DRAMATIC ENTRY.

Waikato Times, Volume 110, Issue 18404, 11 August 1931, Page 11

DRAMATIC ENTRY.

TEST MATCH STATUS.

NEW ZEALAND CRICKET TEAM DEMPSTER’S GLASS. The spirit of “cricket” was displayed in the English Press after the First Test match between the New Zealand cricketers and England’s team. .“Bravo, New Zealand!” “Gallant New Zealand,” and such headings appeared over leading articles In many newspapers throughout the country. Special correspondents were engaged to write up the match for the London papers. .H. D. G. Leveson-Gower supplied the story for the Morning Post,” and A. E. R. Gilligan for the News-Chron-icle.

following are extracts from the editorial comments:— Daily Telegraph: “New Zealand has made a dramatic entry into Test cricket. She has played 'her first Test at Lord’s, and has not been ashamed. On the contrary, she has covered herself with almost as much glory as if she had won outright. Dempster may not possess the consummate ease and rhythm of the greatest masters, but he played all the English bowling as though the best of it had no terrors for hirn, and he could score off any ball that he chose to hit. There should be joy and pride in Canterbury, Otago, Wellington, and Auckland when they read that England, left with 240 runs to win, lost five wlckots in getting 146. The honours are with New Zealand. And no one will grudge Lowry’s side their laurels. They hav® done better even than Australia did in her first Test at the Oval in 1880, and they will doubtless hope next time to rival Australia’s evermemorable seven-run victory in 1882. We assume, of course, that, more New Zealand Tests will follow now that she has proved so convincingly ‘the mettle of her pastures.’’’

In the Front Line. Dally Mall: “The Test match at Lord’s has fully proved both the capacity of the New Zealand team and the right of our own younger players to take their places in the front line; it has, in fact, yielded everything the lover of cricket could desire—except a definite result. But that is sufficient to say that the cumbrous machinery by which these International matches are now controlled has failed in its principal task. The New Zealand eleven have come thirteen thousand miles to 'try their strength for the first time with England; that they should have to go home with the trial undecided is a dull and depressing anti-climax, which should have been avoided.’’ No Trench Warfare. Morning Post: “What a pity England v. New Zealand could not be fought out to a finish! It might have been a desperately close thing. Al any rate, we saw a game full of dramatic incident which proved that a Test match can remain cricket—an exhilarating game played for its own sake, and not an exasperating sort of trenchwarfare, in whicli batsmen dig themselves in and the dour struggle goes on for a week or more. There was never a time in this crowd-com-pelling encounter at Lord’s, not even yesterday morning, when the visitors were in a perilous position, that saw the loose ball escaping the. punishing it deserved. T. C. Lowry’s merry men played as they have played throughout the season—ln that happy sporting spirit, which sets the vigour and the rigour of a joyous pastime above mere match-winning, and has made them popular on every county ground they have visited. According to a statement of their captain at the beginning of their tour, they came to learn—and they have been able to teach us something, e.g., that eleven men when welded Into a team by comradeship and genial captaincy need not fear the biggest battalions! “In C. S. Dempster, whose magnificent century will not soon be forgotten, they have shown us a batsman who will rank among the historic heroes of cricket. The shadows of great names, ‘W.G.’, and the rest of the hierarchy, who haunt the Delphi of our incomparable summer sport, must have applauded the way our visitors pulled a game round that seemed hopelessly lost after the record stand by Ames and G. 0. Allen on Monday. With about a sixth of the population of London, New Zealand holds the world's championship of Rugby football, and in future she must be regarded as a serious competitor, not inferior to South Africa, for the cricket supremacy of the Empire.’’ Gallant Recovery. News-Chronicle: “New Zealand's gallant recovery made the Test match interesting to the very end. After the early stages, when neither side shone, IL developed into one of the most thrilling struggles ever seen in Test cricket, and though the draw in which it ended is unsatisfactory, it is not, an unfair summary of a game in \vhlch splendid cricket was played on both sides. . . . The splendid performance of Ames and Allen (on the last day) redeemed amply what had been a rather poor show on both sides In the Test match; and New Zealand’s plucky recovery after an unfortunate second Innings start was both admirable in itself and leaves interest still on what was beginning to look a hopelessly lost game. This is cricket as it should be: and as—ln Test matches at any rate —it so rarely is.’’ A Test and Crloket. The Timos: “The first Test match will long be remembered for the way in which some of the batsmen on both sides rose to the occasion when the fortunes of the game seemed to be going against them. . . . But th®, whole learn, working together with splendid energy, have made a notable entry into the lists of Test match cricket in lids country. What would have happened if the match had been played to a finish can bo merely a mailer of speculation. As it is neither side can claim that it had the best, of it. But hot!) can have the satisfaction of feeling that they played .< type of cricket not always, or Indeed often, to be seen in Test matches. That may have been parllj dir Io the wise decision to lia\e only one

match between the countries instead of five, and to limit, the play to three days. The run of the game showed that It is possible to have a Test match and a cricket match—as it was in the days of old—at one and the same time.”

