ESSEX BATS WELL

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 46, 17 May 1927, Page 1

ESSEX BATS WELL

A FIRST INNINGS LEAD McGIRR PLAYS SKITTLES TAKES SIX WICKETS FOR 77 RAIN interfered with play in the second day of the match between New Zealand and Essex at Leyton. Essex, however, scored 373. The New Zealand bowlers were weak with the exception of McGirr, who, in taking- six wickets for 77 runs, was the saviour of his side. Three of his wickets were taken in one oyer.

By Cable. —Press Association. —Copyright Reed. 10 a.m. LONDON, Monday. The weather was dull and cold, threatening rain, when the match was resumed. The pitch was not seriously affected

through yesterday’s rain. The New Zealand attack was shared by Bernau and McGirr, but Blunt soon relieved Bernau, who later, fielding at mid-off to McGirr, unfortunately missed Cutmore when he was 26.

Merritt took over when the score was 90, hut he got no wickets. The bowling with the exception ot McGirr’s was erratic.

Seventy-four had been added in 40 minutes when McGirr in one over dismissed Russell, and had Douglas and Morris taken at slips.

Dempster’s catches were superb. Lowry accounted for O’Connor, whose 65 included nine 4’s. Rain then suspended play for ten minutes. The following are the scores: NEW ZEALAND First Innings 289 ESSEX First Innings J. A. Cutmore, c Dacre, b Merritt .. 47 L. C. Eastman, lbw, b McGirr 30 A. B. Hipkin, run out 0 J. O’Connor, lbw, b Cowry 65 A. C. Russell, b McGirr <0 H. T. Ashton, b McGirr 52 J. W. H. T. Douglas, c Dempster, b McGirr 9 H. M. Morris, c Dempster, b McGirr 0 M. S. Nichols, c Lowry, b Cunningham 61 A. H. Meston, b McGirr 0 Eastman, not out 15 Extras 27 Total 373 BOWLING Bernau, no wickets for 47 runs; Cunningham, 1 for 50; McGirr, 6 for 77; Merritt, 1 for 68; Blunt, none for 50; Dacre, none for S; Lowry, 1 for 42; Oliver, none for 4. NEW ZEALAND Second Innings R. C. Blunt, b O’Connor 21 J. E. Mills, c Douglas, b Eastman .. 0 K. C. James, c Hipkin, b O’Connor . . 26 T. C. Lowry, not out 13 C. S. Dempster, not out 5 Extras 7 Total for three wickets 72

MCGIRR COMES OFF

A WELCOME SUCCESS So far, Essex has got the better of the argument against the New Zealand cricketers, the southern county having a lead on the first innings of 84 runs.

Essex lost more matches than it won in the county championship last year, but it was dogged by a good deal of ill-luck. Douglas, the veteran amateur, who is well known in Australasia, played in less than half of the matches, owing to an operation for appendicitis, and the loss of such an experienced and shrewd-headed captain was a big one to the county. RUSSELL TOPS SCORES For several seasons past Russell has been Essex’s outstanding batsman, and appropriately enough he topped the scores against the New Zealanders. Last year he made six centuries in first-class cricket, and as a member of the side which Douglas took to Australia in 1920-21, he was an outstanding figure in the team as a batsman.

O’Connor is another player who scored over a thousand runs for his county last season, and Claude Ashton is one of three brothers who have had a great record in English cricket, although none of them have yet reached the veteran stage.

The success of McGirr, the Wellington bowler, is pleasing, especially after his excellent work in one of the earlier matches. McGirr is a medium-fast bowler, always liable to be dangerous when the pitch is “doing a bit,” and apparently he struck his best form yesterday. Evidently he was coming off the pitch faster than the batsmen thought, because it is noticeable that two men were snapped up by Dempster in slips, and another got his leg in front to a straight one.

Cunningham did not do very much, but the wicket may not have been altogether to his liking. Cunningham likes a wicket on which he can make the ball “fly.” When the team left many good judges ranked him as being the most likely man on the side to become the stock bowler of the team on the tour.

So far the bowling must be giving Lowry plenty to think about. The at tack seems to be largely a matter of constantly changing a battery of half-a-dozen trundlers, none of whom as yet has looked like proving a matchwinner. But it will take another month or so before it is possible to judge as to the effectiveness or otherwise of the bowling on the tour. AII- - recovery from his injury, it is safe to say, will be eagerly awaited by the team and by the many followers of cricket in the Dominion, who are closely following every detail of the tour.