CRICKET

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 261, 4 November 1927, Page 14

CRICKET

N.Z. TEAM'S RETURN. THE WELLINGTON MATCH. ANNOUNCEMENT OP TEAMS. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, Thursday. New Zealand Cricket, Ltd., has received a cablegram from Mr. W. H. Winsor, manager of the New Zealand team in Australia, giving the following names of the players selected for the first Test in Wellington against The Rest:—Lowry, James, Merritt, Blunt, Page, Allcott, Dacre, Dempster, Bernau, Mills, McGirr; twelfth man, Henderson. The following have been selected to represent The Rest:—Badcock (Wellington), Bowley (Auckland), Newman (Canterbury), Eastman (Otago), Nixon (Canterbury), Read (Canterbury), Kingston (Taranaki), Gillespie Oliver (Canterbury), Cunningham (Canterbury), and Henderson or Gallichan (Wellington).

WELL WISHERS IN ENGLAND

LORD HAWKE AND A. E. RELF. SATISFIED WITH THE TOUR. Private advice of the success of the New Zealand cricket team has been received by Mr. E. C. Beale from Lord Hawke and A. E. Relf, the ex-Sussex player who was engaged coaching at Auckland a number of years ago. Lord Hawke writes:— "I want to congratulate you on the New Zealand team's success. I think that for a first trip they have done Al. You say the gates are not good, that is, I think, because no Tests are arranged. Tests are, I believe, to be played by the West Indians next year, so I hope you will get them next trip. I hear your young wicket-keeper has done very well. Mr. Hay tells me he was disappointed at missed catches by young players, but I. expect the light has a good deal to do with it. It was good to hear they all had thoroughly enjoyed themselves and I hope the tour will have been a great education." In the course of a chatty letter, A. E. Relf expressed the opinion that the tour should give cricket in the Dominion a fine stimulus. "Although the weather has been unkind," he writes, "the New Zealand team have done splendidly, made a good name for themselves and shown some splendid cricket. The experience should be very beneficial both to themselves and to New Zealand cricket on their return. It should give the game just that fillip which is needed. I feel my prophecy of years ago will come true (and not so long either), that if the necessary determined effort is made (and ndw is the time), they will soon be equal to the Aussies and have Test matches here. No one will be more pleased than I when it is so. Even now I know two people in New Zealand who must feel proud and pleased with New Zealand cricket—N. C. Williams and E. C. Beale. The showing of your team in England must have been exceedingly gratifying to you both." Relf goes on to say that he saw only the match at the Oval and spoke to most of. the players in the dressing room, including Mills, who made his hundred in that match. He also had a yarn later with Oliver, who should make a fine player. "People must not condemn those who have not quite come up to expectations," adds Relf. "One must realise that only eleven can play in a match, and when on tour it is rather difficult to get practice after the start. So unless a fellow strikes form at the beginning of a tour he is always rather handicapped. Both Relf and Lord Hawke agree that it was a sound policy to send young players in preference to older ones. The old Sussex player and coach sends his regards to all Auckland friends and cricketers.