie -which rose unexpectedly. Allen was not so easy to shift, however,' and when he was joined by Sims, the score was kept moving at a good rate. A good attendance of spectators saw play resumed. ' ■-,''■ The M.C.C. innings ended about 12.40 p.ra. for a total of 427, scored in 426 minutes. Roberts captured the last two wickets in one over, Allen being the only batsman who was clean-bpjvled and Sims, his partner in a prolific stand, being splendidly caught in the slips. , % ... .

England's innings was much more productive than had seemed likely at the tea adjournment yesterday, the stands made by Wyatt and Ames before stumps, and; by Allen an,d Sims this morning', Being mainly responsible. The bowlers had all they could do in the concluding stages of the innings to1 keep-trie scoring'rate within reasonable limits. - Roberts, who bowled with steady perseverance all through, had to wait & long time for his reward, but his wickets were well. y deserved. Cpwie also performed very creditably. '.Gaps in the field were freely exploited hy the strongly-wagging English, "tail," put when they'could get their Hands to the ball: the ' fieldsmen • generally did- their work cleanly and smartly. Allen (14) and Verity (8) continued their overnight partnership this morning, facing. Roberts, from the 'southern end, and Cowie. Two- singles carried Verity into double figures after he had batted 23 minutes, eight of which were spent this.morning. He .went no further, however, lifting a simple catch to'Moloriey, at shpr't forward' leg,' off the second ball of Cowie's second over. 336—8—10. Sims, who" gave New Zealand a taste of his batting qualities last season, joined his captain and played out the rest of the ,over without Scoring.' Alien made' the first addition to his score'with a single'down the gully off Roberts 12 miniates' after the resumption! 'Facing Cowie he was' forced back on to the defensive by a good length ball with plenty, of pace. : To the next delivery he opened his'shoulders for a lusty smite but failed to connect properly, the ball sailing'over the;; heads of'the slips to the fence.'" ROBERTS BOWLS STEADILY. .Roperts wag bowling a good length, mainly outside the off stump and only two singles came from'i his first four overs, the'first and.last of which were maidens.' Allen did not seem.to relish' Cpwie's bowling and a risky stroke dropped between pover-ppirit. and pnidoff.1' A "snick'"on "the leg side' earned him another 4 and another couple came from a lofty shot to the. unprp- . te'e'ted'ori side!" These strokes brought Allen to 30 and the total to 350, the aggregate occupying 347 minutes. .. „ At-this stage a bowling change was ' made, Viviati relieving Cowie (£6 overs, 8 'maidens, .'59 runs, twp wickets).' -.'.' ""' ' "". ■■' ALLEN REACHES 50. Although, only, a single came from ..the. i slpwi. i ieft : hander's,:.first ,'pyer, the "change had little' effect apart from accelerating the' scoring rate. . Allen .had "* overcame his early uncertainty and proceeded ip pick up runs all round' .the 'field. .'Powerful' 'driyes, .. interspersed with . well-directed ■strokes behind the wickets,, kept the' field and'also the Scoreboard attendants much, busier'than'they'were yesterday morning. Only 74 minutes were'" needed;' by the ' English captain to reach his half-ceniury, in which there were eight 4's, and he completely ■overshadowed Sims, who ' was 40 minutes in reaching double" figures. " TOTAL REACHES 400. Dunning failed"to. stem the flow of runs and'he was constrained tp open but his ifield in .an ' attempt I'to cut off strokes tp the open country which had b'eeri"'profitable to the 'batsmen; It was to little.effect, however, 11 runs, including two boundaries," con/ling off one over.'' This took'the total "past 400 after the innings had been in progress 4Q7 minutes. '* ; ' : ' .-.-'.• Cowie wa? brought pn again, but a 4 and two singles from the first three •balls indicated "that the "batsmen did not mind whether, they came fast or slow,' Allen, then cocked up a ball from Dunning 'on the leg side but it was out of ' the reach", of Wallace,' 'fielding' close in. ' If Allen wasl uncertain about that ball he made no mistake when he choppeij Cowie powerfully 'down the gully, giving the' field no chance. INNINGS TERMINATED! . J With 'the total at 420 a new ball was requisitioned,' Roberts " taking '' over' frprn 'Punning in order to' have first use of 'it." The batsmen' were1 losing no ' opportunity of taking singles and Sims just managed' to get home when they snatched a run in this1 over. With the new ball Cowie commanded more respect and the first oy'er he' had with lt'was'prevented from being a maiden only by a defensive stroke by Allen to . Square leg for a single off the last ball. Allen added another boundary in Roberta's'next-over, but this was the end of his'; innings, the second ball finding his stumps. Though he had periods in which he did riot appear to be completely sure of himself, Allen played 'a "forcing" innings which compared very favourably with that of Ames yesterday afternoon, Allen did not "hesitate to go'forward to riieet the ball but his best strokes were those which' sent the ball flashing through the slips-arid down the gully.! He batted 103 minutes and hit' thirteen 4's. 426—9 —88. '■■' ' " ' ' , "..''" " '. 'Voce was the last man in, but he had scored only 'a ■ single ' before ' the innings e'arhe to an end. The last ball of'Roberts's over was snicked to the slips by Sims, and Dunning made a brilliant left-hand catch ;just off the ground. Sims1 had played a valuable part in keeping his end up during his partnership with Allen, which produced 90 runs, 'of which he scored only 13. NE\y ZEALAND'S REPLY. New Zealand opened with the two Canterbury batsmen Kerr' arid Hadlee, who had \o face only two overs before lunch—from Voce and Hammond. A leg-bye was the only product from New Zealand's point of view before the adjournment was taken. The'lunch'interval brought disaster to '■ New Zealand. Hadlee carefully played an over from Voce from the northern end. Then Allen bowled into the'-Wind, arid his pace'beat Kerr/ who snicked the' third ball to Voce in the slips. Kerr's poor form was a change ff6m last year. I—l—o.1 —I—o.

