NEW ZEALAND CRICKETERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23223, 22 June 1937, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND CRICKETERS

GAME AGAINST MAORI CLUB ATMOSPHERE OF GARDEN PARTY NOTED PLAYERS TAKE PART

From Our Special Correspondent with

the New Zealand Team.)

LONDON, May 22,

Those New Zealand cricketers touring England for the first time had their first experience of private cricket clubs as they are conducted in many parts of England, especially nc-ar London, when they journeyed to Worcester Park to play the Maori Club. The club has tennis as well as cricket facilities on a ground larger than many public parks in New Zealand reached by about half an hour’s ride by train from London. Buses take spectators from the station to the ground along typical hedged lanes to where a winding drive through a large garden through which flows a sluggish stream leads up to a two-storeyed club house which, to a normal man, would serve as a comfortable family home for the rest of his life. The cricket ground, reached from the club house by way of a cobbled path with strips of lawn on either side, has a large pavilion with excellent facilities for baths and showers. The English fashion of deck chairs for spectators is followed. These are distributed round the edge of the playing area, providing accommodation so comfortable that it would be difficult to imagine a more pleasant way of watching cricket on a fine day. SPOILT BY RAIN Eight hundred guests attended the match, whiph was spoiled by rain, play being limited to two hours and a-half. A large marquee accommodated the guests at luncheon and there were smaller tents as afternoon tea and refreshment booths. Five New Zealanders played for the Maori Club, including M. P. Donnelly. The club may be said to be New Zealand in origin, as it was established and is conducted by the New Zealand Shipping Company. The other players were noted amateurs, the captain being Harold Gilligan, captain of the most popular English team that has ever visited New Zealand, and brother of Mr F. W Gilligan, headmaster of Wanganui Collegiate School, M. J. C. Allom, A, D. Baxter and E. T. Benson, who have all visited New Zealand with English teams, were other members, with C. S. Marriott, one of the very best slow < bowlers in England but one who is able to play only in May and August, and B H. Valentine, captain of Gloucester. Although the wicket had been covered, it was doubtful if the ground was fit for play, but the club agreed to bowl and field, so that the tourists got some wetweather practice. Maurice Allom. “Andy” Baxter, and “Father" Marriott were the bowlers, and it can be said that weaker attacks will be met by the New Zealanders. The slow bowler was quite difficult; his length was excellent and his flight deceptive. He took three wickets for 23. CAREFREE BATTING H. G. Vivian enjoyed himself, hitting five sixes in making 70 not out. Early in his innings he split his bat. but he went on using it till a piece about a foot long flew right out of it. M. W. Wallace also secured a good look at the ball, and W. A. Hadlee and M. L. Page had fairly lengthy stays early in the innings. The captain made a stroke at a fast ball which appeared to fly off his boot to the slips, where it was caught The skipper simply walked out, the whole thing looking suspiciously as if he seized the opportunity of retiring in order to give some of the others batting practice. The vice-captain also tried to make way for others, endeavouring to sacrifice his wicket by big hitting. Nearly every time he had a smite, however, the ball sailed for six The unfortunate part of the match was that J. R. Lamason and G. L. Weir, who were sent in early forpractice and who really required it, were unlucky enough to meet really good bowling by “ Father ” Marriott. PROMINENT SPORTSMEN New Zealanders predominated among the spectators, the fixture having something of the atmosphere of a garden party for New Zealanders temporarily in London, Interesting visitors from the point of view of the players were Captain R. Roberts and Mr E. Cordery (purser) of the Arawa. Noted Rugby players included H. G. Owen-Smith (full-back for England in 1935) and D. R. L, Stevenson (full-back in the 192 b All Blacks). J. A. Newman (coach in Canterbury for some seasons) was one of the umpires. With a friendly crowd, a pretty ground, and an excellent wicket, everything was ideal for enjoyable cricket except the weather. The players, after a month’s experience, have almost given up hope of playing in sunshine in London. TWO SUCCESSIVE VICTORIES HEARTENING DISPLAYS T. C. LOWRY’S FIRST GAME CAMBRIDGE, May 27. Two wins in four days made the fourth week of the tour of England the best experienced by the New Zealanders. After the loss to Glamorgan and the draw against Oxford University there was stimulus for the harder games to follow in the successes against Staffordshire and Cambridge University. The results were particularly pleasing, because of the success of the bowling and the effectiveness of the fielding. / Stoke-on-Trent, where the first game was played, is a municipal federation of the boroughs of Hanley. Stoke-Upon-Trent, Burston, Tunstall. Longton and Fenton into a city with a population greater than that of Auckland. It is famous for its pottery, but by no means unknown for its cricket. The county, in fact, had quite a good record last year, and is considered Ane of the stronger minor sides. The New Zealanders probably never expected to win there in two days. For one thing, they did not play the strongest team, M. L. Page, A. W. Roberts. J. Cowic, D. A. R. Moloney and E. W. Tindill all resting, the first-named because of a bad cold contracted at Cardiff and retained at Oxford, and the others because they had played in London Cardiff and Oxford. T. C. Lowry, the manager, made his first appearance as a player, and altogether it was a successful one. New Zealand met some good opening bowling in this match. It seems there is a good “new ball” bowler in almost every team in England. Means must be discovered to counteract this if the team is to be really successful In the first month no really good opening partnership gladdened the hearts of those interested in the future of the side. In each innincs one opening batsman failed and the other succeeded. An essential condition of success in the big matches later is the discovery and develonmcnt of a pair upon whom reasonable reliance can be nlaced. Perhaps more match practice will bring an irnnmvemonl. New Zealanders have little chance in fheir own country of developing competency against bowling of the pace frequently met here and it is only natural that they should take a little time to accustom themselves to playing it in England. E, L. Wakelin, who swung the pall considerably captured six wickets "or 42 runs and was mainly responsible for the score being as low as 119 Only three batsmen reached double figures W. A. Hadlee scoring 36, G. L Weir 26 and M W Wallace 14. The firstnarr.eo was again to the fore in ‘.he I second innings, when he showed really good form in scoring 60, When Tom Lowry and H. V. Vivian quickly scored 51 together for the eighth wicket. New Zealand was able to declare at 193.

