UNSPORTING CRITICISM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 305, 26 December 1931, Page 6

UNSPORTING CRITICISM.

Mr. H. R.' Jenkins- remarks on our All.'Bla'ek footballers; who visited England in'-'. 1924yai'e the criticisms we all-hear when we;visit..tie Old Country, but to one who lias-been in< England on. several occasions.when-colonial .teains, -botli. football arid cricket, have been'plaving, such criticism loses its sting entirely.' Oar cricketers' were well received and.! 'wellrsjJofeii of. Why? For a very-good the main. ..•Tests.', Our . footballers wfeife ,"p6t hunters." Why? Because . they .-.won,every match. Ask any colonial who hasihgen in ' England while an Australian crickct team has been there. If the Australians are wSntiirig;'4ll'ey are getting all tlie' luck' and- they are hot 1 ' the class of men' Who' were there .in^preyioife;years. If. that's'a different tale.'"; tfiejr are-' wonderful' players' and the* firiestVsefeof sports that have ever, come over.- .I.hav'e.-beeh in England ' on ' Aussies have been there, and while-niy.rwjsli ; 66 for success were' first :for, England, iherientHe lack of sportsmanship soon pushed : rae< oVer to barrack whole-heartedly-for-the''Austra-lians. England takes her sports, andespefcially cricket and football, too seriously. . They are life arid death, to her; and I.say-mth alUseriousnees that no' team from thecolonies <cin go'to England, win• all:before them,'arid.?ouje away with a good name. _ It is_ a thousahd pities, but it is a fact-none the less, which'So one who has any regard for the truth can deny. When in England in 1930 the same piffle about the All Black footballers was told' me/.hundreds of times, and the same reports were.being circulated about the Australian cricketers yrho were beating England so badly ( at that .time, but as I said before, I < was t used-to -tHis thorough lack of true, sportsmanship. on tfie side of England and so took it with the proverbial "pinch of salt." It is .a-great .pity that all New Zealanders visiting England do not realise this, as .if ■ they did it .would sa\e a lot of heart-burning. 'TRAVELLER.