Drinks breaks are a regular aspect of cricket. It occurs at fixed intervals during matches to keep the players hydrated. However, things took an interesting turn when New Zealand faced England in a Test match in 1965.
After an interval of seven years, the New Zealanders returned to England but they had to share the touring programme with the South Africans who came for the second half of the season. This was the first time Such an arrangement had been attempted since the unsuccessful triangular tournament between England, Australia and South Africa in 1912.
The New Zealanders showed foresight in making a round-the-world tour. Leaving Auckland in mid-February, they undertook seven Tests; four in India and three in Pakistan. This was before they arrived in England towards the end of April.
They hoped that a thorough trial in other countries would provide valuable experience and excellent match practice prior to tackling their main objective in England.
Given a fine summer, this should've worked out well but as on their last visit in 1958; the New Zealanders were unfortunate to find the English climate at its very worst and the pitches they played on proved vastly different from those in India and Pakistan.
Indeed, at the end of the tour, John Reid, the captain, stated that apart from a few places like Lord's, Fenner's and the Kent grounds, the wickets had deteriorated to an astonishing degree compared with those he met in 1949 and 1958.
Besides the rain, the New Zealanders also had to contend with some bitterly cold days; notably during the first Test at Edgbaston where hot coffee was served on the field to both teams.
Temperature plummeted to an abysmal low on 28 May 1965 during the Test between England and New Zealand at Edgbaston. In 1965, things had turned out to be really brutal. It was unfortunate that New Zealand's tour of England in the same season had started with the Edgbaston Test: the second day turned out to be a torture for the cricketers.
In fact, the narrowest ray of sunlight (on the third day of the Test) led to heavy traffic as people all over United Kingdom went out in desperate search of some pleasant weather. This included a nine-mile queue in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Day One: England consolidate
Geoff Boycott and Bob Barber got off to a 54-run stand after Mike Smith had decided to bat. Once both fell, Ted Dexter took centre-stage with his lordly assortment of strokes; carving his way to a gorgeous 57 that lit up the gloom. Ken Barrington, on the other hand, batted on at a dreary pace.
Dexter's departure had brought Colin Cowdrey to the centre and the pair returned at stumps; having added 68 for the fourth wicket (of which Cowdrey had scored 44). Barrington's 61 had taken him well over 3 hours. England finished on 232-3; all wickets having fallen to the hostile pace of Dick Motz.
Day Two: Coffee on the ground
The second day's play started amidst an almost opaque, all-encompassing dimness and whatever opportunity of bright cricket the spectators had of witnessing was obliterated by Barrington's excruciatingly slow batting. Arguably the greatest ever English middle-order batsman, Barrington went into a shell as Cowdrey opened up at the other end.
Cowdrey eventually played on to one from Richard Collinge (got bowled) for 85 (he tried to shoo the ball away but his attempts failed); Smith himself fell for a duck (his 4th in 6 innings). At the other end, Barrington had ceased scoring runs. He adopted what Wisden referred to as the most exaggerated two-eyed stance ever seen and added that everything on the second day seemed pale in comparison to Barrington's tedious exhibition.
Barrington remained on 85 for 62 minutes for a period that lasted 20 overs. Barring the wickets of Cowdrey and Smith, Jim Parks scored a 28-ball 35 (in a 36-run partnership) amidst great applause from the crowd and even got out but Barrington seemed unperturbed.
It was during this period that the weather reached its worst: most fielders, equipped with multiple sweaters, had their fingers buried deep into their pockets (one must remember that they were from New Zealand); curling palms into fists and blowing hard into them didn't work and Barrington's batting ensured they didn't have to move around a lot.
Warwickshire CCC decided to ease up things with a dash of caffeine or two; the hapless men were served coffee twice on the ground; and things eased out a bit after that (though Barrington remained scoreless).
Barrington, beaten five times in an over by John Reid, eventually reached his hundred in six-and-a-quarter hours. The next hour saw him score at a faster pace (he even took 14 off an over from Vic Pollard) as he was last out for a 437-minute 137; England were bowled out for 435; Motz finishing with 5 wickets and Collinge 3.
New Zealand added 54 as well but Smith had introduced Fred Titmus before stumps. He removed Bevan Congdon but Graham Dowling (30) and Barry Sinclair (4) went to stumps at 59-1. They were still 376 behind.
Day Three: Titmus runs through
In an excellent display of off-spin, Titmus ran through the New Zealand top order. Fred Trueman hit Bert Sutcliffe on the left ear and the great batsman had to retire hurt. Trueman also clean bowled Reid. Tom Cartwright took out a couple of wickets and inspired by Titmus' success. Smith used Barber's leg-breaks.
Sutcliffe had left at 75-3; he emerged again when New Zealand were down at 115-9 but couldn't continue after he added a single to the score and retired again. New Zealand were bowled out for 116; Titmus finished with 26-17-18-4. Smith enforced the follow-on asked them to bat again.
