AUCKLAND CRICKET.

Auckland Star, Issue 17, 21 January 1932, Page 6

AUCKLAND CRICKET.

the barracking evil.

(To the Editor.)

; Your leader on the subject of cricket iii " ; Saturday's "Star" was in many ways admir--1 able, but I do not agree with the conclusion r you reach. After all, if the effect of a coach's i'' ; r work is lost immediately on his departure ' why bother with him at all? No, a good deal' ; is due to what is "just cricket"—when all L sorts of things "just happen." But it does ( not seem to have been realised what difficulties the Auckland selectors and the Auckland skip. 1 per had to face. In addition to the fact that ' the team contained none of the "old hands," the absence of Allcott and Wensley was much ; felt, and Mills, Cleverley and Pes ties were ! all absent from one or two matches. More--1 over, when it is considered that Matheson and McCoy were right off colour and Lyon' ' badly hurt the difficulties of the skipper were ' much enhanced and Weir and Vivian had nearly all the bowling to do. Under the "circumstances Weir came through the ordeal with flying colours. But there is another aspect of the games that you did not mention.' —I refer to the attitude of a certain section of the spectators. It is all very we'd to say that this section consisted of ignorant people who kn -v nothing about cricket; they were noisy and their conduct was followed by a number of small boys, who thought it rather fine. The "barracking" of Weir was disgraceful and called for disgusted comment from the visitors. It seems to be a growing habit, ■ too, to applaud not the stroke but the result. of it —when the ball reaches the boundary and also to criticise visitors when they appeal unsuccessfully. I can say definitely that not one single appeal, in one match at any rate, was unjustified. For sheer unsportsmanlike ignorance the exhibition would be difficult to beat. One visiting captain who happens to be an Aucklander, remarked: "It doesn't make a man feel very proud of his home town, docs it V' ONE OF THE UMPIRES..