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team. Merritt: "My decision to come to
England was dictated by business reasons, and when it is realised that some members of the New Zealand team are without employment at all, I do not think I can be blamed". He played only three more seasons in New Zealand. In 1935–36, his last season at home, he
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noted that "he had his great days but in many matches bowled the bad ball far too often". Problems with maintaining a length were compounded by a tendency to over-bowl the googly at the expense of the more effective leg-break. His greatest moment on the tour came against the MCC at Lord's, when he
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had settled as wicket-keeper. In his one full season for the county, 1939, he scored 926 runs and took 87 wickets, though in this one
English season of eight-ball overs he was conceding runs at almost five an over. He was instrumental, with 12 wickets, in enabling Northamptonshire to record their
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tour of 1929–30, but failed to live up to expectations. In the four Tests, he took just eight wickets and, though he bowled more than any other New
Zealand player, his bowling was hit for more than 3.6 runs an over, a high scoring rate for those days. Returning to England on the
550:, but his appearances were restricted by a League contract to midweek games. He retired into the Leagues full-time after 1946, returning to New Zealand only in 1966, having run a successful business in Dudley, Worcestershire.
31:
825:
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agreement not to play in
England for at least two years; he took over 1000 League Cricket wickets, also scoring more than 7000 runs. After 2 seasons at Rishton he played for
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noted that though "he showed no great command of length... on certain days – and these were fairly frequent – he had the best of batsmen in trouble".
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bowled throughout the second innings to take 7 for 28 and dismiss the MCC for 48, giving the New
Zealanders an innings victory.
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described one of his deliveries as "a leg-break which struck like a cobra, one of the nastiest balls I have had to deal with".
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875:
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374:
533:, and followed that up with six wickets in an innings when, in the same month of May 1939, the team beat another county (
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He joined the BBC commentary team for the Test
Matches when New Zealand toured England in 1958 and 1969.
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By 1938 he had qualified by residence to play for
Northamptonshire, where his New Zealand Test colleague
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Merritt was a certain selection when New
Zealand were elevated to Test status with the
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and continued to play in the League after the war. In the winters he played
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first victory in first-class cricket for almost four years, against
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bowler and a forceful lower order batsman, he had played just four
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At the end of the 1931 tour, Merritt stayed in
England to play
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were played, was a triumph: Merritt took 107 wickets and
704:. wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2018. Archived from
678:. wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2018. Archived from
579:, A.H. & A.W. Reed, Wellington, 1958, pp. 74-79.
826:People educated at Christchurch Boys' High School
802:
871:Pre-1930 New Zealand representative cricketers
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513:coached Canterbury and took 31 wickets in the
881:New Zealand expatriate cricketers in England
856:New Zealand expatriate rugby league players
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455:, which was in any case ruined by rain.
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778:, Grafton, London, 1990, pp. 182, 186.
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537:) for the first time since May 1935.
425:matches when he was selected for the
362:(18 August 1908 – 9 June 1977) was a
836:Canterbury rugby league team players
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702:"Heritage Numbers - In Debut Order"
622:Mace, Devon V. (12 February 2016).
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427:New Zealand tour to England in 1927
13:
14:
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577:Great Days in New Zealand Cricket
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861:New Zealand rugby league players
846:New Zealand cricket commentators
676:"Statistics at wigan.rlfans.com"
476:in Manchester, in breach of his
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411:Christchurch Boys' High School
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821:Cricketers from Christchurch
143:10 January 1930 v
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876:Northamptonshire cricketers
866:New Zealand Test cricketers
761:Canterbury v Otago, 1935-36
751:, Wellington, 1961, p. 114.
656:. Lancashire League Cricket
624:"SPIN: A New Zealand story"
478:New Zealand Cricket Council
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772:Christopher Martin-Jenkins
381:footballer who played for
114:International information
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154:29 July 1931 v
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136:Test debut (cap
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92:Christchurch, New Zealand
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841:Halifax R.L.F.C. players
730:Bill Merritt at Cricinfo
401:Merritt was born in the
886:Wigan Warriors players
851:New Zealand cricketers
745:New Zealand Cricketers
360:William Edward Merritt
50:William Edward Merritt
831:Canterbury cricketers
397:Career in New Zealand
16:New Zealand cricketer
749:A.H. & A.W. Reed
531:Cambridge University
474:Rishton Cricket Club
288:5 wickets in innings
41:Personal information
35:Bill Merritt in 1936
300:10 wickets in match
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682:on 11 January 2020
405:seaside suburb of
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504:), having been a
464:Career in England
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166:Career statistics
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708:on 27 March 2019
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648:Nigel Stockley.
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628:Mind The Windows
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573:R. T. Brittenden
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548:Second World War
502:Heritage No. 412
494:Heritage No. 369
375:Northamptonshire
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482:East Lancashire
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369:who played for
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275:Bowling average
213:Batting average
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109:Legbreak googly
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786:External links
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650:"Bill Merritt"
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541:Walter Hammond
535:Leicestershire
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796:ESPNcricinfo
792:Bill Merritt
776:Ball by Ball
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710:. Retrieved
706:the original
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684:. Retrieved
680:the original
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631:. Retrieved
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486:rugby league
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431:Test matches
403:Christchurch
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379:rugby league
359:
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311:Best bowling
101:Right-handed
87:(1977-06-09)
74:Christchurch
23:Bill Merritt
18:
816:1977 deaths
811:1908 births
423:first-class
364:New Zealand
201:Runs scored
184:First-class
175:Competition
128:(1930–1931)
126:New Zealand
85:9 June 1977
805:Categories
557:References
510:Canterbury
453:Manchester
383:Canterbury
371:Canterbury
62:1908-08-18
794: at
712:1 January
686:1 January
660:21 August
633:21 August
526:Ken James
449:1931 tour
415:leg break
324:stumpings
236:Top score
151:Last Test
472:for the
377:, and a
347:Cricinfo
345:Source:
322:Catches/
225:100s/50s
508:in the
498:Halifax
391:Halifax
262:Wickets
190:Matches
156:England
145:England
106:Bowling
98:Batting
604:Wisden
590:Wisden
496:) and
457:Wisden
436:Wisden
419:googly
407:Sumner
250:bowled
70:Sumner
519:Otago
490:Wigan
387:Wigan
314:4/104
282:25.45
279:51.41
256:24255
248:Balls
220:19.91
217:10.42
714:2019
688:2019
662:2017
635:2017
506:wing
488:for
417:and
413:. A
389:and
373:and
331:58/–
317:8/41
231:0/12
207:3147
179:Test
82:Died
56:Born
444:MCC
328:2/–
269:537
253:936
228:0/0
196:125
807::
774:,
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743:,
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652:.
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612:^
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204:73
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500:(
492:(
306:8
303:0
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138:9
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60:(
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