THE CRICKET TOUR

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 135, 9 June 1937, Page 10

THE CRICKET TOUR

Against one of the leading English j cricket counties, Derbyshire, the New Zealand touring eleven failed yesterday and were soundly beaten by a margin of 202 runs. So far the tourists have not shown the form of their predecessors. Out of five matches against first-class counties they have not yet won one. Three games were lost—against Glamorgan, Lancashire, and Derbyshire—and two drawn —against Surrey and Northamptonshire. The two matches won up to the present stage of the tour were those against Staffordshire, a second-class county, and against Cambridge University. The game with Oxford ended in a draw and rain stopped play against the M.C.C. with only a few runs scored. Where the team has not come up to expectations is in^ batting. The opinion here was that it was a good batting side, but weak in bowling. . The actual performance on the tour has been rather the other way. The scores against New Zealand have never been sensational, which must be put down Ito more or less effective bowling. The first innings margins have seldom been formidable, but when it came to batting for victory v at the decisive point, the New Zealanders have not yet risen fully to the occasion. No good cricketer will pay undue homage to the "century," but it is a curious fact that up to date no New Zealander on this tour has attained his hundred in one innings, though I several have come near it. Both batting and bowling honours, such as they are, have been fairly evenly divided among the team. No particular bright star in any department has yet risen, no Dempster, no Merritt, no James. The season, however, is still comparatively young, and it may be one of these days the New Zealanders will strikb form and prove to their critics both here and the Old Country that their prowess in cricket has been under-rated on' past performance."