Wyatt and Ames Stage Great Partnership For M.C.C.; Score, 7 For 334

Northern Advocate, 25 March 1937, Page 8

Wyatt and Ames Stage Great Partnership For M.C.C.; Score, 7 For 334

Cricket

U*er Press Association. — Copyright.! WELLINGTON, This Day. the toss, the M,C.C. team batted op an easy wicket at the Basin Reserve yesterday in the first test match against New Zealand, and scored 334 runs for the loss of seven wlokets. Heavy rain about seven o’clock yesterday morning had rendered the wicket dead easy, but the Englishmen appeared afraid of it, and the batting was deadly slow until a great stand by Wyatt and Ames put on 115 for the sixth wicket, carrying the total from 162 to 277.

Wyatt was the strong i&an of the English side, as he showed a very \ solid defence during a stay of 288 minutes. His 144 included 13 boundary strokes.

L' ;,j Ames, who gave the brightest display of the side, had bad luck in failing tQ reach the century. He was at the wicket for 103 minutes for 97, which included 13 fours.

Bowling Steady, Not Dangerous. The New Zealand bowling was steady without being dangerous. Dunning howfed very steadily, sending down 37 overs for 74 runs and one wicket. Cowie, too, kept a good length in’ capturing one for 46 off 22 overs. Vivian, two for 60, off 24 overs, and j

Pafee, two for 38, pff 11 overs, met with most success. The New Zealand fielding was good, brilliant. catches being taken by Hadlee, Dunning and Wallace. The last-named gained frequent applause for his smart ground work and accurate returns to the wicket-keeper. Wyatt and Worthington opened the M.C.C. innings. Cowie, the Auckland fast bowler, took up the attack with a fairly stiff northerly behind him. CoWie got a fair turn of speed and gome of his deliveries reared up of? the pitch, his second ball .rapping Wyatt on the thigh. Roberts bowled frpm the other end, Wyatt Dropped Off Third Ball. Dunning dropped Wyatt at mid-on off 'the third ball. The bowlers kept a good length, and it took 20 minutes before 10 appeared, each batsman having scored five. After being at the wicket 34 minutes, Wyatt reached double figures with a square cut for a single off Roberts, Moloney being applauded for clean fielding, which cut off a boundary/ The batsmen had now got the pace of the pitch, and runs came at a brisker pace. Wyatt brought 30 up in 45 minutes with a four off Dunning. In Vivian’s fifth oyer, one whipped across, from the leg and Worthington touched it to Roberts in the slips, and the first wicket fell for 33 in 47 minutes. Hardstaff joined Wyatt, who was 18, abd another spell of slow play followed, / At the luncheon adjournment one wicket was down for 80, Wyatt being 42 and Hardstaff 18. Six Runs in 20 Minutes. j On resuming, Cowie and Roberts took up the bowling. All that came .off four ovefs was a single to. Wyatt. Only six runs were scored in 20 minutes. At 89 Hardstaff drove one to Hadlee at cover, who took a good catch close to the ground. Hardstaff took 68 minutes for 22, and two wickets were down for 89, Vivian having secured botfi for 19. Joined by Fishlock, Wyatt ran to 50 after being in . 121 minutes. Wyatt was limping as he ran between the wickets. Wyatt twice drove Vivian to the boundary through the covers, bringing up 100 in 130\minutes. When 62 Wyatt played one to Hadlee at cover, and had a narrow escape as the fieldsman just j failed to get to the ball. ! With the total at 137, Fishlock, who had been at the wicket for 52 minutes fqr 14, was caught at mid-on by Weir off Page at the second attempt.

Hammond Out For Four.

Hammond was given a rousing reception as he came in to partner Wyatt, who was 79. One hundred and fifty came up in 190 minutes, and then, to the disappointment of the crowd, Hammond hit one from Cowie straight to Wallace at cover, and was out for four. Cowie had taken one for • 23 off 17 overs. Leyland joined Wyatt, who was 88, and then ran into the nineties with a late clit for four off Cowie. He was applauded on repeating the stroke in the same over, bringing 160 up. This mad,e Wyatt 98. Page relieved Dunning, who had bowled with great heart over a long spell, and the change was at once effective, Leyland skying a full toss to Vivian at mid-on and falling for a single. Ames joined, Wyatt, who got a single off Vivian, making his score 99. Amos opened with a four through the covers off Vivian. Wyatt Gets His Century. The ,jtea adjournment was taken with the board showing 167 for five wickets —Wyatt 99, Ames 4. On resuming, Page took up the bowling and applause broke dtit all round the ground when Wyatt .reached the century with a single Off the first ball. He had been at the wickets 210 minutes. Ames reached double figures with a four past cover, and a three to long-on off Roberts, The board showed 200 at 4.20 p.m, Wyatt being 115, and Ames 22. The innings had been progress 232 minutes. Wyatt did some neat late cutting, and the pair were now going well and rims came freely, in spite of frequent changes of bowling. The partnership put on 50 in 31 minutes, and the batsmen continued to score at a steady rate.

Weir bowled for the first time and Ames powerfully cut his first ball to the pickets. Ames was shaping like a batsman in form, and ran into the sixties with a powerful drive to the fence off Vivian. Brilliant Catch. The partnership had now put on 100 in 74 minutes. With the total at 277 Wyatt’s long innings came to a close. He late-cut one from Weir, and Dunning took a brilliant right-handed catch in the slips, Wyatt had been in 288 minutes, and assisted Ames to put on 115 for the sixth wicket. Allen joined Ames, who was 67, and run-getting continued. At 314 Ames, who only required three runs to reach the century, was taken with a lefthand catch by Vivian off Dunning. Seven wickets wera down for 314. Verity joined Allen, and when stumps were drawn at 6 o’clock the board showed seven wickets for 334. Allen being 14 and Verity 8. Overcast Weather for Resumption. The weather was overcast but fine for the resumption. With the score at 336, Verity was caught off Cowie. Sims and Allen carried on, and in an hour had taken the secret to 353. Roberts kept a good length, and bowled well. ,He bowled Allen, the English captain, when the latter was well set and had reached 88. Sims and Voce were the last pair and Roberts had another wicket when Dunning took a catch to dismiss Sims. Voce carried his bat for a single. England’s score of 427 had taken 426 minutes to compile. Kerr and Hadlee, the Canterbury pair, opened for New Zealand, and after one extra had been scored, lunch adjournment was taken. Scores:— ENGLAND. First Innings. Wyatt, c Dunning, b Weir .; 144 Worthington, c Roberts, b Vivian . 15 Hardstaff, e Hadlee, b Vivian ... 22 Fishlock, c Weir, b Page 14 Hammond, c Wallace, b Cowie .. 4 Leyland, e Vivian, b Page 1 Ames, c Vivian, b Dunning 97 Allen, b Roberts 88 Verity, c Maloney, b Cowie ~. 10 Sims, c Dunning, b Roberts 13 Voce, not out 1 Extras 18 Total ! 427 Bowling. Cowie took 2 for 73, Roberts 2 for 58, ViVian 2 for 79, Dunning 1 for 100, Maloney 0 for 20, Page 2 for 38, Weir 1 for 41. Fall of Wickets: One for 33, two for 89, three for 137, four for 151, five for 162, six for 227, seven for 314, eight for 336, nine for 427, ten for 427. NEW ZEALAND.—First Innings. Hadlee, not out 2 Kerr, c Voce, b Allen > 0 Wallace, not out 0 Extras 1 Total for one wicket 3 LATEST SCORE.—New Zealand, 3 for 107. (Vivian (45) and Page are batting.) *