CRICKET

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20101, 18 May 1927, Page 9

CRICKET

THE NEW ZEALAND TEAM ESSEX ALL OUT FOR 373. M'GIRR TAKES SIX WICKETS. VISITORS THREE FOR SEVENTYTWO.

(Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright.) LONDON, May 16. The match between the New Zealand cricketers and Essex was continued today. The Nc V Zealanders, in their first innings, made 289, and Essex, which had two wickets down for 57 on the first day, replied with 373. When stumps were drawn New Zealand in their second innings had lost three wickets for 72. The weather was dull and cold with rain threatening when play was resumed. Rain had fallen overnight, but the pitch was not seriously affected. The New Zealanders’ attack was shared by Bernau and M’Girr, but Blunt soon relieved the former, who later was fielding at mid-off. Unfortunately he missed Cutmore when he had reached 26. At 90' Merritt took over the ball, but the howling generally, with the exception of M’Girr, was erratic. * At lunch the total had reached 206 for four wickets, and cn resuming Russell and Ashton scored so fast that 74 runs were added in 40 minutes. The game then toojk a turn in the visitors’ favour, as M’Girr in one over clean bowled Russell and got Douglas and Morris caught in the slips. Both were superb catches by Dempster. Lowry, who is not a regular bowler, went on himself, and got O’Connor, whose 65 included nine fours. Rain suspended play for 10 minutes. The Ashton playing for Essex is Hubert, not Claude, Ashton. Scores: ESSEX. First Innings. Cutmore, c Dacre, b Merritt 47 Freeman, Jbw, b M’Girr 30 Hipkin, run out 0 O'Connor, Ibw, b Lowry 65 Russell, b M’Girr 76 H. Ashton, b M'Girr 52 Douglas, c Dempster, b M’Girr ... 0 Morris, c Dempster, b M’Girr 0 Nicholls, c Lowry, b Cunningham ... 61 Meston, b M’Girr 0 Eastman, not out 15 Extras x 27 Total ... 373 Bowling Analysis.—Bernau, none for 47; Cunningham, one for 50; M’Girr, six for 77; Merritt, one for 68; Blunt, none for 50; Dacre, none for 8; Lowry, one for 42; Oliver, none for 4.

NEW ZEALAND. First innings 289 Second Innings. Blunt, b O’Connor 21 Mills, c Douglas, b Eastman 0 James, c Hipkin, b O’Connor 26 Lowry, not out 13 Dempster, not out 5 Extras 7 Total for three wickets 72

An obvious mistake in the cable messages, as received, consisted in the repetition of the name of Eastman in the Essex innings. As L. C. Eastman generally goes in towards the end of the county’s innings, and as he was the only player of the name in the Essex eleven last season it is reasonable to assume that it was he who went in last wicket on Monday. Who was it, then, who went in first along with S. A. Cut more? ‘ If there was not another Eastman, as the cable would have had us suppose, then it will have been a player with a somewhat similar name. Freeman generally went in first for Essex last year, and for that reason it is conjectured that the name “Eastman’ ’in the cable in this case was a mistake for ‘ ‘Freeman.” This conjecture is not, however, offered very confidently, for it was considered doubtful whether Freeman, having accepted a position as a school coach, would be available for county cricket this year. The second day’s play in the match at Leyton has left the New Zealanders in a worse position than they occupied on Saturday. They cannot win the match, and they will-have to put up a good performance with their remaining wickets in the second innings if they arc to escape defeat. Their bowling on Monday, except on the part of M'Girr, seems to have been relished by the Essex batsmen, some of whom are little short of the first-class rank. Russell, Freeman, Cutmore, and O’Connor all scored more than a thousand runs last season, the most successful of them being Russell, who, it will be remembered, was a member of the English team that visited Australia in 1920-21 and played in the English team in the test match at Manchester in 1921. His average for Essex last year was 48.55 runs per innings, Freeman being next with 39,21, and Donglas third with 37.07. Hubert Ashton was unable to play at all on behalf of Essex last season, and Nichols was not very successful with the bat. The proof that the New Zealand bowling was very fully tested on Monday is supplied in the fact that both Lowry and Oliver had a turn at the crease. The success achieved by M’Girr is gratifying, and one of his overs, in which three wickets were secured, was a bright patch in the Essex innings. For two of his wickets M’Girr was indebted to superb catches by Dempster in the slips. Demp : stcr’s place in the field has generally been •‘in the country,” where he is a tireless worker, saving many runs through his alertness and activity, and it would seem likely that the need, which obviously existed, for strengthening the fielding in the slips, is being met at the expense of additional boundary hits to the opposing batsmen. The New Zealanders will begin their match against Cambridge University today. CRICKET IN AUSTRALIA. COVERING OF THE WICKET. SYDNEY, May 17. The New South Wales Cricket Association decided in favour of having all wickets covered in accordance with the Marylebone rules.

It was also decided to limit the hours of play of Sheffield Shield matches to four days and two hours and a-half on the fifth day. ,

THE SMALLER BALL. LONDON, May 16, (Received May 17, at 8 p.m.)

The Daily Mail, in a leader, says that although at present the trickier wickets show that the smaller ball is not so innocuous as it at first appeared the batsmen seem definitely to have g; ined the upper hand.—Sydney Sun Gable.