BIG CRICKET.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 31, 6 February 1925, Page 9

BIG CRICKET.

THE TESTS TO COME. I

FI-UNKET SHIELD FINAL.

VICTORIAN TEAM'S TOtK. ! Noxv that tlie All Blacks liave cm- j pleted their victorious :, id. llie many; followers in Nexv Zealand ~l classic; events in field s. |... r t .-s are n,, , ns their! attention to bin cricket. Never before has cri.-k-ct attract.-! sucli at tendances j as have characterised I lit- patronage of the. lir.i and sec,ml t,.-i matches lhis| season al. Sydney ami Melb.iuruc. This j was primarily a'tribute by Australasian I sportsmen to l';i||i_„ n'- ,c,,„, „ 1,1.1, „_„ believed great mmtgh i,, fully extend! Australia's besi. and probably beat them, j Hoxv near I'lill ;:an- men came In per- I forming ~ f, ~, which had no 1 n done | by an English side for thirteen xear= thai, ot beming .-, „ Australian side in j Australia, is noxv iiisi„ r v of ih,. sec,ml , and third tests. In tho "ihird test Australia, by the narroxx- margin of II run = managed to make the win xvhich retains l for thorn "the asdics." i in discussion that it would have been a ; gracious act on the part of ihe Auslra- , liana if they ii.nl ••mamimil" to lose the third test i„ tribute io the line effort of the opposition, ami iii.it. mor.«-; oxer, it was a wonderful eliaiiec to (.lav! for the "gate'- in tin- folb.v, in. ;-,,„„? j In reality the g.oHtost ~-;;,; i: ,. ;,, ,],-! Englishmen xvas the fa.i thai the Ausxvinninj; the mate;,. Irrc.-poirti-.e ~f every oiher c..n«i.1,-ra, ion. .;.•.- Ansn-a-lians did the Englishmen ll i-.,•.• of .honing their ronx iciion that in order 1.-.' retain the ashes they had ~, make , very post a. xvinuitifr post," that they could not afford to haxe a l,, R s against suchdoughty opponents. There" i- still :i xvidely held opinion in Australia and Nexv Zealand that the Englishmen v.-ill win one. it not both of the remaining tests, and the Australian public x.ill ,],, its best, lo he there to see it. The fourth Test xvill be started at Melbourne or. Friday of next week.

Plunket Shield Final. Meantime sportsmen in Xcxv Zealand! 1 have their eyes toxvards a cricket fix -j \ lure of equal sporting import in the Dominion, tbe last and deciding game ' of the I'lunkei .Shield series. This match, between O'.ago and I aiiorbury, ' | started at Puncdin today. It lias been I a feature of the Plunket Shield scries this year that the home team has ' always won. and if Utago keeps up this 1 record it xvill mean t.hrr Otago and.: Canterbury will tie for the Shield on •' wins, and the decision will be made on '. the averages of the teams. It is : t rather unlucky for otago that Shcp-;1 herd, who had been the province's star i batsma.n for several years, has been i below form this season, but should be . j suddenly return po form, as Dacre .lid j for Auckland in the game against. Web j lington, it. is felt that ho xvill lie able | to turn the scale in favour of his side.

Victorians for New Zealand. A fortnight. later the Victorian touring team, containing a large proportion of the players xvho have enabled tilat State to hold the Sheffield Shield, will be in New Zealand. Then the discussion about the personnel of the Nexv Zealand team to meet the visitors in the two "test" matches arranged xvill bo coloured by the performances ot the players in the provincial ga-nes, starting on February 20, which xvill precede the State v. Dominion match»s. The programme allows for the Victorians playing all the major, and several of the minor, provinces before meeting a New Zealand elexen, so that the New Zealand team is almost certain to be selected on the form shown in the. games against the xisitors. The personnel of the Victorian team is announced to-day. XX'o have been assured that Ponsford and Ryder xvill join the side after the Test games, which means they will be available against Auckland. Other internationals in the team are May Tie, Ransford, Hendry and Ilartkopf. It includes such regular State players as Ellis, Woodfull. Ironmonger. Willis, Wallace and Liddicutt. as xvell as two brilliant colts in Millar and Schneider. In Wallace and Hartkopf xve shall see the Ciregory and Mailcy of Victoria, who in interstate [ramos more than once have outboxvled Sydney's famous fastsloxv combination. Where Auckland Loses.

For its sins of the past the Auckland public xvill not have the opportunity of xvitnessing a Nexv Zealand team against, the Victorians. tlie (xvo matches designated "Tests'' having been allotted to Wellington and Christehureh. Both these. Southern towns can raise enthusiasm to the extent of an attendance of 5000 to 8000 spectators for a riunket Shield match, xvhile Auckland's exciting game against Wellington the other day drew vcrx- fexv more than -_orio to Eden Fark. Even bad Auckland been the champion proxince at. cricket this season, the cold logic of these attendances would have. put. Auckland out. of court in a request for a Test match. The convincing argument that Auckland will have to be armed xvith in order to get the opportunity of seeing a Nexv Zealand cricket team in operation against a notable visiting side, in the future will be an attendance of t»n to txvelve thousand at, Hie Auckland-Victoria match there, on March 13-lti.