New Zealand Services cricket team in England in 1945

A New Zealand Services cricket team played several matches in England in the 1945 season. Only one match, against H.D.G. Leveson-Gower's XI at Scarborough, was counted as first-class, but several of the one- and two-day matches were written up in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack for 1946, and the team played three times at Lord's.

The side was captained by Ken James, who had toured England as a wicketkeeper with the 1927 and 1931 New Zealand teams, and played for Northamptonshire in the late 1930s as a professional. Other former and future Test players in the team at different times included Stewie Dempster, Ted Badcock, Martin Donnelly and Roger Blunt. Tom Pritchard, who played county cricket for Warwickshire for several seasons from 1946, was also a member of the New Zealand Services side.

First-class match

The one first-class match against Leveson-Gower's XI was lost by eight wickets. Donnelly scored 100 in the first innings and 86 in the second, and Badcock took six for 166 against a side that included several England Test players. But Len Hutton scored 188 and though the New Zealanders declared their second innings with the game apparently saved, Leveson-Gower's XI hit 63 in 25 minutes to win.

External sources

CricketArchive

References

• Wisden Cricketers Almanack 1946