The second innings was a more spirited one, though Congdon was injured with the score on 63. He returned after Dowling' dismissal and though Reid and Congdon fell in quick succession; Ross Morgan (33) and Artie Dick (41) took the score to 215-4 at stumps. They still needed 104 to make England bat again.
Day Four: England close in
Both overnight batsmen fell early but Sutcliffe was ready to bat; as was Pollard. Smith claimed the new ball but Trueman and Fred Rumsey were handled with ease. The 41-year old Sutcliffe opened up, batting sensibly, cutting loose only when anything easy was on the offer.
Bad light halted play but when it finally resumed, Sutcliffe, on 53, was caught by Titmus at gully off Dexter. Pollard remained unbeaten on 81 as New Zealand managed to reach 413: this time Barber claimed four, while Trueman had three to his tally. Titmus played the workhorse, adding 59-30-85-2 to his first innings figures. England started their chase of 95 and finished on 8 with Boycott on 5 and Barber on 3.
Day Five: England go one-up
The attendance of the Test had been an abysmal 21 000 throughout the Test; New Zealand got a measly 1 000 as gate shared. However, things reached a new low when a mere 107 arrived to watch Boycott and Barber give them a series lead.
Runs came easily with the opening stand adding 92 in 100 minutes before Barber tried to hit Morgan for six and holed out to Graham Vivian; substituting for Sutcliffe. The batsmen had crossed, and Boycott finished things off quickly.
What followed?
Barrington was dropped for the second Test at Lord's for his slow batting. England won by 7 wickets thanks to some delightful batting from Dexter and Cowdrey and some quality bowling from Rumsey.
Brought back at Headingley, Barrington scored 163, adding 369 in 339 minutes with John Edrich as the latter raced to a 450-ball 310 with 52 fours and 3 sixes. New Zealand collapsed against David Larter, Ray Illingworth and Titmus and lost by an innings and 187 runs.
Sutcliffe never played another Test after Edgbaston.
From a financial point of view the tour of England was a failure as there was a loss of £4 000 but happily this deficit was offset by the takings in India and Pakistan so that when they reached home in August; they were able to show a small profit.
The first-class matches numbered 19 and that as many as 11 were left drawn could be attributed mainly to the bad weather. The side were outplayed by England in the three Tests and, after beating Gloucestershire in their third game; they did not win again until they mastered Scotland and Ireland at the end of the tour. In addition to losing to England, they also went down to Lancashire, Yorkshire and Warwickshire.
As in 1958, weakness in batting and spin bowling proved the main obstacles in their search for success. Their strength lay in the presence of four excellent pace bowlers: Motz, Collinge, Taylor and Cameron but the lack of top-class variety in the attack was particularly noticeable in the Test Matches where a left-arm slow bowler with the steadiness and accuracy that T.B. Burst showed in 1949 would have been invaluable.
Lack of consistency by the batsmen, due mainly that as they went from match to match; they never knew how the pitch would behave, accounted largely for the number of small first innings totals. Moreover, Reid, who should've inspired his side, seldom showed his true form owing to a damaged knee cartilage which also prevented him taking any major share of the bowling.
This threw an unnecessary burden on all the other members of the team, none of whom had played previously in England. Considering that six each made one century and six others passed 50 it was clear that the side possessed batting talent.
None did better than the 19-year-old Victor Pollard who left school only the previous year. Chosen mainly for his ability to bowl off-breaks, he turned out the batting find of the tour. Blessed with a cool temperament and an easy style, Pollard with 4 and 81* at Edgbaston; 55 and 55 at Lord's and 33 and 53 at Headingley, had the highest aggregate in the Tests of 281 runs; the next best being Dowling with 197.
Dowling, vice-captain, looked a most competent opening batsman. Congdon, with a rugged style, at times hit freely as did Morgan and Motz. For daintiness and sheer grace, the diminutive fair-haired Sinclair had no superior and he too excelled at cover.
It was hoped that their great left-hander, Bert Sutcliffe, who emerged from retirement at the age of 41, would provide middle steadiness. Before he arrived in England, he showed all his old brilliance in hitting 151* against India in Calcutta but in the first Test at Edgbaston he was laid low by a bouncer from Trueman and took little further part in the tour; although he wound up with another fine century against Ireland in Belfast.
The team possessed two capable wicket-keepers in Ward and Dick. Graham Vivian, a son of H.G. Vivian, who toured England in 1931 and 1937, got his place at the age of 19; in a last minute search for a leg spinner only to find the pitches unsuitable.
Jarvis, another youngster, was plagued by illness contracted in India and had few opportunities to show his qualities as a staunch opening batsman.
There can be no question that these young New Zealanders learned a great deal and providing their next visit is not too long delayed they should fare much better at the second attempt. Mr. Walter Hadlee, captain of the 1949 team, was a popular and efficient manager wherever the New Zealanders went.
I was quite surprised by this story. I've seen players play in cold weather before but never heard of them being offered coffee. The choice of drink seems to be appropriate. No one who plays sport professionally wants to get frostbite and get severe sicknesses.