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Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30511, 5 August 1964, Page 15

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“ A FTER the Welsh and I* English tests, the opinion was being expressed by the more prissy followers of the game that the 1963-64 All Blacks were a dirty side. In my view they were nothing of the kind . . . say that three or four members were petulant and hotheaded—l would agree. They were mean on the field but not vicious, tough, but not dirty,” says Richard Evans in his book “WHINERAY’S ALL BLACKS” (Pelham Books Ltd.) His opinion is shared by Andrew Mulligan, the former British Lion who says in his book, “ALL BLACKS TOUR 1963-64.” (Souvenir Press) that “I have found New Zealand teams brutally hard, but scrupulously fair and realistic. They ask no quarter and give none.” These capable Rugby writers have almost identical opinions on the play of the All Blacks on their tour of the British Isles and France.

Evans considers the team did not reach true greatness because it lacked confidence in its own ability and thus often refused to open up play, preferring the safety first methods of forward domination.

Mulligan takes the same view but he has a different opinion on the reasons why the team did not use its backs more. He considers the deficiency was in the halves. “The inclusion of D. M. Connor would have provided the linch pin that could have swung the All Blacks into greatness.” The omission of Laidlaw from the tests is criticised by Mulligan and he thought the selectors erred by dropping Laidlaw and Herewini for Briscoe and W’att after the Cardiff game. Evans sees the trouble at second five-eighths. Once Walsh was injured there was no player of the requisite steadiness to guide the back play. Arnold, whom he regards as the most dangerous attacking back, did not “have the selfdiscipline needed.”

What criticisms there are of the team seem to come from the disappointment of the authors that the All Blacks should only have shown their real ability in a few matches, particularly the London Counties and Barbarians games, when the team reached true Rugby greatness.

Mulligan, perceptively, suggests that this was because the All Blacks followed a policy of “subdue and penetrate.” But because the standard of the opposition forward play was high the subduing often took so long that there was little time for penetration. But these are about the only criticisms. The team is regarded as one of the most popular ever to have visited Britain and this allied with its playing success earns it almost fulsome praise. Whineray is the one player the authors single out for special mention, for his great contributions as captain and a player. It is natural that when two books on the same subject appear at the same time they should be compared. Evans and Mulligan are skilled writers with a pleasant turn of phrase and both are objective. Evans, is the more straightforward in his analysis of a match. Whereas Mulligan, perhaps because of his Irish background, is more concerned with the mystique of Rugby. Evans, however, is far superior to Mulligan when it comes to the most important part bf any reporting—accuracy.

The number of spelling and factual errors should make Mulligan and his proof reader blush. W. L. Davis becomes Davies, Neil McPhail is Neal, Neale; M. S. Phillips is described as a British Lion in 1959 and the first try by Ireland in the test is described as a disputed one but Mulligan

says first it was a kick ahead then later a knock-on which should have been penalised. He never quite clarifies why it was disputed and there are many other examples of careless writing. Neither author has tried to dredge up any incidents, a diffierent approach from the authors of books on cricket tours. Evans, however, does mention one unpleasant aspect of British journalism.

He says that there was only one attempt by a newspaper to stir up trouble. The Rugby correspondent of the particular paper refused to write the story. So it was given to the paper’s “Hatchet Man.” But it did not succeed and was not taken up by the other papers.

’THE 101st edition of x WISDEN CRICKETERS’ ALMANACK, loses nothing by comparison with its predecessors, except, perhaps, the Centenary copy. However, if the 1963 Wisden had charming contributions by Nevelle Cardus, R. C. Robertson-Glasgow and Sir Robert Menzies, this year’s 1000-page-plus edition does have some more of Cardus, if on a more unhappy note. Cardus writes, as only he could, an appreciation of Sir Jack Hobbs, who died in December last year.

Cardus also discusses “The Gifts of Captaincy” in the leaders of Australian and English teams and the other articles not in Wisden year by year, are “Following Leicestershire” by Brian Chapman and another appreciation of a late great cricketer.—this time Sir Pelham Warner, by A. W. T. Langford. The “Five Cricketers of the Year” in the opinion of Mr Norman Preston (the editor) include, not surprisingly, four West Indians: G. S. Sobers, C. C. Hunte,

R. B. Kanhal and C. C. Griffith. The other is the Yorkshire captain, D. B. Close, of whom is said: “He showed a knowledge of his own team and the play of opponents which immediately stamped him as a thinker and tactician. His field placings were as intelligent and antagonistic as any seen in the county for 25 years ...” The editor apologises for the exclusion, because of space pressure, of Mr H. S. Altham's Dates in Cricket History and adds that every effort would be made to include it in the 1965 copy. But the other regular features are there.

In his eight-page series of notes, Mr Preston leaves no room for doubt that he considered the season an outstanding one. His happiness at the success of the Knock-Out, and SingleWicket competitions are confirmed by all in a position to judge and Mr Preston’s pride in the Centenary Wisden (which ran into three editions) is well-justified.

Mr Preston touches on the most controversial side of umpiring—the no-balling of “throwers”—and his feelings may be deduced from the following: “In Australia, the gallant Egar (the test umpire) needed police protection whereas the offending bowler (I. Meckiff) reaped a harvest by selling his story and generally being hailed as something of a hero."

Other subjects discussed are the weakness of England’s bowling attack ("Trueman a Lone Spearhead”); the heavy roller (which, Mr Preston thinks, will lead, in steps, to better pitches, better batting and, therefore, better bowling): the 75 yard boundary (if abolished would “give promising young leg-spinners like Hobbs, of Essex, a chance to establish themselves”): the front-foot no-ball rule (no opinion expressed); and an interesting study on “Polishing the Ball.” He concludes with small tributes to the two late Knights,, who were “sportsmen of the highest character. They excelled in the Golden Era of cricket.” Just as Hobbs was the epitome of professional cricket and Warner a bulwark of the now-non-exis-tent amateur, so Wisden is still, and probably will be for the history of the game, the Golden Book of cricket. The years have not blemished it.

THE SPORT OF THINGS: A light-hearted commentary on what New Zealanders and others get up to in the realm of sport, by Gilbert Ward. Kinloch Publications. Charles Lamb said “It (a pun) is a pistol let off at the ear; not a feather to tickle -the intellect.” Gilbert Ward has let off a whole artillery barage, but has not quite succeeded in hitting the target The sports he comments on are Rugby, basketball, golf, football, bowls and baseball, and if there are some flashes of genuine wit here and there, much of his writing is laboured and obscure.