Dempater’s Ability.

| A Kiwi with bat and flannels shak- j Ing the hand of the British Lion siml- ) larly clad, illustrated A. E. 11. Gilligan's story in tne News-Chronicle. ' ‘'New Zealand's gallant recovery," j writes Gilligan, "is due specially to Dempster, who yesterday crowned with glory his work in a great tour. Not only did he complete his thousand runs for the tour, but he made one of the best centuries ever seen in a real uphill battle. We saw a new Dempster. Though he played a magnificent defensive innings when the New Zealanders were in danger of defeat, he showed us yesterday what a line attacking batsman he can be. Late cuts, off-drlves, push shots to the on, and clean on-drives » stamp him as "New Zealand's Brail- j man." With a glorious on-drive he ran | into three figures. Shortly afterwards i Hammond caused him to play a ball I on to his wicket, and he retired, knowing that this innings will rank as one of the best in the century. I Page was playing a great game for , his side, and after Blunt had given ; his supporters several qualms with I rather a shaky start, these two pro- | ceeded to wipe off the arrears and play brilliant cricket. "Shortly afterwards a really great j game came to a close, and, as the j players left the field I felt that it I would be a very long time before 1 ] should see another Test match of this quality. The palm Is witli NewZealand, but Young England has had , Its chance, and should do well In the future, benefiting by tills experience i of Test cricket." "From Saturday morning until 6.30 last evening (Tuesday)," writes H. D. G. Leveson-Gower. In the Morning Post, "there was scarcely a dull | moment. The New Zealand team—nor their supporters—are not likely to forget this, their first Test match. They played Test cricket from star! to finish.' and showed themselves a Test side.” England’s Showing. "Cover-Point," in the Sporting Life, writes: "What are the lessons of 111.' | Test? The first is that the team tii.il played against New Zealand is far be- i low Hie strength that will lie required : for Australia. The bowling will need ■ to be much better, and Hie fielding must lie vastly Improved. There were periods on Saturday and yesterday wlien Hie bowlers were more than a nilaeh for Hie defence, but there were much longer periods when the batsmen played everything with an easy confidence that suggested they had not Io match their skill and their wits against guile. or even good lenirtti and aceurarj. "It must nol be inferred lli.it Hi'England bowling ever became demoralised. It did nut. The plain Pact,

however, is that it was not of sufficiently high quality for the task it was set to perform. It Is no sense of detraction from the merits of the New Zealand batsmen to claim that they should not have been within measurable distance of a totcl of 469 ci ns against the Home Country’s best all hi k. Among World's Best. "Either we have not the bowlerof the kind absolutely essential to give us a chance to win Test matches, or they were not playing at Lord's, l.n pitting their powers against Dempster they were, admittedly, opposed to one of the best batsmen In the world. Dempster Is likely at any tine, and against any bowling, to run to three figures. There are other members of the New Zealand side who are stubborn deqrnders, and all credit to them for the unwearying patience and stolidity of thole work yesterday, but they had too long a tenure of the wicket. They also scored too many runs. I am not satisfied, gallantly as they played. Dial they were worth, on cricket merits, an aggregate of *69 runs for nine wickets. The lesson so conspicuously taught by the match musl not be forgoti.cn. England must And new bowlers for Australia. ... If she

does not our prosper is will lie dreary in the extreme. . . . "Another lesson of the match la that the England tie .ding must reach a higher standard. The work of the team as a whole was the reverse of encouraging. There were brilliant bits of work and there was sustained excellence by some of the members of the side, but tne flaws were numerous. Furthermore, there was a general absence of that crispness and alertness that we have a right to expect from an England team. To put the matter bluntly, there wae too much mlsflelding. Mistakes were mode through sheer carelessness, and runs were given away for lack of enterprise and even pluck In facing a powerful drive. It Is not pleasant Io hue to write In tills strain, but the best interests of English cricket demand it. It is much nicer to ladle out praise all round, but lo do so to the England team for their bowling and tie.ding would be unpardonable when making an impartla. survey of the situation."