New Zealand cricket team in England in 1937
Encyclopedia
The New Zealand cricket team
toured England in the 1937 season
. The team was the third from New Zealand to tour England, following those of 1927
and 1931
and the second to play Test matches
. Three Tests were arranged: England
won the second match at Manchester
, and the games at Lord's and The Oval
were drawn, the latter affected by rain. On the tour as a whole, the New Zealanders played 32 first-class
matches, winning nine and losing nine, with 14 ending as draws.
– more than four years passed with no Test cricket. The 1936-37 MCC tour of Australia
did not take in New Zealand, as the 1932-33 side
had done.
That 1936-37 tour had proved a fairly chastening experience for England, who won the first two Tests but lost the final three, and so failed to regain The Ashes
. The England selectors used the 1937 Test series against New Zealand as an opportunity to try out new players: Len Hutton
and Denis Compton
were among those who made their Test debuts in the series.
, who was the sole remaining player from the team that toured England in 1927. The manager was Tom Lowry
, captain of both the 1927 and 1931 sides, and he played in several matches, largely acting as deputy wicketkeeper, a role he had taken on both the previous tours, though he also scored a century against Nottinghamshire
.
The full side was:
Page, Vivian, Kerr and Weir were the only survivors from the 1931 tour; Hadlee, Wallace, Cowie and Donnelly were members of the next touring party to England, in 1949. Of the 15 regular players (without Lowry), 13 played in the Tests. The exceptions were Carson and Lamason, neither of whom played Test cricket. Page, Carson and Tindill are credited as three of only seven "double All Blacks", playing both cricket and rugby for New Zealand's national sides. Of the seven, Tindill is the only one to have played Tests in both sports, Page played only cricket Tests, and Carson played Tests in neither.
won the only match of the series to come to a definite result.
and Jim Parks senior
, did not last long, but Joe Hardstaff junior
and Walter Hammond then hit centuries and shared a third wicket partnership of 245. But only Eddie Paynter
of the other batsmen made runs. New Zealand lost wickets regularly, with Kerr and Hadlee making 30s and Wallace reaching 52. But at 176 for seven wickets, the follow-on looked likely. Then an eighth wicket partnership of 104 between Moloney, who made 64 and Roberts, unbeaten on 66, came to the rescue. The new openers failed again in England's second innings, but Hardstaff made 64 and Charles Barnett
an undefeated 83 to set up the declaration. Resolute batting by Wallace, with 56, and Kerr, who was injured and came in at No 7, saved the match for New Zealand.
Second Test match, Manchester
England (358 for nine declared and 187) beat New Zealand (281 and 134) by 130 runs. Hutton made his maiden Test century in his second Test, and shared an opening partnership of 100 with Barnett, who made 62, and a second wicket partnership of 128 with Hardstaff, who made 58. England were 296 for three, but rash batting against Cowie and Gallichan led to six wickets falling for a further 62 runs before close of play. England declared overnight, and New Zealand, despite 58 from Vivian, were reduced to 119 for five before Hadlee, scoring 93, put on 99 with Page. England lost three wickets before close of play and had been reduced to 75 for seven on the final morning, just 152 ahead, mainly through fine seam bowling by Cowie. Freddie Brown, though, cajoled the tail into a further 112 runs. Cowie finished with match figures on 10 for 140. New Zealand's second innings, chasing 265, started well, and Vivian and Moloney put on 50 for the first wicket before Moloney was run out. Vivian went on to his second 50 of the match, but only Donnelly of the other batsmen reached double figures, and Tom Goddard
, achieving a lot of turn with his off-breaks, took six for 29 to win the match.
Third Test match, The Oval
New Zealand (249 and 187) drew with England (254 for seven declared and 31 for one). Only half an hour's play was possible on the first day because of rain. New Zealand struggled to 47 for four before 50s from Donnelly, Page and Roberts rescued them. England in turn lost three quick wickets, but Denis Compton
, aged 19 and in his first Test, made 65 and Hardstaff 103. The declaration came at lunchtime on the final day and a result appeared possible when New Zealand, despite 57 out of 87 from Vivian, lost wickets regularly across the afternoon. But a late rally by Moloney and Tindill took the match out of England's reach, and the game petered out to a draw.
In a damp start to the tour, Cambridge University
were beaten in a low-scoring match, but there were defeats by Glamorgan
, Lancashire
(twice), Derbyshire
and Worcestershire
before the first Test, and no further victories in first-class matches.
