DOMINION CRICKET.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 112, 13 May 1924, Page 12

DOMINION CRICKET.

TIKE LOT OF YOUNG PLAYERS; MR. OOCHRANE'S VIEWS. BETTER PRACTICE WICKETS NEEDED. (By Association.) CHRISTOHURCH, Monday. The secretary of the New Zealand Cricket Council 'hae received a letter from Mr. C. B. Cochrane, manager of the New South Wales cricket team which recently toured the Dominion. In the course of the letter Mr. Cochrane says that owing to the fact that he had not previously seen New Zealand cricket he was unable to say whether it had advanced. Ho had, however, found it much better than he had anticipated. There were in the Dominion quite a fine lot of young players who only wanted the opportunity to develop along the best lines, and it seemed to him that if they had more frequent chances of playing against State teams they would quickly advance, and in a few years make quite formidable opponents. There was no doubt that they were obsessed with the feeling that they were playing supermen, and ac a result did not do incidently the New Zealand Cricket Council—justice, but if they were wore' familiar with Australians they would soon throw off that feeling of inferiority, and show they were skilled and resourceful players. The batting, with few exceptions, lacked enterprise, and showed altogether a want of confidence in playing good bowling. The only way to overcome this marked weakness was to meet good bowling more often. The absence of good practice wickets, Mr. Cochrane states, was deplorable. It •was quite easj' to understand why 'batsmen found it very difficult to make I strokes in a match when they could not attempt to cultivate or perfect them on I practice wickets. There are plenty of bowlers available, but not one of real outstanding ability. The want of a really fast bowler and a reliable 6low j bowler was much felt. Nearly every I team contained one or more left hand bowlers, but while the quality was uniformly very fair, they lacked the knowledge that could only be gained by experience in better class cricket. The fielding on the whole was good, I ibut much was to be learned in the returning- of the ball to the wicketkeeper The loose manner of throwing the ball to the bowler was noticeable, while the placing of the field was, in most matches, almost without method, and consequently many runs were given away.