N.Z. CRICKETERS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 55, Issue 3928, 19 July 1937, Page 8

N.Z. CRICKETERS

THE TOUR OF ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. On the way to Scotland, the New Zealand cricketers have been playing a two day game with Durham. A three day fixture with Scotland at Glasgow and a two day one with Scotland at Dunfermline will lead up to the second test with England at Manchester on July 24, 26 and 27. A match against Durham is usually fitted into the itinerary of a touring team, so that it can break the journey to or from Scotland. Generally a two day fixture is played. The 1931 New Zealand team played Durham at Sunderland. No play was possible on the first day through rain, and a new wicket was prepared for the second. On this C. F. W. Allcott, left hand slow-medium, bowled wonderfully well, taking seven wickets for 50 runs in helping to dismiss the county for 145. New Zealand scored 216 for six wickets, I. B. Cromb (Canterbury) scoring his only century of the tour with 106. In 1927 the game was played at Chester-Le-Street. New Zealand forced a brilliant win by 10 wickets. On the first day the tourists quickly made 373, C. S. Dempster being in his best form in scoring 178. It was the first century of the tour, and included four sixes and 21 fours. Durham scored 254, but collapsed in the second innings for 123. M. Henderson (left Land fast-medium) captured five wickets for 56 and two for five, and W. Cunningham (right hand medium) four for 25. Durham is not one of the stronger minor counties nowadays; in fact, it did not win a match last year in the minor county championship. The county is, however, conveniently situated geographically as a calling place for touring teams. The outstanding player is J. Carr, who has made 3194 runs at 20.47 an innings, and taken 354 wickets at 14.2 each in his long career with Durham. He scored 35 and took two wickets for 55 against the 1931 New Zealand team, and captured three wickets for 56 in 1927. H. H. Gibbon, a professional, was for many seasons the leading batsman for the county, but he has now signed on with Bacup, in the Lancashire League. The visit to Durham is usually a week-end one, and as such is one of the great experiences of the tour, for the visiting players are invariably taken for a drive through the wonderful scenic country of Durham, Northumberland, Cumberland and Yorkshire. Playing Scotland, the New Zealanders will meet a team composed mainly, if not wholly, of amateur players, but one not easy to beat. The 1931 New Zealanders won at Glasgow, but that was the first time for nearly three decades that a visiting international side has beaten Scotland. More than once, of course, rain has come to the rescue of-the home players, but generally they can manage to make a draw of it, even against the full strength of Australia, or South Africa.

In Soctland, cricket control is divided into unions. The Western District Union Includes Uddingston, Clydesdale, West of Scotland, Poloe, Drumpellier, Ferguslie, Kilmarnock, Ayr, and Kelburn, clubs with some of the best players in Scotland. The professionals play a prominent part, outstanding being A. Hipkins, formerly of Essex. He regularly takes his 100 wickets and makes his 1000 runs in club games. John Kerr, a really fine cricketer, who would probably have made a high name for himself had he been able to play first class cricket regularly, is a well equipped batsman, who plays for Greenock. He usually appears against the visiting international teams for Scotland. The Border League is another governing organisation, embracing such clubs as Carlisle, Fife, Uddingston, Selkirk, Galashiels and Hawick. A. P. Ling is a fine cricketer in the Border League. Occasionally he has played in county cricket for Glamorgan. The North of Scotland Association carries on without professionals, but las some of the most entertaining club cricket in Scotland. Leading clubs are Inverness, Nairn and Huntiy. Stratmore Union is the youngest of the cricket leagues in Scotland, controlling the territory from Dundee to Aberdeen. Edinburgh has strongclaims but the league system of competition cricket does not appeal there and the games are confined mostly to ■‘friendly” matches by "former pupils' ’’ clubs, or what we call old boys’ clubs in New Zealand. Grange, which is usually strong enough to play the pick of the other clubs, has a wonderful ground at Raeburn Place. Carlton, the next strongest club, also has a fine playing area known as Grange Loan. A. W. Crosskey, their professional, is a fine cricketer, generally scoring 1000 runs in a season. University cricket in Scotland is nothing like as strong as that of England. Now and again a good side is produced, but generally through the strengthening influence of a player or two from overseas, such as D. Burnett, the captain of Glasgow Academy in 1934, who was a West Indian. The public schools produce good players, but they usually cross the border or go abroad when their work in life begins, and are lost to the game in Scotland. The 1927 New Zealand team, which has many second class fixtures in its programme, played four matches in Scotland—against Scotland at Glasgow, against Scottish clubs at Broughty Ferry against Edinburgh clubs at Edinburgh, afcd against South of'Scotland at Galashiels. The first two were drawn and the other two won. C. S. Dempster enjoyed the visit, making 154 against Scottish Counties, and 65 and 45 not out against Edinburgh Clubs. Against Scotland M. L. Page bowled very steadily, as he often did on that tour, taking six wickets for 76 runs in 31 overs. T. C. Lowry, by capturing six for 25, also enjoyed a bowling success against South of Scotland. C. C. Dacre played a wonderful innings against Edinburgh Clubs, making 167 in 90 minutes, with 122 in boundary strokes. In 1931 the match against Scotland was one of the few in which better bowling than batting form was shown by the New Zealanders. Brilliant hitting by R. 0. Talbot produced 65 runs in the second innings, and A. M. Matheson made 72 by hard driving, but H. G. Vivian (three for 39 and three for 31), C. F. W. Allcott (five for 39), and W. E. Merritt (three for 36) were the main contributors to a win by 235 runs. New Zealand scored 176 and 281 for six wickets (declared), and Scotland made 112 and 110. Apart from scoring a win almost unparalleled, the tourists enjoyed some ot the finest hospitality of the whole tour in Glasgow.