CRICKET TOUR

Southland Times, Issue 20200, 10 June 1927, Page 7

CRICKET TOUR

NEW ZEALAND TEAM MATCH AGAINST WORCESTER HIGH PRAISE FOR LOWRY (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) London, June 9. Worcester were without the services of their best batsman, Foster, and their best bowler, Root, but they gave the New Zealanders a scare by getting rid of three batsmen before the innings was well started. The visitors were in a nasty hole, from which two fine partnerships, first between Lowry and Allcott and then Dacre and McGirr, extricated them. Lowry and Dacre in particular rose nobly to the occasion. Tarbox and Price started the bowling triumphantly and might have delivered the deathblow if mid-off had accepted a chance which Lowry gave before he had scored, but the New Zealand captain, undismayed, settled down with Allcott’s able assistance to tackle precisely the sort of job in which he revels. The captain was again missed when 13, but otherwise batted splendidly. Both his driving and cutting were magnificent. His 74 occupied 105 minutes and included ten boundaries. A well-known judge has expressed the opinion that English cricket suffered a great loss when Lowry left for New Zealand, and that he undoubtedly has a great cricket personality. With Dacre and McGirr together the score received another excellent lift, this pair putting on 115. Dacre gave another typically brave exhibition and hit both hard and attractively. The score, which at lunch read three wickets for 65, by the tea adjournment had reached eight wickets for 270, but the remainder failed, leaving Merritt once again with a not out innings. Tarbox, who got six wickets for 88 and bore the brunt of the bowling, deserved his wickets. When the county went in they did little better than New Zealand. The batting was rather dismal, the men evidently being afraid of the slow bowlers. The New Zealand fielding was excellent. Worcestershire has lost four for 123. The following are the scores:— NEW ZEALAND. —First Innings— Mills lbw b Price 2 James b Tarbox g Page c Gibbons b Tarbox 0 Lowry b Spencer 74 Allcott c Spencer b Tarbox ...... 35 Oliver c Fox b Tarbox 0 Dacre b Tarbox 82 McGirr b Gibbons 48 Bernau c Fox b Tarbox 9 Merritt, not out 4 Henderson c Fox b Gibbons 1 Extras .. 15 Total 276 Bowling analysis: Tarbox, six wickets for 88 runs; Price, one for 78; Wright, none for 16; Fox, none for 7; Doventry, none for 16; Spencer, one for 34; Gibbons, two for 27. WORCESTERSHIRE. —First Innings— King b Merritt 18 Wright lbw b Allcott 7 Gibbons b Allcott 19 Fox not out 48 Spencer, b Merritt .. .. 26 Tarbox, not out . .. ~ 0 Total for four wickets .. .. 123 NOTES BY “ONLOOKER.” Blunt is the first of the New Zealanders to pass the 600 mark. Mills, Lowry and Dempster have all reached the 500 runs mark. Worcestershire, against whom the visitors are at present playing, was the weakest of the first-class counties last season, finishing at the bottom of the championship table. It will be noticed that the mainstay of Worcester’s attack, C. F. Root, is not playing. Root played for England with much success last season and exploited the leg theory to a nicety. Without him, however, the attack, thanks mainly to C. V. Tarbox, proved effective enough, the tourists being dismissed for well under the 300. Tarbox, by the way, last year proved himself to be a good batsman and as he is still a young man, is sure to improve. He took 36 wickets last season at an average of 30 runs apiece. H. V. Fox and L. Wright, neither of whom secured wickets in the New Zealand’s first innings, are two professionals, new to the county last season. Both are bowlers. Lowry is consistency itself and certainly merits the high opinions expressed at Home about his ability as a batsman and all-round cricketer. Dacre comes back again with a solid 82, while McGirr and Allcott are also proving their worth as all-rounders in this game. Merritt is there again and refuses to be beaten. Eight not outs in 14 innings is his record. Two hundred and seventy-six on the slate and three down for 78 is good reading, and with M. K. Foster, the county’s best batsman out of the road, New Zealand should just about annex their second victory. PRACTICE MATCH On May 4 the New Zealand team played a practice match, which was not reported by cable, against the Berkhamstead Club. The game was limited to one day, and the teams were 12 a-side. Scores : Berkhamstead, 153; New Zealanders, 220 for six wickets. RESULTS TO DATE. The following are the results of the matches played to date: — Martineau’s XI. Drawn.—New Zealand 9 for 586; Martineau’s XI, 256 and 6 for 163. M.C.C. Drawn.—New Zealand, 460 and four for 224; M.C.C., 392 and 4 for 426. Essex. Lost by five wickets.—New Zealand, 289 and 208; Essex, 373 and 5 for 125. Cambridge University. Lost by five wickets.—New Zealand, 315 and 205; Cambridge, 255 and 5 for 267. Middlesex. Lost by three wickets.—New Zealand, 234 and 335; Middlesex, 290 and 7 for 280. Royal Navy. Abandoned.—New Zealand 194 and two for 164; Royal Navy, 144 and 275. Sussex. Won by eight wickets.—New Zealand, 466 and two for 43; Sussex, 316 and 191. Club Conference. Drawn.—New Zealand 213 and five for 183; Club Conference, 204 and seven for 252. Oxford University. Drawn.—New Zealand, 263 and six for 214; Oxford, 337 and 229. LIST OF CENTURIES. The following centuries have so far been made during the tour:—

For. Against. Blunt . . . 119 Wilkinson . . 101 Mills .... 188 Titchmarsh . . 171 Dacre . . . 101 Lyon .... 110 Dacre . . . 107 Allen .... •104 Lowry . . . 106 Seabrook . . 106 Page .... 134 Dawson . . . 107 Lowry . . . 106 Tuck .... 125 Dempster . . *109 Hunt .... 100 Newman . . 133 Holmes . . 165 •Not out. AVERAGES TO DATE. With nine matches played, the following are the averages of the team:— BATTING. In. N.O. II. TI. Av. T. C. Lowry . 12 1 106 588 53.45 R. C. Blunt . 14 1 119 654 50.30 W. E. Merritt 13 7 *49 277 46.16 C. S. Dempster 15 2 *109 535 41.15 J. E. Mills .. . 15 1 188 558 39.85 C. F. W. AUcott 7 3 46 137 34.25

C. C. Dacre .. 12 0 107 405 .33.75 M. L. Page .. .. 13 0 134 376 28.92 H. M. McGirr . 12 1 72 247 22.45 K. C. James .. . 14 0 54 282 20.14 E. II. L. Bernau 9 1 41 122 15.25 C. J. Oliver .. 10 2 28 120 15.00 M. Henderson . 6 1 30 63 12.60 W. Cunningham 6 1 23 47 9.40 ‘Signifies not out. BOWLING. Runs. Wckts. Av. M. L. Page . • 50 5 10.00 W. E. Merritt .. 1032 41 25.17 H. M. McGirr .. 824 31 26.58 R. C. Blunt .. 829 28 29.28 E. H. L. Bernau 452 15 30.13 C. C. Dacre .. 69 2 34.50 C. F. W. Alcott 260 7 37.14 M. Henderson . 460 12 38.33 W. Cunningham 287 6 47.83 C. J. Oliver .. 69 1 69.00 T. C. Lowry .. 106 1 106.00 C. S. Dempster . 8 0 —