| Tour of England 1931 Captain: Tom Lowry | |
| | | | |
| First New Zealand
Test tour (March - November 1931) First Test-playing tour of England
by New Zealand (second tour of England but
no previous Test tour) | This was the first tour by a New Zealand
team on which they played Test matches.
There was some doubt as to whether the tour should take place at all
amid the distress caused by the recent earthquake in Hawkes Bay
but it went ahead. The New Zealanders had toured England in
1927 and eight members of that team returned on this occasion. The playing
record in 1927 had been good (with 13 victories) but financial returns were
disappointing. To help keep costs down on the 1931 tour, skipper Tom Lowry also
acted as manager with another player, Cyril Allcott, as treasurer. For the
same reason of economy, the selectors' request to take a 15th player was
turned down and Lowry had to serve as reserve wicket-keeper. The 1931 side was a success for
losing only three matches and returning six first-class wins but there were no
less than 23 drawn matches, largely because of persistent rain. The Test match at Lord’s was the high point of the tour.
After being 230 runs behind on first innings, New Zealand’s extraordinary
comeback to save the match by scoring 469-9 led to increased interest from
the public. The county matches scheduled for The Oval and Old Trafford were
then replaced with two further Test matches against England. After the tour leg-spinner Bill
Merritt signed to play in 1932 for Lancashire League club Rishton. The New Zealand Cricket Council said he was
in breach of his contract and he would not be invited again to play for New Zealand,
which brought his Test career to a close at the age of 22. Other professional cricketers,
too, came into conflict with the Board’s rules, preventing them from
representing their country as well as earning a living, as they could in any
other occupation. Merritt did not return to live in New Zealand until 1960. | All New Zealand
tours No Previous tours Next tour England 1937 Next tour of
England 1937 | |
| Members of the Test
tour party (14) Opening batsmen: Stewie Dempster, Jack Mills. Middle-order batsmen :Jack
Kerr, Lindsay Weir, Tom Lowry, Ron Talbot, Roger Blunt, 'Curly' Page. Wicket-keeper:Ken
James All-rounder Giff Vivian Spin Bowlers: Cyril Allcott, Bill Merritt Fast bowlers:Ian
Cromb, Mal Matheson. | C F W
Allcott | A | 34 | SLA | | R C Blunt | O | 30 | RHB LB | | I B Cromb | C | 26 | RFM | | C S
Dempster | W | 27 | RHB opener | | K C James | W | 27 | WK | | J L Kerr | C | 29 | RHB | | T C Lowry | W | 33 | RHB second WK captain/manager | | A M Matheson | A | 25 | RM | | W E
Merritt | C | 22 | LBG | | J E Mills | W | 25 | LHB opener | | M L Page | C | 29 | RHB vice-captain | | R O Talbot | C | 27 | RHB RM | | H G Vivian | A | 18 | LHB SLA | | G L Weir | A | 23 | RHB RM | |
| 
Provincial representation (Plunket Shield teams) A - Auckland (4) C - Canterbury (5) O - Otago (1) W - Wellington (4) Average age of team at time of first Test match (27 June 1931) : 26
yrs 10 months. | |
| Test Appearances
made before the tour | Lowry 4, Page 4,
Blunt 4, Dempster 4, James 4,
Merritt 4, Mills 3, Weir 3,
Allcott 2, Matheson 1, Cromb 0,
Kerr 0, Talbot 0, Vivian 0. | | |
| Tour Officials | Tom Lowry | Manager | Cyril Allcott | Treasurer | Bill Ferguson | Scorer / baggage |
The
Board appointed Lowry as captain-manager on 10 March. The appointment of Sir
Arthur T Donnelly, Chairman of the New Zealand Cricket Council, as manager
had been anticipated. He took over when he arrived in England midway through the summer | | |
| Selectors | W S (Stan) Brice [Wellington], N C (Cyril) Snedden [Auckland], H B (Harry) Whitta [Canterbury]
and Frank Williams [Otago] chose the team after watching the last Plunket
Shield match of the season at Eden
Park. | | |
| Selection | Unavailable : C C R Dacre; F T Badcock. Big-hitting batsman Ces
Dacre was playing for English county
Gloucestershire. ‘Ted’ Badcock, who was
born in India and brought
up in England, had come to
New Zealand
in 1923 to coach and was the best bowler in the country. He was not
considered for the 1927 tour either (though initially chosen and then
dropped) despite New
Zealand selecting him to play in the
1929-30 series. The NZ Cricket Council appointed
Tom Lowry as manager-captain on 10 March. Tour Party Announced : 26 January 1931. Not selected:
Denis Blundell (W), the Cambridge blue, was expected to gain a place
in the tour party but the Board rejected the selectors' recommendation to
take a 15th player, to keep costs as low as possible. | Time
between selection and departure from New Zealand 61 days (26
January to 28 March) | |
| Travel Wellington T Southampton ‘Rangitata’ | The team left Wellington
on the R M S 'Rangitata' on 28
March and arrived at Southampton Docks on the last day of April 1931, having
made only one stop. The team was driven
to its Marylebone hotel to rest and given a reception next day. | Time
spent in England 146 days (30
April - 24 September) | |
| On-tour selection
panel | Tom Lowry (captain-manager), Curly Page (vice-captain), Cyril Allcott.
| | |
| Reinforcements | None although Matheson had an
injured wrist and ankle and was unfit for most of the tour. Stewie Dempster
missed a week for a leg muscle injury and then a further three weeks’ play
when he was told to rest it. Sir Arthur Donnelly played in
one match, against Sir Julien Cahn’s XI.
