SNEDDEN'S VIEWS

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 34, 10 February 1927, Page 12

SNEDDEN'S VIEWS

ADVOCATES ROWNTREE

BADCOCK'S SELECTION

(By Telegraph.) (Special to "The Evening Post.")

AUCKLAND, This Day

Commenting upon the New Zealand cricket team last evening, Mr. N. C. Snedden, one of the Auckland Cricket Association's selectors, and a former New Zealand representative, said that it was a good batting, and fielding side, and fairly strong as regards bowlers, while the players were generally young and of a type to do very well abroad. On account of the "large number of nominations and the evenness of the form shown in Plunket Shield matches, the. selectors had been faced with an unenviable task and, with one or two exceptions, had done very well.

So far as the personnel of the team is concerned, Mr. Snedden considered that Bowntree, the Auckland wicketkeeper, should have been included, and Player (Auckland) should have been substituted for M'Girr. The greatest mistake, he said, was the omission of Bowntree, who was without an equal in the T'ominion as a wicket-keeper, and because of his skill should have been included ■in the team, which was not over-strong as regards bowlers. The latter needed all the assistance they could get, and certainly Bowntree would have been invaluable behind the stumps. He had shown his real value to the bowlers in the recent representative matches contested by Auckland. , In fact, his anticipation was uncanny. He could hardly be ruled out on the score of age. He was no older than Oldfield, of Australia, and Strudwick, of England, and other first-class wicket-keep-ers who had been selected for Test cricket and more serious tours than the forthcoming one. "In my opinion," lie said, "if Eowntree were sent, wicket-keeping would be the only branch of the game, to reach a firstclass standard.''

Mr. Snedden said that he would not advocate the non-inclusion, of James in preference to Eowntree. The Wellington, wicket-keeper was a good batsman, and for his batting alone deserved his position. Lowry was not up to good wicket-keeping standard. The most.acceptable step would have been the selection, of Bowntree, as well as James. Concerning^ Player, the speaker said that the. Aueklander had earned his place by his performances this season, more so than had M'Girr. Player had never failed to capture wickets, and good wickets, too; and besides he had been consistently successful with the bat. His value as a bowler and his ability^ to stand plenty of work were exemplified in the more recent representative matches, particularly in the contest with Melbourne.

The Auckland colt Gillespie could be considered unfortunate, in that this season there were so many other, promising young batsmen available. There -was no doubt, however, that his fielding alone would have been of immense value to any side, and that it was worth quite 30 runs before he went in to bat However, it was impossible to select everyone, and Gillespie was iust unlucky. J

"It is hard to understand why Badcock has been included," Mr.Snedden continued. "He will undoubtedly strengthen the side considerably, both in batting and bowling; but he is only a coach employed by the Wellington Association, and there is every reason to believe that he will reside in "Wellington and remain a New Zealander only as long as his term of appointment lasts. It seems that .the selectors in this case have aimed at results, instead of taking into consideration the fact that Baflcock's inclusion is depriving some New Zealander of a place in the team. "Merritt, the Canterbury youth, has been included on the slender judgment of Ids bowling performance against a mediocre batting side, such as Otago during the past few days. He is very young and inexperienced, and a risk is being taken with him. He may show great promise, but so does Matheson, the local player, whose figures for Auckland this season have been wonderfully consistent for a young player in his first period of senior cricket. I do Hot mean Matheson should have been selected, but mention him to show how lucky Merritt is to be picked out. It usually takes more than one Plunkct Shield match to earn a cricketer a place in a New Zealand team."

lv conclusion, Mr. Sneddcn said that it wr,3 strange that the selectors should' choose only three men from the Auckland eleven, which had succeeded in winning the Plunket Shield, and playing a good drawn game against Melbourne.