CRICKET

Southland Times, Issue 21772, 29 July 1932, Page 6

CRICKET

TEST TRIAL. INTERRUPTION by rain. (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright.) London, July 27. The Test trial, England v. The Rest, was interrupted by rain. This is the first representative match ever played in Wales. There has been some criticism in this connection as the wicket is unlikely to provide even a remote resemblance to Australian conditions. Larwood found the foothold insecure, but with the total at 12 he dismissed Pataudi on the occasion of the Indian’s first trial as Sutcliffe’s partner. The teams were:— England.—Jardine (captain) Duleepsinhji, Allen, Verity, Brown, Pataudi, Sutcliffe, Hammond, Duckworth, Voce, Paynter. The Rest.—Wyatt (captain), K. Fames (Essex), Tyldesley, Woolley, Keeton, Ames, Scott (Sussex), Mitchell (Derbyshire), Larwood, Leyland, A. Staples. The score were:— ENGLAND. First Innings. Sutcliffe st Ames b Mitchell 23 Pataudi c Woolley b Larwood 3 Duleepsinhji not out 92 Hammond c Larwood b Mitchell 8 Jardine not out ' 40 Extras 14 Total, three wickets for 180 ALL INDIA v. NORTHUMBERLAND. London, July 27. Playing Northumberland, All-India, in the first innings, put up 68 runs for the loss of eight wickets. BLACKBURN CLUB. CROMB’S APPOINTMENT. London, July 27. The Blackbum Club, before signing on I. B. Cromb, approached Jupp, Dick Tyldesley and the South African, Morkel. It is reported that the New Zealander, W. E. Merritt, who is now playing for Rishton, took a prominent part in the negotiations. Interviewed regarding his engagement to play for the Blackburn Club in Lancashire League cricket I. B. Cromb, the Canterbury and New Zealand representative, stated to a Christchurch Press representative that it was quite correct that he had been negotiating, through his business partner, W. E. Merritt, for an engagement with a club in the Lancashire League. He had received a cablegram from Merritt, who is playing for the Rishton Club, to the effect that he had found a position for him with a good club at a good salary. Merritt had not informed what club it was, but from the United Press Association message he presumed that it was East Lancashire, which had its headquarters at Blackbum.

Cromb will leave for England, to take up his engagement at the beginning of April, 1933, and will be accompanied by Merritt, who is expected to return for the New Zealand season about October 15. Cromb has no intention of qualifying for county cricket, and, like Merritt, intends to play in New Zealand during the English winter. He intends to play in England for only one or two years. Arrangements have been made for the caryingonof Cromb and Merritt’s sports business during their absence.

Members of the New Zealand team who toured England in 1931 were required to sign an agreement not to accept engagements in England for two years. Cromb states that his period will have expired by the time he leaves New Zealand next April. He has, however, placed his position before the New Zealand Cricket Council, which body disqualified Merritt from participation in International cricket in New Zealand for a breach of this agreement. Cromb is 27 years of age. He was educated at the Christchurch Boys’ High School, where he gained a reputatioh as a batsman and an off-break bowler. In a Heathcote Williams Shield match in 1922 he registered his out-

standing performance, scoring 156 and taking six wickets for six runs. Cromb has been a valuable all-rounder in the Canterbury team for the last three seasons, and gained a place in the New Zealand team that toured England in 1931, as well as in the Dominion teams that played the South Africans last season.

As an amateur coach Cromb has done some good work among schoolboys, and has coached the first eleven of the Christchurch Boys’ High School since 1925. He played for St. Albans and High School Old Boys for some years after leaving school, but in the re-shuf-fle among the senior clubs last year he joined Lancaster Park, being the club’s leading all-rounder.