DOMINION CRICKETERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20985, 23 September 1931, Page 15

DOMINION CRICKETERS.

THREE LOSSES SUSTAINED. OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES. RETURNING TO AUCKLAND. The tour of the New Zealand cricket team in England and Scotland has come to an end, and the players will return by the Ruahine, which is due at Auckland on November 1. Everyone must agree that the team has been highly successful from a playing point of view. It lost but three of its 37 matches. Two of these matches, however, were regarded as friendly games, and were not taken into account in framing the averages. I he matches referred to were the opening practice against the Maori Club, and tho last game against Sir Julien Calm's team, when each side was composed of twelve players. The New Zealand side in the latter match contained Mr. A. T. Donnelly, chairman of the management committco of tho New Zealand Cricket Council, who went Home some time after tho team, but who has travelled with it ever since. Tho New Zcalanders have put up oncor two notable performances. In the fourth match of their tour they defeated a strong M.C.C. eleven by an innings and 122 runs. The Englishmen wero dismissed for 132 runs and 48 runs in their rcspectivo innings. This early victory made tho English critics i-it up and take notice, besides giving great encouragement to tho team's supporters at this end. Joined Select Band. Another very creditable performance was registered by the touring team in the first test, match, in which England was represented by a very powerful combination. New Zealand scored 224 and dismissed seven of its opponents for 190. It then looked to hold the upper hand, but Ames and Allen were responsible for a record eighth-wicket partnership of 246 runs, and England's innings closed for 454, this giving the Home team a lead of 230 runs. Everybody agreed that this was a big deficit to face, and there were many who predicted an overwhelming defeat of the touring side. In New Zealand's second innings Mills went first ball, but, as could have been expected, this was not tho beginning of tho end. Dempster and Weir put their backs to tho wall, and, after Weir's dismissal with a shooter, Pago assisted Dempster to break the back of the English attack. Both batsmen passed the century, and so joined the select band who have scored a century on their 'first appearance in test matches. New Zealand's second innings realised 469 for the loss of nine wickets. This placed Lowry in tho position of being able to declare and leave his opponents with 240 runs to get for victory. England lost five of its best -svickets in making 146 runs. The match thus ended in a draw. Uphill Fight. The wonderful uphill fight made by tb» New Zealanders caused the selectors of the English side to do some hard thinking, and to strengthen their team where it was considered weak. The result was that another very strong eleven was chosen for the second test, which resulted in a victory for England by an innings and 26 runs. The English critics agreed that the luck of this game was all against New Zealand. The most pleasing feature of the game from a New Zealand viewpoint was the splendid innings of 61 played by the eighteen-year-old Auckland colt, H. G. Vivian, in tho touring team's second innings. The third test match was utterly spoiled by rain, play being possible only on the last day. There were other instances of tho great all-round ability of the New Zealand team, and a remarkable feature of the tour has been that only on very rare occasions has the whole side failed. Someone has usually como to light with the bat. The fielding on the whole has been excellent, although dropped catches may have meant tho difference between victory and a drawn game. Handling of Attack. Tho bowling was a doubtful quantity when the team sailed from these shores, but it proved more forniidablo than most people thought it would. Indeed, in the earlier part of the tour, it was remarkable how the opposition was dismissed so cheaply. Lowry's handling of the attack must have been responsible in no small degree. The bowling fell away toward the end of the tour, but this was only to bo expected, as tho players bora mo a little wearied and tho wickets wero harder and more to tho liking of the batsmen. The one disappointing feature of the tour has been tho manner in which play has been interrupted by rain. This has had a big effect upon the gates. Nevertheless, the New Zealand Cricket Council should bo able to show a handsome profit when its revenue from the big art union is taken into account. Tho tour could have resulted much better financially, but, from a playing point of view, every New Zcalander must feel proud at heart of his country's representatives. Performances as a Team. Comparisons at any time are odious, and tho performances of the 1931 team can scarcely bo pitted against thoso of tho 1927 combination. This season the number of matches played against minor counties was much fewer than when the ■first team went Homo. It has been stated in thb South that certain members of the team have been disappointing. Weir has been quoted in this respect. It must be remembered, however, that tho ATicklander has been called upon to do a great deal of bowling and this must havo had on effect upon his batting. Readers will be able to draw their own conclusions from the averages already published, but, averages or no averages, tho thing that counts is that tho New Zealanders have played as a team, not as individuals striving for record scores. This has been largely responsible for the fact that the side is returning with the splendid record of having suffered but threo defeats by the cream of English cricket. Such figures aro better than those of individual performances. There are ono or two points worth mentioning in regard to the tour. The first is that Blunt's score of 225, not out, against the Gentlemen of England, is the highest ever made by a Now Zealander in first-class cricket, and it is higher than that registered by any Englishman against the touring side. Tho New Ze.ihinders scored twenty-four centuries, as against twenty-three made against them. It is interesting to note that eight New Zealanders passed the century mark on this tour, whereas but six Australians did so last season in England. The thrce-figuro scorers for the Australians were Bradman, Woodfull, Kippax, Ponsford, Richardson, Jackson, while New Zealand's contributors wero Blunt, Dempster, Lowry, Pago, Mills, Vivian, Weir, Cromb.