After the Lord's Test, the New Zealanders won a high-scoring game against Somerset
and beat Scotland
. Form into August was patchy: a big score (495) and victory against Surrey
at the end of July was followed by a heavy second defeat by Glamorgan. Essex
were beaten just before the final Test and the Combined Services team in two days just afterwards. The English part of the tour ended with wins over Sussex
and the Minor Counties, but defeats by Kent
and H. D. G. Leveson-Gower's XI.
There was a remarkable codicil. The New Zealand team left Scarborough and arrived in Dublin next day for a three-day match against Ireland. But the match was over in a single day. Ireland made 79, with only four players reaching double figures; New Zealand's reply was worse, as only two players reached double figures in a total of 64. Then Cowie took six wickets for three runs in eight overs as Ireland made just 30 – 15 of those were scored by one batsman, 10 were byes and eight batsmen failed to score. Newland hit off the 46 runs for victory by eight wickets.
On the batting side, there were perhaps fewer stars than on the earlier tours, with Roger Blunt
retired and Stewie Dempster captaining Leicestershire
. In bowling too, Bill Merritt, the leading wicket-taker of the two previous visits, was now playing in the Lancashire League, and would then qualify for Northamptonshire
, where the star wicketkeeper of 1927 and 1931, Ken James
, was already ensconced in the side.
But the tour made the reputations of some younger players. Wallace and Donnelly were seen as the top youngsters, and they finished top of the first-class tour averages, though they did less well in the Tests. The most successful Test batsman was, surprisingly, Roberts, picked mainly for his bowling, and his average of 47.33 was surpassed on the England side by both Hardstaff and Hammond. Hadlee's 93 was the highest Test score, and Vivian's the highest Test aggregate at 194 runs in six innings.
In bowling, one player stood out. Cowie took 19 of the 40 Test wickets, and no other player on either side got into double figures – partly, perhaps, because England varied their bowling attack for each Test.
In the first-class season as a whole, Cowie again was what Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
called "the outstanding player of the team". He took 114 wickets at less than 20 runs apiece. Dunning, with off-breaks, took 83 first-class wickets but they cost more than 30 runs each and he took only three Test wickets.
Six batsmen – Wallace, Donnelly, Moloney, Kerr, Hadlee and Vivian – passed 1,000 runs for the season, with Wallace's 1,641 at an average of 41.02 the best both in aggregate and average. Kerr's 160 against the Minor Counties was the highest score for the team. Tindill was an efficient wicketkeeper and the fielding as a whole was enthusiastic.
In the event, for all except five of the team, the 1937 marked the end of their Test cricket, and for New Zealand as a whole there were no more Tests until the end of the Second World War. Then in consecutive domestic New Zealand seasons, there were single matches against first Australia
and then, in 1946-47, MCC
, and in both matches Hadlee, Wallace, Tindill and Cowie played. Donnelly, another who went into English cricket with Oxford University and Warwickshire
, re-emerged to rejoin the 1949 touring team, which was the next New Zealand side to visit England.
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
toured England in the 1937 season
1937 English cricket season
-Honours:*County Championship - Yorkshire*Minor Counties Championship - Lancashire II*Wisden - Tom Goddard, Joe Hardstaff, Leonard Hutton, Jim Parks senior, Eddie Paynter-Test series:England defeated New Zealand 1-0 with two matches drawn....
. The team was the third from New Zealand to tour England, following those of 1927
New Zealand cricket team in England in 1927
The New Zealand cricket team toured England in the 1927 season. The team contained many of the players who would later play Test cricket for New Zealand, but the tour did not include any Test matches and the 1927 English cricket season was the last, apart from the Second World War years and the...
and 1931
New Zealand cricket team in England in 1931
The New Zealand cricket team toured England in the 1931 season. The tour was the first tour by a New Zealand team in which Test matches were arranged. Originally, only one Test was planned, but New Zealand acquitted themselves so well in the first match and in the game against MCC that matches...
and the second to play Test matches
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
. Three Tests were arranged: England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
won the second match at Manchester
Old Trafford (cricket)
Old Trafford is a cricket ground situated on Talbot Road in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. It has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since its foundation in 1864, having been the ground of Manchester Cricket Club from 1857...
, and the games at Lord's and The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
were drawn, the latter affected by rain. On the tour as a whole, the New Zealanders played 32 first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
matches, winning nine and losing nine, with 14 ending as draws.
