VICTORIA LEFT WITH 142 TO WIN.

Shannon News, 24 March 1925, Page 4

VICTORIA LEFT WITH 142 TO WIN.

(By "Cover-Point.") At about half-past three yesterday. there appeared to be a likelihood of a good finish to the first Test match New Zealand v. Victoria. Blunt and Dempster were set, and the ,tally was 153 for two wickets. But, alas! in less than two hours (including the spectators' bugbear, the tea adjournment) there was not a "silver-fern to be seen—.the Dominion representatives were all out for 251 —the eight wickets having fallen for a miserly 98 runs. j ' The opening pair (Worker and Blunt) contributed 110 to a total of 251, and of the remaining 121, scored off the bat, Dempster and Dacre accounted for 90. Needless to say, this quartette comprised the first four players in the writer's "open letter to New Zealand selectors" last week. I Worker and Blunt defied all atI tempts to shift them before lunch and the Southerners put on 80 in the 90 minutes' play. Every effort was made to dslodge them and several "third degree" stunts were tried. Apart from "chiacking" the batsmen (ask McDonald and Gallichan how they fared during their plucky stand last Wednesday) Ellis must have had the stumps down half-a-doze-a times in the first spell and not far short of a score of times during the day. While an appeal did not accompany every such turn, a shilling a time for .the unsuccessful appeals alone would pay some enthusiast's fare to Christchurch to se e the second Test. Blunt's partnership of 91 with Worker and of 61 with Dempster were the bright cricket spots of the inninss. Dacre went in at 154 and although 7 3 were added during his stay at the wickets,* he lost Dempster, Patrick and McGirr before he suffered Blunt's identical fate. It would b e "slaying the slain" t« dwell upon the performance of the majority of the New Zealanders; the followng details tell their own tale:— NEW -ZEALAND. First Innings • • • 228 VICTORIA. First Innings 33€ NEW ZEALAND. SECOND INNINGS. Worker st. Ellis, b Willis ... 33 Blunt, st. Ellis, b Ransford 77 Alloo, c Mayne, b Wallace 1 Hiddlcston, run out 1 Dempster, b Ransford ... - 45 , Dacre. st. Ellis, b Ransford .... 45 Patrick, c Millar, b Hartkopf ... 4 McGirr, c and b Ransford 4 . Dickinson, 1.b.w., b Ransford ... 7 Condliffe, b Ransford 4 Mcßeth, -not out 10 Extras 20 Total 251 Fall, of wickets: 1 (Worker) for 91: 2 (Alloo) for 92; 3 (Blunt) for 153; 4 (Hiddlestou) for 154; 5 (Dempster) for 188; 6 (Patrick) for 213; 7 (McGirr) for 227; 8 (Dacre) for 227; 9 (Dickinson) for 238; 10 (Condliffe) for 251. BOWLING ANALYSIS.

0. M. R. W. ... 12 1 3S 6 Willis 6 — 25 1 Wallace* 11 2 39 1 21 2 86 1 e 4 •6 — Millar . . . / 10 2 27 — * Bowled 8 no-balls.