A DRAWN GAME.

North Otago Times, Volume CVII, Issue 17165, 23 March 1927, Page 5

A DRAWN GAME.

Press Aisociation.)

THE FIRST TEST IN NEW 2EALAND'S FAVOUR,

(Ptr

CHRISTCHURCH, Last Night, The first test match, Melbourne rleven versus New Zealand, was drawn. New Zealand's remarkable batting recovery of yesterday was still carried on to-day and it is possible that it was the very magnitude of the New Zealand score which allowed the Melbourne side to avert defeat. New Zealand's last pair, Gallichan and Merritt, were still going well half an hour aftet*' lunch, each with scores of over thirty, and when Dacre declared for nine wickets down, the huge total of 602 runs had been reached. At 2.40 the Me'lbourne men wcnt to the wickets. Hendry was dismis- . sed early, but Ransford and Onyons made a stand and added runs smartly without thought of playing for a draw. When these were both out, and also Sandford, with the , score only 91, the remainder of the . side played for a draw and the batting was painfully slow. When stumps were drawn seven Melbourne wickets had fallen for 148. Had Dacre ffeclared earlier his howlers would have had three-quar-ters of an hour longer to try to get those other three wickets. Scores:— NEW ZEALAND. First Innings ... L. . $90 Second Innings. Blunt, c Armstrong. b Hendry 187 Mills, Ibw, b Ebeling 5 Page, Ibw, b W. Armstrong ,. . 89 James, b Wood .. .. . .. .. 49 Oliver, std Rogerson, b W. Armstrong .. > . . -. . 62 Dacre, c Onyons, b Ebeling . . 29 Alloo, c Rogerson, b Ebeling . . 22 Cuningham, c Ransford, b W. Armstrong . . . . lK„ . . 16 Read, c Onyons, b Wood .... . 22 Gallichan, not out ,. ... ,. . ,. „ ,. . 39 Merritt, not out . . .. „ . 37 Extras > i,4.j [,.«> 45 Total for nine wickets 602 Bowling analysis: Ebeling thrcc or 46; Ransford none for 41; Wood two for 126; Johnstone none for 34; RogeTson, none for 30; W. Armstrong three for 131; Hendy one for 40, T. Armstrong none for 9. MELBOURNE. First Innings >•- t. . i. . a .. A,. 409 ► Second Innings. Hendry, Ibw b Cunningham 4 Onyons, c and b Read 43 Ransford, c Merritt, b Read ,1.. 42 Sandford, st James, b Blunt .. ,2 T. Armstrong, lbw, b Blunt ,... 0 Johnstone, not out . . . . .. . •. . 19 Armstrong, b Alloo . . t. .; 6 Wood, Ibw, b Merritt . . ... 25 Rogerson, not out ... .... 0 Extras .. . .. .. .. ... 7 ^ Total for seven wickets 148 Bowling analysis: Read two for 43; Cunningham one for 24; Merritt one for 43; Blunt two for 29; Alloo one for 2. Dacre none for 0; Gallichan none for, 0.