Victoria triumphs over New Zealand

100 Years Ago: 20-26 March 1925

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Victoria’s Tour of New Zealand

Wellington: New Zealand v Victoria (First Match)

Day one

Steady Play

NEW ZEALAND 226 (J S Hiddleston 22, R V D Walker 34, R C Blunt 39, A W Alloo 51*; P H Wallace 4/74, A E Liddicut 3/56, A E V Hartkopf 3/64). VICTORIA 5/0 (J L Ellis 0*, E T Austen 5*).

The Victorian bowlers bowled well and the New Zealand batsmen showed little enterprise, although eight of them reached double figures. Roger Blunt, batting at No 4, played a very dogged innings of 39, beginning before lunch and ending after tea. Arthur Alloo from No 8 made the highest score. The Victorian opening batsmen played out two overs before bad light stopped play early.

Day two

Woodfull Takes Victoria Ahead

NEW ZEALAND 226. VICTORIA 336 (J L Ellis 28, W M Woodfull 110*, C B Willis 27, V S Ransford 34, K J Millar 56; G R Dickinson 4/109, D J McBeath 5/89). Overnight score was: Victoria (1) 5/0 (Ellis 0*, Austen 5*).

Victoria played rather a patchy innings, held together by Bill Woodfull, who came in when two wickets had gone down for 17 runs to George Dickinson, Edgar Mayne lbw first ball. There were attractive innings in support from Carl Willis and Vernon Ransford, but the most spectacular was from Keith Millar at No 10, who smashed 56 in 47 minutes in a partnership of 89 with Woodfull that took Victoria into the lead. Woodfull batted altogether for almost four hours and was unbeaten when the innings closed with a lead of 110 runs. There was a cold southerly wind, but there were about 8000 spectators.

Day three

Ransford Shocks New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND 226 and 251 (R C Blunt 77, R V D Worker 33, C S Dempster 45, C C R Dacre 42; V S Ransford 6/38). VICTORIA 336. Overnight score was: Victoria (1) 336 all out.

New Zealand, beginning their second innings 110 runs in arrears, were progressing very nicely at 153 for two wickets at one stage in their second innings. Then, amazingly, their innings was shattered by the occasional left-arm spin of Vernon Ransford, who has never before taken more than two wickets in a first-class innings. Blunt and Rupert Worker put on 91 in confident style for the first wicket, and then Stewie Dempster proved another good partner for Blunt. But at 152 Ransford was given a bowl and in his first over he had Blunt out stumped. Dempster and Ces Dacre added another 34, but both fell to Ransford, who bowled for the rest of the innings and took six of the last eight wickets to fall. Tomorrow Victoria will need to make 142 to win, and are favourites to do so.

Day four

Woodfull Takes Victoria to Victory

NEW ZEALAND 226 and 251. VICTORIA 336 and 147/4 (J L Ellis 27, W M Woodfull 50*, A E V Hartkopf 16*). Victoria won by six wickets. Overnight score was: New Zealand (2) 251 all out.

Although they lost three wickets for 67, Victoria had little difficulty in completing a comfortable victory, with Bill Woodfull again the main figure. He had scored 49 when victory was achieved, but the over in progress was completed so he could score the single he needed to reach his fifty. Strictly speaking, though, his score should be recorded as 49 not out. So Victoria have beaten the national side, although failing to score any victories against the four provincial teams.

KENT

Kent by careful budgeting managed to finish their financial year with a balance of just over £301. Lord Harris had his say, and said that relationships between amateurs and professionals in the Kent team were always very friendly, as they always had been, but he preferred an amateur as captain as he had a better chance of being impartial.

ESSEX

The Essex County Cricket Club is in serious danger of folding, which would deprive cricket-lovers throughout the country of the excitement of watching Johnny Douglas bat. Their accounts show a loss on last season of £369, though many other counties have lost more, but Essex are already in such financial trouble that, although their membership has increased by 311 to 1751 as of now, the committee say that the club cannot survive without a membership of at least 3000.

For the coming season, though, they have arranged fixtures with 14 other counties, and plan cricket weeks at Southend and Colchester, with a match against Oxford University at Chelmsford, but have not been able to arrange an Ilford week. They have awarded their former bowler Sailor Young the match against Somerset in July for a benefit.