In England’s Favour

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 906, 25 February 1930, Page 13

In England’s Favour

FOURTH TEST DRAWN

New Zealand Captain’s, Innings

A DRAW, 153 runs in England’s favour on the first innings, -was the unsatisfactory conclusion arrived at when the third day’s play was completed yesterday in the fourth and final cricket Test of the present series, England v. New Zealand. The Dominion side occupied the batting crease most of the time yesterday in a fighting effort to avert a follow-on.

In the end, New Zealand failed by four runs to reach the total required under the laws of cricket to avert the follow-on to which she could _ have been compelled, but Captain Gilligan decided that his men had had a hard enough day of it in the field already, so that when New Zealand’s last wicket fell just before five o’clock, England commenced its second innings. By that time all hope of any sort of a decision on the game had vanished, that it did not really matter which side batted again. New Zealand, as a result of Weir’s solid innings on Saturday, was in a fair position to overtake the followon total, but disaster came in the first half-hour to remove the two men chiefly responsible for that recovery. Weir himself was the first to go, bowled all the way by a well-pitched ball from Barratt. Just previous to that an appeal for caught behind off the same bowler had gone in his favour, although there was little doubt among players and spectators that the batsman was actually Out. Umpire Cobcroft explained later that Barratt had obstructed his view of the incident, and that under the circumstances lie had no option but to give a not-out decision. , LOWRY-ALLCOTT INCIDENT Lowry joined Alicott at that stage, and the Auckland captain was again batting in his most attractive style, lie was not afraid to punish the bowling where it was weak, and had he survived there might have been a vast, difference in the total eventually reached by the New Zealanders. Alicott, however, went out in a most unusual manner. Lowry hit a ball about five or six yards to fine leg, and apparently without any knowledge that it had only travelled that far, went to run a single. Alicott. of course, had barely time to leave his own crease at the other end before Cornford had dashed after the ball, and returned it for Gilligan to remove the bails. Lowry then looked round seemingly surprised that Alicott had been run out. The incident was most unfortunate, and one of those which do happen on occasions in even the best of cricket. McGirr then joined Lowry, and the position was even more desperate than over. But together these veterans of many a fight for Wellington and Now Zealand put their backs to the wall and stemmed the tide of Eng,a«m s' success for quite a time. They had, of course, a fair slice of luck each. Many balls went too near brilliant fieldsmen of the calibre of Duleepsinbji and Woolley to be accounted the safest strokes in the world. While Lowry played a dogged, dour innings. Herb McGirr opened out wherever possible and as a result he scored at a much faster rate than his captain. The pair defied the bowling

over after over in a. way which must j have been exasperating to the English ; fieldsmen. McGIRR SACRIFICES WICKET They were still together at lunch, and stayed together for quite a time after the resumption. The breaking of this partnership came in a way which was a further slice of bad luck for the New Zealanders. Lowry had to leave the field to have a finger dressed, and McGirr left with him also. This brief break spelt disaster, for when he resumed again, McGirr had thrown all caution to the winds —a most foolish policy against a bowler of the ability and experience of Frank Woolley—and the Kent man lured him out of his crease, and left Cornford to do the rest. Lowry still fought on, but with the breaking of this partnership it was evident that New Zealand could not last much longer. James ably supported his captain for a time, and was content, for the most part, to hold his end up while Lowry did the scoring. For a period toward the close of his innings the Hawke’s Bay man played very attractive cricket. The wicket-keeper was out eventually leg before to Worthington, and Merritt joined Lowry with the New Zealand goal still some distance off. Lowry took more risks late in his innings, and consequently he had more narrow escapes. But for all that, his innings was a captain’s innings under the circumstances. It brought back memories of a similar dogged stand by the New Zealand captain on the same ground three years ago, when New Zealand was in something of the same position in her third test battle with Vic. Richardsons Australian side. FORMER FIGHT RECALLED Yesterday, as three years ago, he came to the rescue of his team, and restored New Zealand stocks when they had fallen suddenly. It was an innings which did much to atone for I.owry’s several unhappy mistakes on the field, and came to a close at SO when Allom sent up a belated and half-hearted appeal for leg before. Bill Merritt put the wood on. or tried to, and showed that he has plenty of power in his strokes. But with two such "iffers” as Merritt and Matheson associated in New Zealand’s lastwicket stand it was realised that the end could not be long in coming. When four short of the desired total, Mathe"son was bowled. Gilligan could not have selected two worse men to open his second innings —an innings which from the first could be no more than an exhibition effort —than Cornford and Dawson. They are probably the slowest of ail the tourists as scorers, and yet they went sent out at a time when the crowd was longing for a last glimpse

of the genius of Duleepsinhji and Woolley and old friend Ted Bowley. A MEMORABLE TOUR However, the opening pair was not. destined to stay at the crease for long, despite their stolid methods. Matheson was on form with the ball, and liad soon cleaned up two wickets for three runs—his first blood in a test match for New Zealand. Then another queer thing happened. Lowry promptly took the successful Matheson off and himself bowled the last over of the day. Despite the loud protestations of the crowd, stumps were drawn ten minutes early, and thus the curtain was drawn on the memorable visit of the eighth Marylcbone Cricket Club side ever to play in Auckland.

Details: — ENGLAND. First Innings Second Innings. CORNFORD, b Ma«li**on - - -- 2 DAWSON, b Matheson NICHOLS, not out LEGGE, b Blunt ft Extras Three wickets for . 22 Bowling. O. M. n. \v. McGirr 2. 1 4 0 Matheson n 2 2 Blunt -’>.3 2 1 Lowry 1 1 0 0 NEW ZEALAND. First Innings. MILLS, o Duleepsinhji, b Allon 12 DEMPSTER, c Cornford, b Allom . 27 WEIR, b Barratt PAGE, c Cornford. b Woolley 25 BLUNT, b Nichols ALLCOTT. run out LOWRY, lbw, b Allom .. .. MCGIRR, st Cornford. b Woolley 51 JAMES, lbw, b Worthington .. MERRITT, not out MATHESON", b Allom Total Bowling. O. M. R. w. Nichols 19 4 45 1 60 1 Allom 25.1 5 42 r Woolley 41 1° 100 2 Rowley 28 G W r orthington .. - .• 1* 5 2a