Wallace joined Hadlee, who was careful, first against Voce and Allen, arid later against Voce and Hammond. It took New Zealand's "first scoring stroke 70 minutes to arrive, Hadlee scoring two from Voce past mid-on. Wallace took a single from Voce to third man. The ten came up slowly, but the rate livened in the teens with Hadlee taking '4: off Harnomnd through the covers

i and then hooking a bumper from Vocej t over Allen's head to fine leg. . Allen I i went through' the motions of catch- - ing the ball apparently to discover » Why he had missed the easy catch!. . 'The shot took Voce's average to none i for 18 and in the next over, and with ; the total at 31, Allen brought himself ■ on with the wind atthe northern end. He had three, slips, Verity at short leg, ■ square, and .Leyland at silly ' mid-op. : Hadlee took' a'single from the fourth i ball but Leyland' misfielded arid ; Wallace played put the over. Allen's ; action was beautifully" .rhythmical, ' though his pace, so far, was not his ' best. ! ■Hammond was'replaced by Verity, r the iron man.of the Australian - tour, and a slow left-arm bowler.' Wbrthing--1 ton fielded mid-wicket and Hadlee took ■ a single off the'last ball. ' [■'■■'".• HADLEE OUT. [ " The; xun br.ought Hadlee opposite ; Allen, arid after playing the first two, : he snicked the third as it went away L . to leg arid Ames at/short stop took the : catch. Jt was unfortunate for Hadlee, who was batting well at the ' time. 33_2—20. AJleri's average so far was ! two for ?, though it became two'fpr 4 as Vivian, the newcomer, square-cut ! the last ball for 2. ' Details:—1 . ; NEW: ZEALAND. ■ , ■ First innings. ■ Kerr, c Voce, b Allen :. ~.. 0 [ Hadlee, c Ames, b Allen .......... 20 !' Wallace, not'out 13 i Vivian, ' not' out ~'.... 2 i Total for two wickets 36 ' . Fall of wickets:—Qne for one, two 'for' 33. ENGLAND, first Innings., • Wprthington, c, Roberts, b Vivian 15 • FyatC c Dunning, b Weir ...:. 144 • Hardstaff, c Hadlee, b Vivian "... 22 l' Fishlock, c; W,en% b ' Page .'' 14 s Harnrriohd, c Wallace, b Cowie .. 4 ■ Leyland,"c Vivian,' b" Page; '..... 1 '. Ames, c Vivian, b Dunning 97 i Allen, b Roberts : ........;.,■...;■. 88 • Verity, c Mploney, b Cpwie ■...;■- 10 : Sims', c Dunning;1 b Roberts .. 13 ■ Voce, not out .........'...'...;.... 11 Extras: Byes 9, leg-byes 8, no- ; i baili ..::......'........;... is i Total •• ........ 427 Fall of .wickets:—Qne for 33, two. for 89, three for 137, four for 151, five for I.62,''six 'f0r,.'27.7,' seven, for 314, eight for 336, nine fpr 42,6, ten for 427. ' ■ •' BOWLING ANALYSIS. O. M. R. W. Cowie '30 8 73 2 • Roberts 27 8 58 2 ■ Vivian ...;'....... 2p 9: 79 2 1 Dunning 41 8 ,100 1 ! Moloriey .-..' 5 0 20 0 ■ Page 7' 3 38 2 ■ Weir ........;.... 11 0 41 1