In addition A Kempton, Captain
F L Hancock, A R Gover, A Bennett and J McMillan played for New Zealand in the final match
against Catford CC; and Mills played
in a benefit match at Ashtead on 19 September. | | |
| Fixtures/Results Mr H D Swan, the New Zealand Cricket Council's
representative in England,
sailed from England,
reaching Wellington
on 24 January, to consult his NZCC colleagues about the tour arrangements. Swan arrived back in London
to finalise matters five weeks before the team got to Southampton. Surrey and Lancashire
consented to drop their return fixtures at The Oval and Old Trafford so that
two more Test matches could be played | a | † Worcester Park | Maori Cricket Club (1-day) | Drawn | b | Leyton | Essex | Won inns 48 r | c | Leicester | Leicestershire | Drawn | d | Southampton | Hampshire | Drawn | e | Lord's | M C C | Won inns 122 r | f | Worcester | Worcestershire | Drawn | g | Cardiff | Glamorgan | Drawn | h | Oxford | Oxford University | Drawn | i | Lord's | Middlesex | Lost 79 r | j | Cambridge | Cambridge University | Drawn | k | Bath | Somerset | Drawn | l | Gloucester | Gloucestershire | Drawn | m | Derby | Derbyshire | Drawn | n | Gainsborough | Minor Counties | Drawn | o | Peterborough | Northamptonshire | Won 6 w | p | (in Netherlands) | * | unknown | q | LORD'S | ENGLAND First Test | DRAWN | r | ϯ Stoke-on-Trent | Staffordshire (2-day) | Drawn | s | Trent Bridge | Nottinghamshire | Drawn | t | Harrogate | Yorkshire | Drawn | u | Aigburth, Liverpool | Lancashire | Drawn | v | Glasgow | Scotland | Won 235 runs | w | ϯ Sunderland | Durham(2-day) | Drawn | x | Portsmouth | Combined Services | Drawn | y | Bournemouth | Hampshire | Drawn | z | KENNINGTON OVAL | ENGLAND Second Test | LOST inns 26 r | a’ | Swansea | Glamorgan | Won 9 w | b’ | Edgbaston | Warwickshire | Drawn | c’ | Clifton College | Gloucestershire | Won inns 25 r | d’ | OLD TRAFFORD | ENGLAND Third Test | DRAWN | e’ | ϯ Lakenham, Norwich | Norfolk(2-day) | Won inns 62 r | f’ | Southend | Essex | Drawn | g’ | Canterbury | Kent | Lost 9 w | h’ | Hove | Sussex | Drawn | I’ | Eastbourne | Gentlemen of England | Drawn | j’ | Folkestone | An England XI | Drawn | k’ | Scarborough | H D G Leveson-Gower's XI | Drawn | l’ | ϯ West
Bridgford | Sir Julien Cahn's XII (2-day) | Drawn | m’ | † Catford, London | Catford C C (1-day) | Tied |
* Dempster and Allcott played two matches for M F
North’s XI in Amsterdam and Harlem
between 21-25 June | † not first-class Time spent in England
before First Test: 58
days (30 April - 27 June) | |
| Test appearances on
tour | 3 - Allcott, Blunt,
Cromb, James, Lowry,
Mills, Page, Weir 2 - Dempster,
Kerr, Merritt, Vivian 1 - Matheson 0 - Talbot. | | |
| Match appearances T Test match x other match ∙ played for opposition W won L lost D drawn T
tied N no
result A abandoned u unknown
result * Dempster and Allcott played two matches for M F
North’s XI in Amsterdam and Harlem
between 21-25 June; Mills played in a
benefit match at Ashtead on 19 September v Julien Cahn’s: 12-a-side A Kempton, Captain F L Hancock, A R Gover, A Bennett and J
McMillan played for New
Zealand in the final match against Catford
| | a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | o | p | q | r | s | t | u | v | w | x | y | z | a ‘ | b ‘ | c ‘ | d ‘ | e ‘ | f ‘ | g ‘ | h ‘ | i | j | k | l’ | m’ | C F W
Allcott | x | x | | | | x | x | x | | x | x | | | x | | | T | x | x | x | | x | x | x | x | T | x | | x | T | x | | x | | x | x | | x | x | R C Blunt | x | x | x | x | x | | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | | | T | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | T | x | x | x | T | | | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | I B Cromb | | | x | | x | | x | x | x | x | | x | x | | x | | T | x | x | | x | | x | x | x | T | x | | x | T | x | x | | x | x | x | | x | | C S
Dempster | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | | | x | x | x | x | x | | | T | x | x | x | x | x | | | | | | | x | T | x | x | x | x | | x | x | x | | K C James | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | | x | x | x | x | x | | T | | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | T | | x | x | T | x | | x | x | | | x | x | | J L Kerr | | x | x | x | x | x | x | | x | x | x | | x | x | x | | T | x | | | | x | x | x | | T | x | x | | | x | x | | x | x | | x | x | x | T C Lowry | x | x | x | x | | x | | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | | T | | x | x | x | x | | x | x | T | x | x | x | T | | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | | A M Matheson | | | | x | x | x | | | | x | | | x | | x | | | x | x | x | | x | x | x | | | x | x | x | T | x | x | x | x | | | x | x | x | W E
