The English Cricketers.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17645, 23 December 1922, Page 12

The English Cricketers.

The civic reception tendered yesterday to our cricketing visitors was a compliment from a city which is rather proud of its reputation in- spoHs to ai combination of good sportsmen. But no official ceremony was really necessary to assure so notable $ player fgs Mr A. C. Maclaren of a warm welcome in Christehureh. With everyone who has followed the • history of English cricket his name has been a household word for a generation, and' all Ohristchureh lovers of the greatest cf all ganies have looked forward with eager anticipation to seeing him on the field. The tea.ml which Mr Maclaren has brought 3utdiffers widely from, several of its predecessors, in that most of its members have yet to mako a reputation outside club cricket in England. They are all young, and though they are credited with showing strong defence, their batting is of a more dashing kind than that of other English teams that have visited us. New Zealand wickets and' New Zealand light should suit them, better than those of Australia, and if the wicket provided for to-day's match at Lancaster Park id al good one, we should see tho visitors in their English form. The match, with such a team, should be an excellent tohio for local cricket, and a. victory for Canterbury, if that is possible, would dd much to " raise its drooping head," as Mr Wilding put it. That is 'the purpose for which the team has undertaken, the present tour, andi vrp believe it is more likely to achieve, that object because it is a team of players who have yet to earn international honours, than it would be if Mr Maclaren had been .able to put an. All-England eteven in the field. Northern opinion is that our visitors, will prove too good for any teain they are likely to meet in New Zealand. If that is eo, New Zealand crioket-lovers will be glad to give them all the credit they deserve, and will be all the more gratified if, as Mr jVlaclaren has suggested, their matches against our .teams dooa something to improve their own play. If the weather is as kind as .it promises to be, tho match which, opens to-day should be a most interesting contest.