TEAM RETURNS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 41, 27 November 1937, Page 2

TEAM RETURNS

STRENUOUS CRICKET TOUR.

SUMMARY BY MR LOWRY.

(Per Press Association,) WELLINGTON, November 26. “If the two previous tours -were rolled into one it would be child’s play compared with this tour now ended. The fine weather beat us,” said M. L. Page, captain of the New Zealand cricket team which visited England and Australia, in an interview on the arrival of the team by the Awatea. Officials of the New Zealand Council and the Wellington Association as well as many enthusiasts were at the wharf to welcome the men, who generally are fit and well.

The manager (Mr T. C. Lowry) agreed that the tour had been a strenuous one. The batting had been somewhat disappointing, but the bowling was very successful. The fielding was good and sometimes brilliant, except the slip catching, which was unaccountably uncertain. Six batsmen scored more than 1000 runs, and five bowlers took more than 50 wickets. Cowie had proved himsblf about as good as any fast bowler in England, and there were few better stroke players in the world than Wallace. The English wickets affected the batting, for to obtain more finishes in country cricket there had been developed a policy having wickets only three** quarters prepared, giving more help to 1 the bowlers. The wet spring intensified the batsmen’s difficulties, the pitches having more grass than usual so that they'were likely to be difficult for the first hour or so. The highlight of the tour was undoubtedly the second .Test at Manchester. After the strenuous tour of England the rest of a month on the ship proved inadequate for the team’s matches in Australia. s Financial Results. Discussing the financial results of the tour, Mr Lowry said that the gates in England were disappointing until. New Zealand -made a draw in the first Test. After that the attendances and returns were better than in the corresponding towns on the previous tours. The gate takings usually varied with the position of the opposing team in the county championship table. Thus New Zealand’s share in a match against one of the weaker counties might be as low as £2O. Against the stronger counties, however, the return often was between £BOO and £4OO. The highlight of the tour was undoubtedly the second Test at Manchester, when New Zealand had seven English batsmen out for 75 runs and might have had eight out for 90 or 105, leaving New Zealand probably only about 150 to score to win, had catches not been dropped. Even when set 250 to win, New Zealand scored 50 without loss, but there was then an unfortunate run out, and, the wicket wearing, T. W. Goddard, a right-hand off spin-bowler, proved practically unplayable, and a game of fluctuating fortunes was won by England.

PARLIAMENTARIANS’ WELCOME. PRAISE FOR SPORTSMANSHIP. WELLINGTON, November 26. That the New Zealand cricket team had maintained the high reputation which the Dominion enjoys for sportsmanship in Britain, was made abundantly clear in speeches at the reception to the team by the Prime Minister (the Hon. M. J. Savage) at Parliament House this afternoon. The reception was attended by several members of the Cabinet, members of both Houses of the 'Legislature, and representatives of sports bodies The Prime Minister, extending a welcome home to the team, said he had been filled with pardonable pride when he had heard representative British sportsmen, such as Lord Desborougli, paying the highest tributes to the New Zealand cricket team’s sporting attributes. While New Zealand statesmen in the past had done much to upheld New Zealand’s prestige at the heart of the Empire, it was a. question whether her New Zealand soldiers, Rugby players, and cricketers had not done even more to put the Dominion on the map. If the team had not brought back the “ashes,” it had at least brought back New Zealand’s good name for sportsmanship untarnished. , The Leader of the Opposition (the Hon. Adam Hamilton) joined the Prime Minister in extending a welcome to the team. The people of New Zealand, he said, were pleased to know the team had put up a good fight and had done much to cement the ties of good-fellowship between the Old Country and the Dominion.- If there was onq word of criticism lie might offer, it

was that the New' Zealand cricketers might spend a little more time in practising catching. The Minister for Finance (the Hon. W, Nash) said he had also been in England while the New Zealand team had been there, and he could testify to the high compliments which had been paid the team by eminent authorities. The New Zealand team had surprised everyone by its play in the first Test match. From what he had seen and heard in England, he was convinced that in the future New Zealand cricketers would receive the utmost consideration in England. Mr A. T. Donnelly, former chairman of the New Zealand Cricket Council, said lie had been deputed to represent the New Zealand Cricket Council. Cricket was a highly technical and highly specialised game in England and Australia, he said. The players devoted practically the whole of their time to cricket, while those in control of the game in this country considered it should be played as a recreation. Seeing that cricket in the Dominion was essentially a Saturday afternoon pastime, he considered that the standard of play was high.

The free amateur manner in wdiich the New Zealand team had played -n England and Australia had won the praise of critics and public alike. The sporting manner in which the New Zealand captain had declared his innings closed against Lancashire had won golden opinions. Instead of playing for an uninteresting draw, the New Zealand captain had thrown down a challenge to Lancashire. Mr Donnelly said that two members of the present team, .T. C. Lowry and M. L. Page, had been members of the New Zealand teams which had visited England in 1927 and 1931, and both had done a great deal for cricket in the Dominion during the last 10 years. He was sure both would carry with them * in their retirement the best wishes of every cricketer in New Zealand. \ “Tour Worth While.” The manager of the team, Mr T. C. Lowry, said that though he was not a betting man, he would like to wager that the next frew Zealand team to visit England would not lose many matches. Unfortunately cricket tours cost money, and the present tour would cost New Zealand about £IOOO. The last South African team to visit England was losing money on its tom' until it had unexpectedly beaten England in a test which aroused public interest, and the South Africans had ended up the tour with a profit of £15,000. The tour just- ended had been worth while, as Cowie now ranked among the three best fast bowlers in the game to-day and Wallace among the first-half-dozen batsmen. If the New Zealand guarantors would only once again sign on the dotted line. New' Zealand might yet beat England in a test match on English fields. It might, be asked if it were worth while sending cricket teams to England, seeing the loss was so heavy; but lie considered it was worth while, as New Zealand players had very little experience in the Dominion, and the best players were enticed away from the country. The captain of the team, M. L. Page, said the team was fortunate to visit England in the Coronation year, when there was a lively time in London. This might, perhaps, have been responsible for the team not striking form early. What success had been achieved on the tour had been due to the happy spirit which had prevailed. Because of the dry season there had been few days off from continuous play, and he often wondered how the younger members of the team had stood the heavy strain. Most of the members of tbe team left for their homes to-night.