NEARLY A FOLLOW-ON

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 49, 20 May 1927, Page 1

NEARLY A FOLLOW-ON

CAMBRIDGE’S ESCAPE

FINE NINTH WICKET STAND

NEW ZEALAND BOWLERS BUSY

CAMBRIDGE had a narrow escape from a follow-on in its match against the New Zealand team. Blun t and Merritt had the Varsity players well tied-up, but a ninth wicket stand yielding 106 runs saved the side. Cambridge finished with a first innings deficiency of 60 runs. In the New Zealand second innings Blunt hit up a brick 72. At stumps four wickets had fallen for 151.

By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright Reed. 10 a.m. LONDON, Thursday. The bowlers before lunch had the upper hand and it looked certain that Cambridge would have to follow on, till Seabrook changed the tactics and hit merrily, while Machin stonewalled. The pair added 106 for the ninth wicket. Seabrook batted for two hours and hit 11 fours. Blunt and Merritt were the most outstanding bowlers, both turning the ball markedly. Blunt made Mills look like a plodder and accounted for 50 of the first 70 runs. He went on with confidence while the wicketa were tjoing cheaply, and contributed 72 out of 112 runs, batting for 110 minutes and hitting nine fours. The visitors’ fielding is improving appreciably, but lack of variety in the bowling is still the handicap. The following are the scores: CAMBRIDGE First Innings Morgan, lbw, b Merritt 3 Dawson, run out 57 Killick. c McGirr, b Bernau .... 0 Longrigg, c James, b Blunt 3 4 Cobbold, b Merritt 5 Robins, lbw, b JBlunt 0 Seabrook, c James, b Bernau . . .. 10(5 Longfleld, c Dempster, b Merritt .. 7 Allom, b Merritt 6 Machin, b Blurt 24 Lowe, not out 2 Extras 11 Total 255 Bowling: Merritt four wickets for • 7 runs, Blum: three for 44, Bernau two for 46, Blundell none for 33, McGirr none for 28, Lowry none for IC. .. NEW ZEALAND First Innings 315 Second Innings H. C. Blunt, b Longfleld 72 LE. Mills, c Robins, b Allom .. .. 17 T. C. Lowry, b Robins 7 M- L. Page, c Longrigg, b Morgan 9 a. C, James, not out 21 C. S. Dempster, not out ........ 16 Extras „ 9 Total for four wickets . . . . 151 —A. and N.Z.

FLUCTUATING FORTUNES

ANYTHING MAY HAPPEN NOW So far, the match between New Zealand and Cambridge University has ben chiefly notable for a series of collapses and recoveries on both sides. At one stage, Lowry’s men looked to have a great chance of securing their first victory in England, but the (pportunity slipped out of their grasp as a result of a great recovery by the English students. As matters stand at present, New Zealand has lost ground. The dismissal of three of their best batsmen so cheaply in the second innings cannot be overlooked, even with the visitors’ useful lead on the first innings. The result after yesterday’s play looks very open, and there is no saying what will happen to-day. Seabrook’s great innings saved day for the Cantabs. This player is older than the average Varsity man, being only a year or so short of thirty. He is a left-hander, and earned his “blue” last year as an opening batsman. He has also played for Gloucester. Machin, who assisted him to put on 106 for the ninth wicket, is the wicketkeeper of the team. Blunt, Merritt and Bernau shared the bowling honours, McGirr for once having an absolutely barren time with the ball. Considering the strenuous nature of the tour, there must be a certain amount of uneasiness in the minds of experienced judges of the game whether Merritt car. stand up to the tremendous amount of work he is being called on to do, both with ball and bat He is little more than a boy, and ever since his selection in New Zealand, he has been fairly in th ? thick of it. No doubt, the difficulty the team has already had with the bowling makes it wellnigh imperative that Merritt should stay on, but it is to be hoped that he gets a spell very soon.