Tom Lowry

Wisden obituary
Tom Lowry, who died at Hastings, New Zealand, on July 20, was born at Wellington, New Zealand, on February 2, 1898. The importance of this fact lies in the tradition that his sole qualification for Somerset in later years was, as P. R. Johnson's had been before him, born at Wellington. He was at school at Christ's College, served in the Royal Flying Corp at the end of World War I and, going up to Cambridge in 1921 made 183 in the Freshmen's match, but neither in that year nor the next did he get his Blue, although in both seasons he did valuable work for Somerset when term was ended. So strong was Cambridge cricket then that, if one looks at the 1921 side, it is impossible to see who could have been left out for him.

In the winter of 1922 he went with MacLaren's side to Australia and New Zealand. In 1923 an innings of 161 against Lancashire in the first match scored in two hours, fifty minutes made his place in the Cambridge side secure: he got over a thousand runs for the University and played for the Gentlemen at Lord's. After captaining Cambridge in 1924 he went back to New Zealand, but returned in 1927 and again in 1931 to captain the first two New Zealand sides in England.

An outstanding captain, he aimed at winning, not drawing, insisted on absolute punctuality and abhorred waste of time. On both tours he was one of the team's most reliable bats. In 1937 he came again, this time as Manager to play when wanted, and an innings of 121 in 105 minutes against Nottinghamshire showed that he was still worth a place. Altogether he hit eighteen first-class hundreds. A very strong man, he was a thorough cricketer--a fine attacking bat, always at his best in a crisis, a splendid field close to the wicket, a competent wicket-keeper if required, and a useful slow bowler, who was not afraid to give the ball plenty of air. In later life he was President of the New Zealand Cricket Council. One of his sisters married R. H. Bettington, another A. P. F. Chapman.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack