Our First Defeat

Evening Star, Issue 19559, 18 May 1927, Page 6

Our First Defeat

At Sea on Tricky Wicket

Dempster’s Plucky Stand

Essex has to Fight for Win

Blunt’s fine Bowling Feat

Press Association—By Telo^'raph—Copyright.

LONDON, May 17. (Received May 18, at 9.40 a.m.) New Zealand, with three wickets down for 72, continued their second innings, and were all out for 208. Wanting 125 runs to win Essex obtained the required number for the loss of five wickets, and thus won by five wickets. Owing to rain overnight, there was no play at Leyton Ground before lunch, and when the game was resumed at 1.45 p.m. the New Zealanders were unlucky enough to have to face a drying wicket, rendered tricky by the hot sun. Nicholls, in particular, bumped riskily, and one ball hit Dempster on the chest. He and Lowry made the pluckiest stand of the innings. The wicket assisted the spin of the bowlers, and steadily became worse. After tho captain was stumped in jumping out to drive O’Connor, Dempster plodded on gamely, but met with no support, except from Oliver. The batsmen found L. Eastman and O’Connor too much for them, and these went through the remainder in quick order.

Eastman’s effort, and enabled Essex to win by five wickets. Blunt took four wickets and bowled thirteen maidens. Details:— NEW ZEALAND. First innings Second Innings. Blunt b O’Connor 21 Mills c Douglas bL. Eastman ... 0 James c Hipkin b O’Connor 26 Lowry st, G. Eastman b O’Connor 30 Dempster c and bL. Eastman ... 79 Daore Ibw h O’Connor 5 Oliver c and b L. Eastman 13 M'Girr Ibw b L. Eastman 7 Bernau Ibw b L. Eastman 0 Cunningham c Nichols b O’Connor 2 Merritt not out 7 Extras 18 . Total 208 Bowling Analysis.—L. Eastman, five for 31; O’Connor, five for 92; Nichols, none for 25; Douglas, none for 6; Hipkin, none for 35; Russell, none for 1. ESSEX. First innings 373 Second Innings. Cutmore c James h Blunt 18 L. Eastman Ibw b Blunt 41 O’Connor st James b Blunt ... 12 Russell b Blunt 0 Ashton b Merritt 13 Douglas not out ...‘ 19 Morris not out 11Extras ... Total for five wickets ... 125 Bowling Analysis.—Blunt, four for 29; Merritt, one for 35; Oliver, none for 10; M’Girr, none for 19; Dacre, none for 10; Cunningham, none for 1; Lowry, none for 10.

The pace of the wicket seemed to puzzle Dacro, who was never comfortable, and who got out in a most unusual way by mistiming a full toss from O’Connor and allowing it to hit his legDempster w r as severe on anything on the off side, and _ had six clinking boundary hits in his first 50. _ His innings was altogether an admirable effort. With only 125 to get, Essex did none too well, and only a sturdy innings by L. Eastman saved them from possible disaster, when Blunt was bowling splendidly. A characteristically _ stolid piece of batting by Douglas clinched