New Zealand cricket team in England in 1937

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.

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 Africa – 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.

The 1937 New Zealand team

The 1937 side was captained by Curly Page, 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,...
Read More