Merritt | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | | | x | x | x | x | | T | x | | x | x | x | x | | x | T | x | x | | | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | | | J E Mills | x | x | x | x | | x | | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | | T | | | | x | x | x | x | x | T | x | x | x | T | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | | | M L Page | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | | x | x | | T | x | x | x | x | | x | x | x | T | | x | x | T | x | x | x | | x | x | x | x | | R O Talbot | x | x | x | | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | | x | x | | | x | x | x | x | x | x | | x | | x | x | | | x | x | | x | x | x | x | | x | H G Vivian | x | | | x | | x | x | x | x | | x | x | x | | x | | | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | T | x | x | x | T | | x | x | x | x | x | | x | | G L Weir | x | x | x | x | x | | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | | T | x | x | x | x | | | x | x | T | x | x | x | T | x | x | x | | x | x | x | x | x | A Donnelly | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | x | | R E S U L T
S | D | W | D | D | W | D | D | D | L | D | D | D | D | D | W | U | D | D | D | D | D | W | D | D | D | L | W | D | W | D | W | D | L | D | D | D | D | D | T | | a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | o | p | q | r | s | t | u | v | w | x | y | z | a ‘ | b ‘ | c ‘ | d ‘ | e ‘ | f ‘ | g ‘ | h ‘ | I’ | j’ | k’ | l’ | m’ |
| |
| Highlights | • Ian Cromb took three quick wickets to
reduce England
to 31 for three in the opening Test at Lord’s. • Faced with a first innings deficit of 230, New Zealand
staged a great comeback, scoring 469-9 in the second innings of the first
Test. The tour programme was then rearranged to accommodate two more Test
matches. • Stewie Dempster (120) and ‘Curly’ Page (104) scored centuries in
the above innings, and Blunt 96. • Tom Lowry scored 62 on a spiteful Oval
pitch; and Giff Vivian a lively 51 as New Zealand lost the second Test. • Giff Vivian’s 132 against Yorkshire
was regarded as the best innings of the tour outside the Test matches. • Stewie Dempster was the leading run-scorer
with 1778 runs on tour, while Bill Merritt took most wickets (99). | | |
| ⋆ Tour Summary | | F | W | L | D | T | U | Aban | Test Matches | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | Other first-class matches | 29 | 6 | 2 | 21 | 0 | - | - | ϯ Minor matches | 7 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | - | All Matches | 39 | 7 | 3 | 27 | 1 | 1 | - |
| F Fixtures W Won
L Lost
T Tied
D Drawn
Canc Cancelled Aban abandoned | |
| Return to New Zealand London T Wellington Ruahine' | Leaving London’s
Grand Central Hotel at 9 am on 24 September and taking a train from St
Pancras Station, the team sailed from Royal Albert Docks in the ss 'Ruahine' . Cromb, Dempster and James joined the ship
at Southampton. Jack Mills had married in London a
few days before returning to New
Zealand. The 'Ruahine' crossed
the Atlantic and sailed through the Caribbean reaching Colon
(Panama)
on Saturday 10 October. The ship eventually berthed at Queen's Wharf, Auckland,
at 5am on 1 November 1931, before sailing on to Wellington.
Scorer Bill Ferguson then returned to Australia. | Time
away from New Zealand 218 days
(28
March to 1 November) | |
| Finances | To finance the tour New Zealand
Cricket Limited had offered £12 000 of shares to the public. A lottery helped raise funds
for the boat passages The tour took £8000 at the
gates but made an overall loss of £1400. | | |
| Written accounts of
the tour | "The New Zealanders in England 1931" by Oscar
S Hintz. “The New
Zealand Cricket Guide 1931” by F.S.
Ashley-Cooper (Richards, 1931) “Tom Lowry - Leader in a Thousand” by Bill
Francis (Trio Books, 2010). | | |
| Postscript | It was evident that fourteen
players were not sufficient for a tour of such length. Yet in 1937 the Council again decided to
send only fourteen players until the tour committee insisted upon them adding
an extra bowler. Bill Merritt (Manchester
league club Rishton), Ian Cromb (East Lancashire), Stewie Dempster
(Leicestershire), Ken James (Northamptonshire) and Roger Blunt (MCC, Julien
Cahn’s XI) were all lost to New Zealand cricket for taking up professional
appointments in England.
Instead of engaging them to coach at home in the English winter, the New Zealand
administrators cast them adrift rather than select them for their country
again. | | |
| Other Test tours in
1931 | None
| | |