CRICKET

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 7 June 1927, Page 5

CRICKET

NEW ZEALAND V. OXFORD

HOME TEAM IN STRONG POSITION

DROPPED CATCH PROVES EXPENSIVE

(By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) (Australian A. N.Z. Cable Association)

(Received 7th June, 11.55 a.m.) LONDON, 6th June.

Heavy rain on Sunday and showers at intervals to-day aflccLed the pitch, but the Oxford bowlers did not seize tho opportunity immediately, and for two hours the batting had the upper hand.

Blunt and Mills scored at a good pace and the former's dismissal was almost accidental. He cut at a ball wide of tlm off stump, and caught it on the driving part of the bat. Greenstoek, at backward point, dived for it, and brought off a splendid catch a few inches from the ground. At lunch the lotal had progressed to two for 128.

, Mills played immaculately and Lowry had just,appeared to have mastered the bowling when lie was bowled off his pads bv a ball from Greenstoek, which turned in sharply. The Varsity fielding and bowling then improved considerably and gained the upper hand, though Greenstoek gave Allcott too many opportunities to reach the boundary with leg strokes. Dacre batted for a brief period in bis Lord s form against M.G.C., but the. improvement in Oxford’s out cricket stopped the scoring. The tail end rnen failed arid the total, which once promised to pass the ’Varsity score reached only 263. Allcott’s recovery has strengthened New Zealand’s attack. He should have had Crawley’s wicket, when Oxford went in again, but a had miss at short, leg proved disastrous, as the batsman scored freelv and is still in with 69 to his credit. . .

’Varsity is now in a. strong position and New Zealand may suffer another loss. Scores:

Oxford —Ist innings 337. NEW ZEALAND—Ist Tunings. Dempster, c Serrurier, b Greenstoek 47 Blunt, c Gmistook) b Serrurier 38 Mills, c, Holmes, b MeCanlis 54 Lowry, b Greenstoek 29 Allcott, c Nunn, b Greenstoek 35 Page, lbw. b Greenstoek 8 James, b Desilva 0 Dacre, lbw. b Greenstoek 23 McGirr, run out 3 Merritt, not out 11 Henderson, lbw, b MeCanlis 8 Extras .'. 7 Total 263 Bowling: Holmes none for <22; McCanlis two for 60; Serrurier one for 49; Greenstoek five for 91 ; Desilva one for 34. OXFORD—2nd Innings Crawley, not out 69 Cazalet, c Page, b McGirr 13 Nunn, b Allcott 0 Holmes, net cut 17 Extras :4 Two wickets for 113 Stumps were drawn. AUSTRALIANS DEFEATED SINGAPORE, 6th June. - At cricket Malaya defeated the Australians by 39 runs.