The Visiting Cricketers.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18013, 4 March 1924, Page 6

The Visiting Cricketers.

The New South Wales cricketers have finished their last match in Christchurch and it may be a long time before such a galaxy of batting talent is seen here again. The New Zealand Cricket Council is proving itself a live body in arranging such attractive tours. This means much work, much worry, and much financial risk, and that the Council face these so ungrudgingly shows that they appreciate the importance of such tours if our cricket is to progress as all well-wishers of the fine old British game would wish to see it progress. The two matches in Christchurch have provided all tho object-lessons that it was possible to x'rovide. Will they bear fruit? We have had similar visits with similar objects in the past, but have their lessons been assimilated? We fear not. There is certainly some excuse for this. With our limited population, finance is a serious obstacle. Without finance it is impossible to keep tho various grounds in the condition so necessary for first-class cricket, and in this respect it is doubtful if we are any better off than we were a quarter of a century ago. But apart from this, there is much that could, and should be, learned from visits such as the present one. Even with our present disadvantages in the matter of grounds there are batsmen in New Zealand who compare not unfavourably with all but the very best of the visitors. But ir. many respects we are far behind them. Anyone who has.watched the piay of the New South Wales men could not fail to be' impressed with the marked difference between their methods and the methods of the New Zealanders. Nothing finer could be seen than the visiting fieldsmen's clean gathering in of the ball or their keenness in getting to the ball, and thus saving runs. But it is in the returning to the wickets that the difference is most marked. The visitors, from whatever part of the field the ball is gathered in, return it on the full to the wicketkeeper, but in the match finished yesterday there was hardly a man on the New Zealanders' side capable of throwing in on the full from near the boundary. Surely this is an art in the game that could be acquired by practice. la club cricket one see's the piayeis stand, ing a few yards apart, and practising sharp catching, but rarely, if ever, does one see them practising long throwing and catching. In the matter cf judging a run and making the most of it, too, our players appear to have retrogressed, and this is only for the want of some instruction from experienced players. If our younger players have, during the two matches played in Christchurch, watered the methods of the Australians, and are truly desirous of benefiting from what they have seen, the visit of Mr iiacartney and his very fine players will not have been in vain.