TEST CRICKET

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 76, 25 February 1930, Page 2

TEST CRICKET

THE FINAL MATCH. ' ■<* WICKET THROWN AWAY. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, Feb. 24. The weather was warm and mu SSy> with a threat of rain, when the fourth Test match between New Zealand ana the M.C.C. team entered the final stage at Eden Park this morning. There was a fair attendance, the stands being well patronised. The overnight not out men were Weir (69) and Allcott (21) and they resumed to Nichols and Barratt. There was a loud and confident appeal by several of the fieldsmen for a catch at the wicket off Barratt's first ball, but the umpire held that Weir had not touched it. Cornford was standing well back, fully 15 yards, to take the bowling of Nichols, whereas he stood close up for Barratt, who came at aproximately equal, pace. The reason was that the Essex man was pitching them a trifle short and that some were kicking. The wicket played easily, but there appeared to be no more life in the pitch than on Saturday. Nichols was keeping up a fast paco, but Allcott appeared to find no difficulty in playing him. Barratt was keeping a more consistent length. Eleven runs had been scored and Saturday’s total advanced from 174 to 185, when Woolley came on in place of Nichols and there was a maiden over to Weir. Woolley’s length was perfect as was that of Barratt, and the- Notts bowler met with success in his fourth over, Weir being beaten all the way by a fast ball which kept low and shot under the batsman’s guard, to flick of the leg bail. —186 —5 63.

Weir had batted for 173 minutes in a painstaking manner. Lowry was next in and took a maiden ' from Woolley, the Kent bowler being dangerous all the time. Allcott, too, played carefully. Bowley came on and off his third ball Allcott was run out. —Lowry turned a slow ball to leg and started to run, but the leather did not travel far and Cornford had plenty of time in which to remove the bails. It was certainly a wicket thrown away.—l 936 —33.

It was a somewhat disgruntled Allcott who returned to the pavilion and the crowd cheered in its disappointment. for he had been batting confidently. Lowrv’s call was, to say the least of it, ill-advised. In Woolley’s next over McGirr survived an appeal for l.b.w. The rate of (scoring bdeame deadly slow, though McGirr showed more freedom against Bowley, and LoWry too hit out vigorously against Bowley. Thirty-our runs had been scored in 50 minutes.

Woolley continued to puzzle the batsmen and his next two overs were maidens. Lowry did not know too much about a delivery from Bowley which spun in a disconcerting fashion but he managed to pull it short of square leg for a single. McGirr brought his own total to 19 and the aggregate to 221 with a neat off drive at Woolley’s expense, but the rate of scoring was still very subdued. With the score at 229, Allom came on in place of Woolley and Barratt relieved Bowley. Two maiden overs followed, and 13 overs had been bowled for the addition of 58 runs for an hour and ten minutes. Cornford missed an easy catch at the wicket, McGirr having a lucky let-off—the ball struck the little wicket-keeper just above the left knee and he was obviously in pain for a few minutes.

The score slowly rose to 250, when Cornford made a confident appeal for l.b.w. by McGirr against Barratt, but it was disallowed. Lowry was playing confidently.