Looking Back Over Cricket Tour

Chronicle (Levin), 1 September 1949, Page 5

Looking Back Over Cricket Tour

(N Z.P A—

-R.p.uter.

Copifright)

Received Wednesday, 7 p.m. ' LONDON, August 31. One of the most pleasant mempries ^he New Zealand cricketers will take home with them will be the afternoon at Lords when they beat Middlesex which, with Yorkshire, is twin ehamoion county this season, by the comfortable margin of nine wickets. It made up for all the various resprvations assoeiated with the four rather abortive Test matches. It rounded off a happy if tiring tour — for though two festival matches repiain, the aecent will be almost as much on the congenial social activiiies assoeiated with cricket, as it will be on the games them■selves. , Middlesex was decisively beaten and the New Zealanderg proved 1 generally superior on the day in batting, bowling and fielding. Not only did they bat well as a team but Cowie and Burtt also bowled well and roundied off a good season 's work with ablq assistauce from Reid and Burke. In the field all worked smartly, Hadlee again excelling and proving onee more his value as a captain. As this is an appropriate moment to make some review of the tour, it may interest statistieians to know that in winning 11 of 30 first-class matches (iucluding four drawn Tests) and losing only to Oxford University, 4the New Zealanders scored 14,737 runa at an average of 39 -per wicket and had 13,204 runs scored against them at- an average of 30 per wicket. The Australians, in 31 matches last year, including five Tests of five days each, scored 15,120 runs. The New Zealanders have hit 27 centuries and their opopnents 25 centuries. The New Zealanders5 have had- 63 innings of between 50 and 99 an.d there have been only '25 "ducks? including the Te3ts, which is reported to be one of the lowest totals . for any team in England this season. - On- 24 oecasions a bowler' has taken five wickets in a match aiid Burtt has twice takpn 11 wickets in a match (11 for 182 agajnst Worcester" and 11 fqr 120 against Gloucestep). . Catches taken have nqmbered 243. Qf those Moouey col-Iected 43 in addition to 23 stumpings, Reid 21 aud six stump-. ings. Others who held ten or more catches are Sutcliffe 29, Rabonp 24, Hadlee 22, Donneliy 20, Scott 16, Wallace and Burtt IS ajid Cave 10. Sutcliffe and Donnelly \fiave each scored over 2000 runs and Hadlee, Wallace, Scott and Reid have ptade more than 1000'. Burtt has taken 1.16 wickets. All these figures bear favour&ble-com-parison with previous New Zealand teams to vigit England. When thege inevitable comparisons are _ being .rnade, one important fact must be .taken info ^ousideration, uamely, the uprecedented dry sunhy supimer that England perienced this year. Another js tRe lower standai'ri of post-war Engligh cricket. Undoubtedly both factp infiuenced the results and number qf ruqs