Background
After a flurry of activity from 1929-30 to 1932-33, in which New Zealand played its first 11 Test matches – nine against England, two against South AfricaSouth African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
– more than four years passed with no Test cricket. The 1936-37 MCC tour of Australia
English cricket team in Australia in 1936-37
The England cricket team toured Australia in the 1936-37 season to play a five-match Test series against Australia for The Ashes. The tour was organised by the Marylebone Cricket Club and matches outside the Tests were played under the MCC name....
did not take in New Zealand, as the 1932-33 side
English cricket team in Australia in 1932-33
A cricket team representing England toured Australia in the 1932-33 season. The tour was organised by the Marylebone Cricket Club and matches outside the Tests were played under the MCC name. The tour included five Test matches in Australia, and England won The Ashes by four games to one...
had done.
That 1936-37 tour had proved a fairly chastening experience for England, who won the first two Tests but lost the final three, and so failed to regain The Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
. The England selectors used the 1937 Test series against New Zealand as an opportunity to try out new players: Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
and Denis Compton
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
were among those who made their Test debuts in the series.
The 1937 New Zealand team
The 1937 side was captained by Curly PageCurly Page
Milford Laurenson "Curly" Page was a cricketer who played for New Zealand and Canterbury. He was New Zealand's second Test captain, and captained 7 of the Tests in which he played...
, who was the sole remaining player from the team that toured England in 1927. The manager was Tom Lowry
Tom Lowry
Thomas Coleman Lowry was a New Zealand cricketer. He played in the first seven Test matches that New Zealand ever played, captaining the team in all of them....
, captain of both the 1927 and 1931 sides, and he played in several matches, largely acting as deputy wicketkeeper, a role he had taken on both the previous tours, though he also scored a century against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
.
The full side was:
- Curly PageCurly PageMilford Laurenson "Curly" Page was a cricketer who played for New Zealand and Canterbury. He was New Zealand's second Test captain, and captained 7 of the Tests in which he played...
, (captain) - Giff VivianGiff VivianHenry Gifford Vivian was a New Zealand cricketer who played in seven Tests from 1931 to 1937. His son Graham, also played for the Black Caps....
, (vice-captain) - Bill CarsonBill Carson (sportsman)William Nicol Carson was a sportsman who represented New Zealand at both cricket and rugby union.-Cricket:Carson, an aggressive left-handed batsman and useful fast-medium bowler, started his cricketing career with a couple of large scores for Auckland in the Plunket Shield...
- Jack CowieJack CowieJohn Cowie OBE was a New Zealand cricketer who played in nine Tests from 1937 to 1949. His Test opportunities were restricted by New Zealand's limited programme, and his cricket career was interrupted by World War II from 1939 to 1945...
- Martin DonnellyMartin Donnelly (cricketer)Martin Paterson Donnelly was a New Zealand Test cricketer and England Rugby Union player.Born in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Donnelly's twin brother Maurice died in the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918. His sporting talent emerged quickly and Donnelly became known for his batting and fielding skills, as...
- Jack DunningJack DunningJohn Angus Dunning was a New Zealand cricketer who played in 4 Tests from 1933 to 1937....
- Norman GallichanNorman GallichanNorman Gallichan was a cricketer who played for Wellington and New Zealand....
- Walter HadleeWalter HadleeWalter Arnold Hadlee, CBE was a New Zealand cricketer and Test match captain. He played domestic first-class cricket for Canterbury and Otago. Three of his five sons, Sir Richard, Dayle and Barry played cricket for New Zealand...
- Jack KerrJack KerrJohn Lambert Kerr was a New Zealand cricketer who played seven Tests for the New Zealand cricket team before the Second World War...
- Jack LamasonJack LamasonJohn Rider Lamason, born at Wellington, New Zealand on 29 October 1905, and died also at Wellington on 25 June 1961, was a cricketer who played for Wellington cricket team and for New Zealand, but not in Test matches....
- Denis MoloneySonny MoloneyDenis Andrew Robert "Sonny" Moloney . He played three Tests for New Zealand in their 1937 tour of England. He was killed in the Second World War.-External links:*...
- Albert RobertsAlby RobertsAlbert William Roberts was a New Zealand cricketer who played in five Tests from 1930 to 1937....
- Eric TindillEric TindillEric William Thomas Tindill was a New Zealand sportsman. Tindill held a number of unique records: he was the oldest ever Test cricketer at the time of his death, the only person to play Tests for New Zealand in both cricket and rugby union , and the only person ever to play Tests in both sports,...
