CRICKET COACHES

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 33, 2 November 1928, Page 15

CRICKET COACHES

NEWMAN & EASTMAN RETURN TO DOMINION PROSPECTS IN THE BIG TESTS Looking fit and well after the English season, the two noted English professional cricketers, J. Newman (Hampshire) unci D* O» Eastman (Essex), airived by the s.s. Mataroa yesterday to resume their engagements as coaches in the Dominion. Newman coaches the players of Canterbury, while Eastman instructs the Otago players. Eastman was confident that England would retain “the ashes” in the following series of Tests against Australia, but the Hampshire professional was not so sanguine. . . „ “It will be a heavy-scoring campaign, he said. “This was forecasted by the play in the match at Adelaide. * England’s hopes are centred in Larwood, the fast bowler, and a great responsibility will rest upon his shoulders. Freeman, the Kent slow bowler, has yet to prove a success on Australian wickets, while Grimmett has already done so upon both Australian and English pitches. Grimmett is a wonderful bowler, and his performance in securing six wickets for 109 in an innings of 528 at Adelaide was a phenomenal one. White, the English slow left-hander, is probably the best length bowler in the game tb-day; he is certainly the best length bowler I have ever played against. It remains to be Been whether he will be able to flight the ball as well in Australia as he has been doing in England. Hammond also commands an excellent length, and comes very fast off the pitch, but he is only dangerous with a new ball, and Tate and Larwood will be the men who will operate with the new balls. Tate has not been bowling anything like as well as he did four or five years ago. and it will be interesting to see whether he will prove as dangerous on Australian wickets as he did on his last visit to that country. Staples is another bowler on the. English side who can peg away with an immaculate length all day if necessary. Taking everything into consideration, however, I think that some phenomenally heavy scoring will be done in the Tests this season, and that they will resolve themselves into endurance t6 Asked as to how he personally had fared In England, Newman said: “Oh, I again managed to secure the cricketer’s double, as I notched about 1500 runs and took over a hundred wickets for Hampshire In the county championship matches. It was the best summer we have enjoyed since 1921, and several other players also notched the double. Eastman did well for Essex at times, but he did not enjoy the best of health, and broke down more than once.” ■ Newman and Eastman will complete their journey in the Mataroa.