TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 31, 5 February 1921, Page 12

TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND

COMPLETE NOTES ON THE

PBAYERS.

/.The New Zealand Cricket Council should be satisfied with the calibre of '."the'team' which the Australian Board of. Cricket Control is sending on a visit to the Dominion. Australia is so rich in fii-s't-claKSv players'at present that even the heavy programme entailed by the English team's visit and th© Sheffield Shield matches has not pe£vented it from getting -together from ■• four.- States a 'strong team " for,' New Zealand.' The twelve players who are due here on ■Monday,-form a - side which .is very strong in'batting, bowlings and'fielding. The side has- one player who-has represented Australia with distinction in Test matches,, and three players' whose claims to inclusion in Australia's teams, against the .Englishmen in this season's Test matches "Have been urged. The remainder include some potential Test match players of the future. Although all. the,: members of 'it are inter-State players; the team has youth and vigour. Besides providing a team which will' assist in.the development of the gam© in New Zealand, the Australian Board of Cricket Control is assisting same, of the. most promising young players in the Cqmmonwealth to the ripening process that'is afforded-.. by a cricket tour in which matches are played under varying conditions.... possibly 1, tod, the visit to New Zealand may be some degree of . compensation to two or three members of the team who just failed to get into'the 'Test matches against the Englishmen. A GREAT "LEFT-HANDER. , Vernon Ransford, Victoria's great lefthanded -batsman, 'who'is captain of the team.'is so Twell known as'-to, need no introduction to New Zealanders. ■' But it Say be "noted'that" Ransfdrd'has been so long in first-class cricket that he often is thought to be older than he really is. His first appearance for Victoria made ;in. the; 190J5-4. season. /Close on' ■thirteen years, have passed away since he first^ppeared in Test cricket, against A. G. Jones's English team, and nearly twelve sincerhe made 143 hot out for Australia. (M. A. Noble's team) against England,- in England. ■ -It was twelve years-ago that-tor- ten- innings of first"class 'cricket in"'Au»tralia'Raniford aver-, aged 103.12 runs. He scored' five cen-' turies, two of them being in one match against New. South Wales. Yet^Ransford will hot be .36 years of age until next March—he had entered first-class cricket, when he was only 18 years old. It ; was remarked of him ""recently that he lis too good a fighting cricketer not to come out in his best form again very shortly. ■■; -Probably .that-will' come in New Zealaiid.'*;'Need; it'be "added that -Ransford is consideredi-fco-be the best outfield that Australia ever has produced. \

A. ,W. Lampard (Victoria) is a'fine batsman, and'"when inform" is a very 'useful"bowler. A description of his 111 for Victoria against Douglas's English "team "ran':" "Too much "prajs^canubt be accorded Lampard for his masterly exhibition. ■ The runs were made when. badly wanted, which doubly increased their* value, and were compiled beautifully.. He was a' master ofevery stroke. His leg play and cutting 'were superb, and cpuld''not be improved upon. His driving also was sound, hard and clean." Lam'pard:'wa's much improved by his tour of England with the A.I.F, team, for which' he scored 821 runs in 35 innings (not out op three occasions), with an ■ average of 25.65»ji In that tour he scored 112 runs against' Surrey. Ab a slow ■bowler, .of the "tosey" type,'he gets a" lot of spin on wickets , that suit him. For the A.I.F. £cam he todk'69 wickets at 23.57 runs each,, but in. his x bowling for Victoria this season he has not been quite up; to .form;. he has. been troubled by a stiff back. •' \ . : : VICTORIA'S'-■BEST .BOWLER/ H. Ironmonger (Victoria), an exQueenslaiwter, who is a professional attached to the Melbourne Cricket -Club's ■ ground' staff; is a leffchandedi ' fastmedium bowler. He 'is of splendid physique, and) can bowl for a long time \yithout tiring. Of his bowling in the last New South. Wales 1 and ' Victoria match,-a Melboxirne critic said;: "The Victorians bowled', grandly. Ironmonger was the best, of the bunph. He kept an excellent "iengt-hjj.and Jturnedr nicely on occasions. . Before r-ihis first change Tie bowled.. T. eigMy^two"* 'minutes, far ferity runs^a. ■.rarej.,performknce in the frightful ;heat."- -•. He swerves, ' breaks back, arid nips' "off the pitch; ' It was. urged that Ironmonger should be included in Australia's Test match team. He is not a good batsman or fieldsman 1. An excellent all-round player is A. E. Liddicut (Victoria),* who as a (Seelong player, first came into prominence by making 129 against P. F. Warner's English teairi, at Geelong, eight years ago. His defensive strokes are very eoundi, and his scSring strokes, parfcicnlarly his putting, ore clean and true.' His best batting performances this season have been ,152 against South Australia, in Melbourne—made without a blemish—: and"'s<Pand 23 nob out against Douglas's team. .Besides being; a batsman, Lidddcut is one of the bowleis of the party. With ths ball, his best inter-State performance, this: season, is his tihrae wickets for 42- runs, when South Australia was having its second. innings, against, Victoria' in Melbourne.. ' '

