Sports features Rewarding Robins team tour

Press, 16 April 1980, Page 16

Sports features Rewarding Robins team tour

By

HENRY BLOFELD.

a noted English

cricket writer and broadcaster

The three weeks T spent in New Zealand with the Derrick Robins Young England side were as rewarding and worth while as any of the other 20-odd tours I have been on.

I say this in terms of both English and New Zealand cricket and also my own personal enjoyment. It is always exciting, and revealing, to be with young cricketers and to watch them develop and also to discover the sort of people that they are.

These 15 young Englishmen were, of course, extremely lucky to have the opportunity to make a trip like this and have the generosity of Derrick Robins himself to thank for this. Including the three weeks we first spent in Australia, it will have cost him about $75,000. - The advantages of a tour of this sort for these young players are princi-

pally three: they are given the chance to play in foreign conditions.’ which should leave them better balanced cricketers: they are able to see a part of the world which, in New Zealand’s case, most Englishmen because of the distance involved are not lucky enough to do: and it teaches them about touring.

All three are important, although I think probably the latter is the most useful. Living with one’s fellow cricketers for a long period when they are constantly in each other’s company builds pressures with which players will have to contend when they go on to major tours. AU those who have gone back to England from New Zealand should be wiser both as cricketers and human beings, and they will also take back with them a mountain of memories.

Bv the end of the tour, the' main players had mostly found their best form and under Christopher Cowdrey’s steady leadership had blended themselves into a reasonable side.

The final match at Eden Park produced three of the best days cricket I have seen this season, and that includes six test matches in Australia, one in Bombay and countless other games. There was some fine cricket played by both sides in a splendid match

and, dare I say it, in a spirit which seems these days to be as unusual as it ’is welcome to see. I thought, too, that Young New Zealand, and therefore the country’s selectors had every reason to feel as pleased with the way the game went and the performance of their own players as their English' counterparts.

During this tour which was a little too rushed with 17 days cricket in 21, I saw some highly promising and exciting youngsters. In the only game which the Robins XI lost, their first in the country, at Alexandra, Geoff Blakeley, a young left-hander, played a superb innings of 125 not out to win the match.

I was very struck with Matthew Toynbee in Nelson, as I was with most of the Young New Zealand side in Auckland, especially Martin Sneddon and lan Smith, who have been suitably rewarded with places in the New Zealand side to tour Australia.

With such good young players about — lan Rutherford, Stuart Gillespie and Andrew . Jones are three more — the immediate future of New Zealand cricket seems happy enough. .

During the first half of the tour in Australia. I must admit to being disappointed in the England side. It was not so much that it played badly, but the overall ’lack of genuine class in the side was saddening. It played progressively better in New Zealand, but by the end. I would have said that .there were only three who had pretensions to class: Jack Richards, the wicket-keeper whom I would not be surprised to see wearing an England cap within 18 months; Bill

Athey, who looks a marvellous batsman but has . never yet scored the runs ; he should: and Dipak Patel, a beautiful timer of the ball and a touch play- ; er generally. . ‘ I Effort and application ;

will undoubtedly turn some of the others into highly successful county players who may go on to play for England. Kevin Sharp. Kim Barnett. Tony Pigott and Richard Williams are four, but I would be surprised if any of them became regular test cricketers. While this tour was a great cricketing experience, it was also for me a great adventure. I. had been to New Zealand four times before and had seldom emerged from the capital cities where the test matches are played and I therefore had no idea of the beauty of the country. After two days in Alex- * andra, a quick visit to ‘ Queenstown and a drive in coach and car tip through the South Island, across the Picton Ferry and on up to Auckland quickly put this right. My next ambition is to return to New Zealand, not to watch cricket but to explore this country further and enjoy the wonderful scenery.