MINOR COUNTIES MAKE POOR START.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 143, 18 June 1931, Page 1

MINOR COUNTIES MAKE POOR START.

LOSE SEVEN WICKETS FOR 169 AGAINST N.Z. (Special to Press Association.) (Received June IS. 10.45 a.m.) GAINSBOROUGH, June 17. A sodden ground did not allow an early start in the cricket match New Zealand v. Minor Counties. The weather, however, cleared after lunch, and play was commenced at three o'clock. Minor Counties at the tea adjournment had made 73 for no wickets, but when stumps were drawn they had lost seven wickets for 169. The teams were:— New Zealand.—T. C. Lowry, M. L. Page, J. E. Mills, G. Weir, C. F. Allcott, C. S. Dempster, K. G. James, J. L. Kerr, W. E. Merritt, R. O. Talbot, and R. C. Blunt. Minor Counties. —M. B. Elderton, W. T. Cook, R. J. F. Remnant, P. G. T. Kingsley, C. B. Fordham, H. W. Homer, C. V. RjtfNty, R. E. Frearson, R. V. Ward, C. Walters, H. Lock. Lowry lost the toss. Homer and Cook started welj* adding 85 for the first wicket. They were separated after the tea adjournment when Cook was smartly stumped. Merritt then took three wickets fairly rapidly, bowling Kingsley, last year’s Oxford captain, with a well-pitched googly. Fordham and Frearson resisted the New Zealand attack, but Lowry proved an effective change bowler, and took three wickets cheaply with successive balls. The wicket played easily, and the ball turned slowly. Merritt bowled well. Allcott deserved more success than fell to his share. Scores:— MINOR COUNTIES. First Innings.

AVERAGES. Following are the averages of the members of the New Zealand cricket team up to the conclusion of the match with Derbyshire:— Bowling.

•Signifies not out. Catches have been taken as follows: Page 20, Lowry 11, Cromb 10, Weir 6, Blunt 6, Vivian 5, Merritt 5, Talbot 4, Allcott 3, Mills 3, Dempster 3, Kerr 2, Matheson 1. Behind the wickets, James has caught 10 and stumped 10. Lowry has caught 2. In eighteen innings, New Zealand has scored 4557 runs for the loss of 149 wickets, at an average of 253.16 per innings and 30.58 per wicket. Corresponding figures for opposing English teams are: 22, 4082, 182, 185.54 and 22.42. PROVINCES COMPARED.

W. T. Cook, st James, b Merritt .. 33 H. W. Homer, c Dempster, b 71 R. J. F. Remnant, c Page, b Merritt i P. G. T. Kingsley, b Merrittt 0 C. B. Fordham, c Sub., b Lowry ... 32 R. E. Frearson, b Lowry i*.. 13 C. Walters, lbw, b Lowrv 0 C. V. Raffety, not out 3 M. B. Elderton, not out 8 Total for seven wickets 169

Runs Wkts. Matheson 282 17 16.58 Cromb 541 32 16.90 Merritt .... 1,021 57 17.91 Weir ...... 4C4 20 23.20 Blunt 626 23 2721 Allcott .... 225 7 32.14 Page 199 5 39.80 \ ivian 195 4 48.75 Talbot ...... 333 G 55.50 Lowrv 16 Batting. In. NO. H.S. Tl. Av. Dempster .. 15 4 212 858 78.00 Blunt 15 1 120 489 34.92 Merritt .... 11 4 47 216 30.85 Mills 14 0 92 422 30.14 Y ivian .... 10 2 135 238 29.75 Page 15 1 113 366 26.14 Lowrv .... 15 2 101* 369 24.60 Talbot .... 14 2 66 287 23.91 Weir 16 2 100* 344 21.50 ICerr 15 0 88 303 20.20 Cromb .... ii 1 52* 181 18.10 James 12 i 49 160 14.54 Allcott .... 5 0 25 59 11.80 Matheson 5 5 13* 23

Wellington Batting. In. Runs. N.O. (3) 42 1.387 7 Av. 39.62 Otago (1) 15 489 1 34.92 Auckland (5) 51 1,086 9 25.38 Canterbury (5) 65 1,353 8 23.73 Canterbury Bowling. Runs. Wkts. .. 2,094 100 Av. 20.94 Auckland 1,167 48 24.31 Otago .... 626 23 27.21 Wellington ... 16 —