THE SECOND TEST

Evening Star, Issue 19518, 28 March 1927, Page 13

THE SECOND TEST

MELBOURNE'S FINE SCORE OHYOHSi 180 CPeb United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, March 26. _ Ransford was at the wickets for 165 minutes for his 116. He was clean bowled by a fine ball from Merritt. Ransford hit fourteen 4’s, and his partnership with Onyons had added 235 for the second wicket. Johnstone joined Onyons, who had scored 105. Merritt was applauded for sending down a good maiden which had Onyons tied up. At 260 Blunt took the ball from M'Girr, amd the New Zealand equivalent for Mailey and Grimmett were again operating at the same time. Johnstone went out to one of Merritt’s and missed, but Lowry failed to take the hall and lost a great chance. A couple of balls later Johnstone went across and played one' with his pads, and the ball cannoned on to the wicket. Merritt had now taken two wickets for 6b runs. 268—3—8. Sandford joined Onyons, who was 119, but he was none too happy to Merritt. At 278 Cunningham was tried again, and at 290 M’Girr again had a try at bowling, Onyons being nearly caught off him by Cunningham, who jumped and just got one hand on the ball. Fourteen came from this _ over. This brought. 300 up for 215 minutes’ play. Runs were now coming at hurricane pace. M’Girr was proving expensive. Onyons reached 150 in 224 minutes. Blunt was the next bowler tried, hut the New Zealanders were kept moving in the field, and it was noticed that Oliver, Dacre, and Blunt had developed limps. The SSO came up in 234 minutes. Lowry was perservering with M’Girr, 10 coming off the seventeenth over. At 366 Dacre was tried for the first time. Off the last ball of the over Onyons went for a big hit, but missed. Lowry whipped off the pads with the batsman down on one knee. Mr M’Kenzie put his hand up in answer bo the appeal, but the batsman remained at the crease. It appeared as if the batsman’s toe was on the line. In Dacre’s next over, however, the New Zealand side had better luck, os Lowry again whipped off the bails, and this time the decision went against Onyons. The retiring batsman had been at the wickets for 250 minutes for his 180. He gave a masterly display, hitting freely to all parts of tiie field. No fewer than twenty boundary shots figured in his score. His partnership with Sandford had added 110 for the fourth wicket. 378—4—180.

T. Armstrong joined Sandford, who was 46. At the tea adjournment the score stood at 397, Sandford being 54 and T. Armstrong 10. On resuming at 4.5 Henderson bowled with the breeze, and Blunt dropped Armstrong in the slips off the first ball. Four hundred came up for 1260 minutes’ play, and M’Girr operated with the new ball. Sandford, in backing up, had a narrow' escape from being run out when Mills hit the wicket, but Mr M’Kenzie ruled in the busman’s favor. “ Hey, go and get a pair of glasses,” yelled a wag in line with the popping crease. The batsmen opened out to M’GTrr, hitting 12 ’off his next over. The first bull of Henderson’s eleventh over saw the end of Sandford, who had given an exhilarating display for 59, which included five 4’s. Lowry took a catch at the second attempt off Henderson. 418—5—59. Wood partnered T. Armstrong, who was 26, but with the total at 423 Blunt got him Ibw. T. Armstrong had hit vigorously for his score of 30. 423—6 30. , Campbell was next, and 450 came up after 305 minutes’ play. Henderson, who had bowled fourteen overs for 57 runs and one wicket, gave way at 456 to Merritt, amd Wood promptly hit him over the square leg boundary for the first sixer of the match, 10 coming from the over. After scoring 29 in resolute fashion Wood was beaten by an off-break from Merritt. 470—7—29. Rodgerson came next, but Lowry smartly stumped him off Blunt. 477 8-2. Ebeling joined Campbell, who was 17, and Dacre took the ball from Merritt. The score was taken to 486, w r hen Merritt again came into action. The colt was over-tossing them, and the batsmen got out and punched them on the full. With the total at 493 Campbell, who had shaped brightly for 26, played ono on from Blunt, and, as Warwick Armstrong did not bat, the innings, which had lasted for 340 minutes, closed for 493. Stumps were drawn for the day when the innings closed at 5.25. Scores: — NEW ZEALAND. First innings 317 MELBOURNE. First Innings. H. L. Hendry c Cunningham b M’Girr 13 B. A. Onyons st Lowry b Dacre ... 180 V. S. Ransford b Merritt 116 R, C. Johnstone b Merritt 8 H. C. Sandford c Lowry b Henderson 59 T. G. Armstrong Ibw b Blunt ... 30 Wood b Merritt ... 29 Campbell b Blunt 26 Rodgorson si Lowry b Blunt ... 2 H. I. Ebeling not out 7 W. Armstrong absent 0 Extras (byes 11, leg bves 8, no balls 4) 23 Total ' 493 The fall of the wickets was as follows : —Ono for 15, two for 250, three for 263, four for 378, five for 418, six for 423, seven for 470, eight for 478, mine for 493.

HOWLING ANALYSIS. 0. M. R. w. Henderson 34 0 57 1 M'Cjirr ..., ... 39 0 L3G 1 Cunningham K 1 38 0 Merritt 21 ■j m 3 Bhinfc 2o.rs \) !)1 3 Oliver 4 0 33 0 Dncro 4 0 °3 3