New Zealand cricket team in England in 1931

The three were invited to organise themselves into cricket boards that could, in future, select representative teams to take part in Test matches, which had hitherto been restricted to sides from England, Australia and South Africa.

In the event, the 1927 side did well enough to get an official (though scarcely full-strength) MCC tour agreed for 1929-30, in which New Zealand's first-ever Tests were played.

Lowry, Allcott, Blunt, Dempster, James, Merritt, Mills and Page had been members of the 1927 touring team.

Dempster made 53 and New Zealand were 132 for two at lunch on the first day, but the innings subsided against the spin of Ian Peebles (five for 77) and Walter Robins.

Dempster, with 120, Page (104) and Blunt (96) all scored well in New Zealand's reply, and a late partnership by Lowry and Allcott enabled the tourists to declare, setting England 240 to win in 140 minutes.

Centuries by Herbert Sutcliffe, Duleepsinhji and Wally Hammond led England to a big total, and New Zealand, lacking Dempster, who was injured, wilted against Gubby Allen, who took five for 14 in 13 overs.

Four other players, Mills, Lowry, Vivian and Weir, passed 1,000 runs for the season in first-class matches, and Page reached 990.

Wisden reported that the touring team approached the season realistically, not expecting to win many matches but seeking to learn from the experience.

Eight of the 1931 side played in these matches, but Lowry had retired from Test cricket and the team was captained by Page.