, wicketkeeper - Merv WallaceMerv WallaceWalter Mervyn Wallace was a New Zealand cricketer and Test match captain. Former New Zealand captain John Reid called him "The most under-rated cricketer to have worn the silver fern." He was nicknamed "Flip" by his teammates, because that was the strongest expletive they heard him say.Wallace...
- Lindsay WeirLindsay Weir (cricketer)Gordon Lindsay Weir played 11 Tests for New Zealand. He was known as Dad Weir. He was the world's oldest Test cricketer upon his death.-References:...
Page, Vivian, Kerr and Weir were the only survivors from the 1931 tour; Hadlee, Wallace, Cowie and Donnelly were members of the next touring party to England, in 1949. Of the 15 regular players (without Lowry), 13 played in the Tests. The exceptions were Carson and Lamason, neither of whom played Test cricket. Page, Carson and Tindill are credited as three of only seven "double All Blacks", playing both cricket and rugby for New Zealand's national sides. Of the seven, Tindill is the only one to have played Tests in both sports, Page played only cricket Tests, and Carson played Tests in neither.
Test matches
Three Test matches were played, and EnglandEnglish cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
won the only match of the series to come to a definite result.
First Test match, Lord's, 26–29 June 1937
England (424 and 226 for four declared) drew with New Zealand (295 and 175 for eight). England's debutant openers, Len HuttonLen Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
and Jim Parks senior
Jim Parks senior
James Horace "Jim" Parks was a cricketer who played for Sussex and England....
, did not last long, but Joe Hardstaff junior
Joe Hardstaff junior
Joseph Hardstaff junior was an English cricketer, who played in twenty three Tests for England from 1935 to 1948...
and Walter Hammond then hit centuries and shared a third wicket partnership of 245. But only Eddie Paynter
Eddie Paynter
Edward "Eddie" Paynter was an English cricketer: an attacking batsman and excellent fielder. His Test batting average of 59.23 is the fifth highest of all time, and second only to Herbert Sutcliffe amongst Englishmen; against Australia alone Paynter averaged an extraordinary 84.42.Born in...
of the other batsmen made runs. New Zealand lost wickets regularly, with Kerr and Hadlee making 30s and Wallace reaching 52. But at 176 for seven wickets, the follow-on looked likely. Then an eighth wicket partnership of 104 between Moloney, who made 64 and Roberts, unbeaten on 66, came to the rescue. The new openers failed again in England's second innings, but Hardstaff made 64 and Charles Barnett
Charlie Barnett (cricketer)
Charles John Barnett was an English cricketer, who played in 20 Tests from 1933 to 1948...
an undefeated 83 to set up the declaration. Resolute batting by Wallace, with 56, and Kerr, who was injured and came in at No 7, saved the match for New Zealand.
Second Test match, ManchesterOld Trafford (cricket)Old Trafford is a cricket ground situated on Talbot Road in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. It has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since its foundation in 1864, having been the ground of Manchester Cricket Club from 1857...
, 24–27 July 1937
England (358 for nine declared and 187) beat New Zealand (281 and 134) by 130 runs. Hutton made his maiden Test century in his second Test, and shared an opening partnership of 100 with Barnett, who made 62, and a second wicket partnership of 128 with Hardstaff, who made 58. England were 296 for three, but rash batting against Cowie and Gallichan led to six wickets falling for a further 62 runs before close of play. England declared overnight, and New Zealand, despite 58 from Vivian, were reduced to 119 for five before Hadlee, scoring 93, put on 99 with Page. England lost three wickets before close of play and had been reduced to 75 for seven on the final morning, just 152 ahead, mainly through fine seam bowling by Cowie. Freddie Brown, though, cajoled the tail into a further 112 runs. Cowie finished with match figures on 10 for 140. New Zealand's second innings, chasing 265, started well, and Vivian and Moloney put on 50 for the first wicket before Moloney was run out. Vivian went on to his second 50 of the match, but only Donnelly of the other batsmen reached double figures, and Tom GoddardTom Goddard
Tom Goddard was the fifth highest wicket taker in first-class cricket....
, achieving a lot of turn with his off-breaks, took six for 29 to win the match.
Third Test match, The OvalThe OvalThe Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, 14–17 August 1937
New Zealand (249 and 187) drew with England (254 for seven declared and 31 for one). Only half an hour's play was possible on the first day because of rain. New Zealand struggled to 47 for four before 50s from Donnelly, Page and Roberts rescued them. England in turn lost three quick wickets, but Denis ComptonDenis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
, aged 19 and in his first Test, made 65 and Hardstaff 103. The declaration came at lunchtime on the final day and a result appeared possible when New Zealand, despite 57 out of 87 from Vivian, lost wickets regularly across the afternoon. But a late rally by Moloney and Tindill took the match out of England's reach, and the game petered out to a draw.
