DOMINION CRICKETERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20923, 13 July 1931, Page 6

DOMINION CRICKETERS.

IJY 0. S. lIINTZ,

FIRST DEFEAT OF TOUR.

COSTLY DROPPED CATCHES.

FINE BOWLING BY CROMB.

Special Correspondent with tho Team,

CAMBRIDGE, June 3.

For the first time in their tour of England the New Zealand cricketers have tasted defeat. They were boatcn by Middlesex at Lord's by 79 runs, and for tho visitors it was a game of missed chances, in batting as well as fielding. Even after their lamentable batting display in the first innings, they pulled the game round marvellously, 'only to make bad mistakes at critical stages. ' T. C. Lowry lost the toss on the Saturday and for the first time on the tour New Zealand did not have the chance of the wicket. The cricket in the morning was good to watch. H. J. Enthoven, one of England's leading amateur batsmen, gave the county side an excellent start. The New Zealand bowling before lunch was not all it might have been, and with the wicket all in favour of the batsmen it seemed that a large score might be registered against the tourists. After lunch it was a different matter. I. B. Cromb, who had already taken two out of three wickets, rose to the occasion nobly and established a definite superiority over the other batsmen. Middlesex was all out for 241, and Cromb came off the field with the fine figures of: 3i overs, 12 maidens, 70 runs, 8 wickets. Cromb to date ~is unquestionably the " find " of the tour. He has developed amazingly as a bowler and will be even more dangerous when he bowls on faster wickets. He bowls the away swinger—a ball which he never had in New Zealand excellently, and varies it with one that Jbe cuts in from the off so suddenly that it is likely to find the best of batsmen napping. This is exactly what it did with N. Haig, the Middlesex captain, who was clean bowled in the first innings by a ball which he. did not attempt to play. .

Hendren and Allen.

The two outstanding batsmen for Middlesex were Hendren and G. 0. Allen, the latter an all-rounder of note who played for England against the Australians last season and is a candidate for selection in the next English team to go in search of the " ashes." Allen's was the most spectacular innings, but Hendren's, if only for the manner in -which he played the slow bowling, was infinitely the more brilliant. He used his feet remarkably well and frequently walked three or lour yards up the pitch to kill Merritt's " googly." _ Apart from Oromb, R. G. Blunt and .j>,. o. Talbot performed a valuable service by keeping the runs down at the other end. It was the fielding that was at fault. Some fine catches were taken but some easy ones were dropped. Middlesex should never have been allowed to pass 200. „ , Before stumps were drawn on tne baturday New Zealand lost' two valuable wickets. G. L. Weir was bowled by a beautiful fast ball from Allen and J. -U Kerr walked in front to a top spinner from I. A. E. Peebles. Further disaster occurred on the Monday morning. M. L. Page and H. G. Vivian were out for the addition of only four runs and the New Zealanders had to put their backs to the wall. . . , , T. 0. Lowry played tenacious cncKet for an hour to score 17, and during this time lost both J. E. Mills and Talbot. He was out himself to an excellent catch bv Peebles o2 Durston and Blunt j and Cromb came together to save the followon Cromb then proceeded to hit out and scored 25 in 20 minutes. It was zood, clean hitting and one wished that some of the earlier batsmen had been able to play such an innings instead of playing wild shots when they did decide to hit. Last Wicket Partnership. One of the most memorable incidents of the match was the fine last wicket partnership • between K. C. James and W. E. Merritt. James had injured a hand in playing back to Allen and bad to leave the field for a time He returned after Blunt's dismissal and, batting to all intents and purposes with the use oi only one hand, kept his wicket intact while Merritt attacked the bowling. The pair put on 31 valuable runs and even three chances could not mar Merritt s dl The 7 second Middlesex innings saw New Zealand obtain a glorious opportunity, only to lose it through bad fielding.,hm start was very similar to that of the first innings, Hearne and Enthoven scoring steadily, but after their dismissal Merritt struck a length and bowled really well. Hendren gave a stumping chance at 23, but was out 10 runs later and Middlesex- had .lost seven wickets for 143. Here was New Zealand's great chance. Middlesex has a pronounced tail, and there was a prospect of the county side being dismissed for very few over 150. Durston came in, was missed before he had scored, and then used the long handle to collect 49 in quick time and, incidentally', save his side. This was not the only dropped catch in the innings and it was entirely due to weak fielding, coupled with the poor batting of the first innings, that the New Zealanders were left with 315 to make for victory on the final day. Even then, that task should not have been beyond them. The wicket, was still easy and although three wickets were down for 43, Blunt and Page were seen together in a fine partnership, which looked like winning tne match. However, the luncheon interval was something in the nature of a stumbling block to the batsmen. Shortly after resumption Blunt returned an easy catch to Peebles off a weak shot and then Page, after defending stubbornly, took it into his head to chase the googly bowler and was stumped yards out of his crease.

Weir Run Out, Worse was to follow, for, with the total past 200, G. L. Weir, who was showing that wonderfully sound form which has won so many games for Auckland, was lamentably run out by Talbot. He had hit Allen perfectly through the covers and had run an easy three. There was certainly a quick fourth run, but Weir decided not to take it. Suddenly he turned to find Talbot running up the pitch. He tried desperately to make the other end but Allen, receiving the ball from the return, threw it to the wicketkeeper, who whipped off the bails. This was New Zealand's last hope and although Merritt made another plucky effort, the innings closed for 235. After the game I talked to both Hendren and Mr. "Plum" Warner, chairman of:the English selection committee. I do not think that it was altogether kindness which made them say that New Zealand did not deserve to lose the match. " Your fellows had the but did not make the most of them," Hendren said. " I am certain that we had the best of the luck, but what was igood luck'on otir part was bad management on yours." . , Mr/Warner is emphatic that the .New Zealanders were not disgraced in their defeat. The Middlesex bowling, he said, was more accurate than was usually the case, and the New batting failure in the first innings was just one of those things that happen. I can promise you that we shall not underestimate you !n the test," he said. "Naturally, we shall want to try out one or two young players in place of those - whose test careers are finished, but from a cricket point of view we shall treat you exactly as if you were an A usivalian eleven.' In 'spite of the Middlebox match, it would not pay us to do otherwise.*?