OaeNrf ;£he most promisinglof 'Anstraiia's- -'younger batsmen' is Lance V. Pellew -(South.: Australia), a brother of 0. B. -Pellfew, tiie s well-knowni "Best match .player. Lance Pellew/did aot play .in; the majeh between South Aue--. tralia. and Victoria in Adelaide thas season, but against Victoria, in Melbourne, scored 69 and 53. He is described as a "qiudr-footed,'natty little batalan of decided promise, with beautiful offstrokes." Like'his brother, he is a fine fieldsman. Incidentally, as an amateur sprinter itel has been credited with rtmmng_loo yards in. 10s.ee. ; '"The only medium-pacefdi bowler in the land' who cam tram a ball," runs a reference, by J. WorraH, the old Victorian player, to A. Richardson, of South Australia. Occasionally h© sends along a fine flighty, slow ball, which turns considerably from the off. Richardson is also, a solid batsman. * He scorectlll againsfc'.'^the' English, team, which- is -now. in- Australia;; - ■ A. Eatcliffo, who plays for the Baln&inT. ;01ut> in Sydney ctickßt, is a wioket-keepeii arid batsman,-who has played for New South Wales-in. Sheffield .Shield _«nd. other inter-State'matohes in previous seasons. This season,'however, wit 1?) W. A. Oldfield and H. Oairteaavailable as -wicket-keepers, and tha very strong array of batsmen wbish Netv South Wales has, Ratcliffe's only .appearance 7in inter-State cricket has .beet) .against ",?: 'lK^tcli which was not completed '■' 'because -, of rain. 'Some of, Ratcliffe's batting in club matches Jias been brilliant. Tho drive is his favourite shot. .0. P. Asher, of the Sydney. Club, is a batsman and good-length change bowler. He played for New South Wales against Queensland-this season. His best score in club~ cricket lately'seems to have been -a 50 not. out, As an all-rounder, however, he "is a useful man, to have in a touring, team. „ /, _...,' Kippax is a youro? bafsman of great jjromise, w.k° 'a m^ *° avfi moulded *hifl""fltyle" on that'of 'Trumpor. The Rsf«M» warned him that there was only ana Trmspsfr ~ m & Mt ib ymmt m

should not try too many shots! He played .against the Englishmen atßrisbahei and made double-scores each innings. He plays for the Waverley Club, Sydney. ' . ' ■

Dr. J. Bogle first made his name with the Sydney University, and if he sticks to the game is sure to play -for Australia's best team. He-is ,a left hander, andscores well all round' the wickgt. In his first appearance, against Victoria he made 16 and 145 against the bowling of M'B/onald, Ryder, and Ironmonger. He has also reached three figures for bis State this season.

Hornibrbok is a young left-handed, bowler from Queen^Jandj and bagged} some wickets ajjainst the Englishmen, thi3 season. His future will be watched with interest. ■ < • ' •.

E. X>. Waddy is a member of a wellknown Sydney cricketing family, and was in New Zealand with. Sims'' Australian team of 1914. Oa thai) tour he scored' 140 y. New Zealand at Auckland, and 130 againstthe Auckland team. His figures for the tour were: 18 innings ,' 4 not out, M 6 runs, highest c score 140, 'average 46.15. He can keep wickets at a pinch. ....

"Waverley Club, Sydney, aJao furnishes another representative in the person of E. Fossbereg. He is a 1 rising youttg allround- player, and made a century this season against. Queensland. His club figures last'- year were: Batting, 18; innimjs, 4 not out; runs, 381; highest score, 1B6; 27.21; bowling, 11 wickets for 171 runs, average 15j>4.

T. Howard, the manager, is an old New South .Wales representative slow bowler, and has done his share in administrative work. He is sure to be popular. -jy , .- It will be seenv-that there is both: bHEianee and solidity in the team's l»t----ting;, thai the bowlinjj is of a;high standard ; and that 'some' of the test fieldsmen in Australia are in the side. Of the 1 twelve- players, ,the only man who is a specialist in but one department of the game is Ironmonger... , Next to the Test match eleven, it would'not be easy to find' a better all-round team in Australia.