First-class and other matches
Including the Test matches, 32 first-class games were played; nine were won, nine lost and 14 drawn.In a damp start to the tour, Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
were beaten in a low-scoring match, but there were defeats by Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
, Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
(twice), Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
and Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
before the first Test, and no further victories in first-class matches.
After the Lord's Test, the New Zealanders won a high-scoring game against Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
and beat Scotland
Scottish cricket team
The Scotland national cricket team represents Scotland in the game of cricket. They compete in the Clydesdale Bank 40 as the Scottish Saltires...
. Form into August was patchy: a big score (495) and victory against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
at the end of July was followed by a heavy second defeat by Glamorgan. Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
were beaten just before the final Test and the Combined Services team in two days just afterwards. The English part of the tour ended with wins over Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
and the Minor Counties, but defeats by Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
and H. D. G. Leveson-Gower's XI.
There was a remarkable codicil. The New Zealand team left Scarborough and arrived in Dublin next day for a three-day match against Ireland. But the match was over in a single day. Ireland made 79, with only four players reaching double figures; New Zealand's reply was worse, as only two players reached double figures in a total of 64. Then Cowie took six wickets for three runs in eight overs as Ireland made just 30 – 15 of those were scored by one batsman, 10 were byes and eight batsmen failed to score. Newland hit off the 46 runs for victory by eight wickets.
Leading players
In a season when the weather was kinder than it often is in England, New Zealand's cricketers emerged with a record similar to that of the earlier tours in 1927 and 1931, with a pretty even balance of wins and losses, except that more matches came to a definite conclusion.On the batting side, there were perhaps fewer stars than on the earlier tours, with Roger Blunt
Roger Blunt
Roger Charles Blunt played nine Tests for New Zealand....
retired and Stewie Dempster captaining Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
. In bowling too, Bill Merritt, the leading wicket-taker of the two previous visits, was now playing in the Lancashire League, and would then qualify for Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
, where the star wicketkeeper of 1927 and 1931, Ken James
Ken James (cricketer)
Kenneth Cecil James , was a cricketer who played for Wellington, Northamptonshire and New Zealand.A wicket-keeper and a useful batsman, James first played for Wellington in 1923 and came to England with the first New Zealand touring party in 1927 ostensibly as second string to Tom Lowry...
, was already ensconced in the side.
But the tour made the reputations of some younger players. Wallace and Donnelly were seen as the top youngsters, and they finished top of the first-class tour averages, though they did less well in the Tests. The most successful Test batsman was, surprisingly, Roberts, picked mainly for his bowling, and his average of 47.33 was surpassed on the England side by both Hardstaff and Hammond. Hadlee's 93 was the highest Test score, and Vivian's the highest Test aggregate at 194 runs in six innings.
In bowling, one player stood out. Cowie took 19 of the 40 Test wickets, and no other player on either side got into double figures – partly, perhaps, because England varied their bowling attack for each Test.
In the first-class season as a whole, Cowie again was what Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
called "the outstanding player of the team". He took 114 wickets at less than 20 runs apiece. Dunning, with off-breaks, took 83 first-class wickets but they cost more than 30 runs each and he took only three Test wickets.
Six batsmen – Wallace, Donnelly, Moloney, Kerr, Hadlee and Vivian – passed 1,000 runs for the season, with Wallace's 1,641 at an average of 41.02 the best both in aggregate and average. Kerr's 160 against the Minor Counties was the highest score for the team. Tindill was an efficient wicketkeeper and the fielding as a whole was enthusiastic.
Verdict and aftermath
The 1937 New Zealand tour was rated a disappointment by Wisden, which said that the team had not fulfilled expectations. In mitigation, it added that a long, latterly dry but relatively cheerless summer had made the tour particularly arduous, and there had been little time for preparation.In the event, for all except five of the team, the 1937 marked the end of their Test cricket, and for New Zealand as a whole there were no more Tests until the end of the Second World War. Then in consecutive domestic New Zealand seasons, there were single matches against first Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
and then, in 1946-47, MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
, and in both matches Hadlee, Wallace, Tindill and Cowie played. Donnelly, another who went into English cricket with Oxford University and Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
, re-emerged to rejoin the 1949 touring team, which was the next New Zealand side to visit England.