DUNNING’S BOWLING This gave a good chance for a win, because the county had collapsed in the first innings for 68. This was almost solely due to some fine bowling by J. A. Dunning. Unchanged throughout tii( innings, he bowled 2] overs for 26 runs and eight wickets. He kept fight'ng the ball cleverly, kept a very steady length and got the most out of the wicket. He clean bowled four and had four caught and was never mastered. In the second innings “ Dad ” Weir, a much better bowler in England than in New Zealand, bowled finely, clean bowling three and having another caught in taking four for 46. In England he swings the ball late in an atmosphere which suits him and on his day is likely to bowl Walter Hammond. N. Gallichan in both innings came on after the shine was off the ball to bowl his left-hand slows with success, taking one for 27 in the first innings and two for eight in the second.

Although gained against a secondclass county this win was heartening, as is any victory gained by a touring team in two days. In 1931, it may be mentioned to illustrate how even a minor county may be difficult to beat on its own ground, New Zealand made only 190 and Staffordshire scored over BOG a i Stoke.

Cambridge, with its score of university colleges founded in the time of Edward 1 and still bound by statutes granted by Queen Elizabeth, provided a contrast to the industrial centre where the team met Staffordshire. ’ It also differed from Oxford, perhaps having the liveliness of Auckland compared with the sedateness of Dunedin. Oxford however, has the larger university. Twenty-eight colleges and two halls make it the largest in the British Isles. Cambridge, as a town, is also not so interested in its cricket. At Oxford big crowds watched the play. At Cambridge the attendances were comparatively small. STRONGEST TEAM FIELDED

The strongest team was fielded at Cambridge, except perhaps for the omission of M. P. Donnelly and Jack Kerr, and, of course. Eric Tindill. The full bowling battery was, however, on parade. This was out of regard for the good record of the university last year and its known strength this season, with really good batsmen like N. W. D. Yardley. who plays for Yorkshire, and M. Tindall, who has appeared for Middlesex. However, the tourists started the match like a winning combination and never lost their grip. Jack Dunning, again on a wicket which gave some help, secured six wickets for 42 runs in 25 overs, the last four costing only 11 runs, and Norman Gallichan pegged away for 16 overs in dismissing three for 20. The University made only 102.

New Zealand scored only 135, easily the highlight of the day being another artistic innings of Merv. Wallace for 71. A really delightful little player when at his best, he played the two most attractive innings of the first month of the team’s experience in England, one at Oxford and one at Cambridge, The first innings lead was a small one, but it proved enough. “ Sonny ” Moloney, whose slow bowling is being cultivated carefully because he is the only right-hand legspinner in the side, again turned up trumps, taking five for 23. His bowling has the desirable quality of deceotive simpleness, appearing to lure batsmen to doom by its very harmless appearance. They go forward to drive, find too late that the ball is falling quicker than they expect, make their strokes hurriedly, and are either stumped or caught. The only notable success this bowling achieved in New Zealand was four for 70 for the North Island against the South in 1935-36, but it has certainly been effective so far in England, almost inevitably raising the question of how much stronger the attack would have been if -the selectors, having lost their first-choice slow bowler, had included L. J. Groves (Dunedin) or I. B. Cromb (Christchurch). GOOD FIELDING Incidentally, a pleasing feature of both matches was the number of catches accepted. The 1937 team certainly appears to be ahead of those of 1927 and 1931 in giving support to the bowlers, over half the batsmen who fell being victims of co-operative dismissals at Stoke and Cambridge. “ Wally ” Hadlee made four catches, W. N. Carson three, Alby Roberts three, and J. R. Lamason two, while four stumpings were made by Tom Lowry. As long as the slip catches are taken when offered from the faster bowlers on the faster wickets, which must be met soon, the team should have a fine fielding record in England. The placing of the field to all bowlers has been a subject c* much study, and has been effective in nearly all games. The captain, too, played his part in the victory at Cambridge by a fine halfcentury in the first innings, if he had not already done more than his share on the first day by sound judgment in sending the opposition in after winning the toss.