FIELDING CRITICISED.

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 4, 5 July 1927, Page 9

FIELDING CRITICISED.

But whatever; are the little individual faults of the New Zealana bowlers, I feel sure that their bowling has already improved. The "good 'un" 13 bowled oftener than it was three weeks ago.. And the fielding has improved, too. A very strong batting side are Middlesex in any condition, and •when they play at Lord's on a fast true wicket,it is nothing for them to get about 400 runs. Yet by reason of ae.curatc catching the New Zealanders got them'out on such a' wicket for-less

than 300 runs. Two or three of those catches -were very good ones. The rest 1 were catches which ought to have been caught. Still, they were caugH. That is the point. Unfortunately, when Middlesex in their second innings went in to get the 280 runs necessary to win the match, two catches —one at forward short leg and one in the deep fieldwere missed. Hearne had not scored when he gave short leg a catch. I do not want to job backwards. The missed catch is part of the game. I only allude to it because my contention is that the New Zealand bowling, although it is not terrific, is good enough to get good sides out reasonably cheap if only it is supported by good fielding and catching. I own I would like to see the returning of the ball to that really excelisni wicket-keeper, James, better Sine. X am afraid the New Zealand fieldsman will not learn how to do that bettar by looking at our people. The good returner of the ball is the exception, and not the rule in our firstclass county sides. Yet this is an important matter. The 1921 Australians were superb in this respect. They have not been equalled since. PRACTICAL TEACHING. I do not propose in this article to say much about tho New Zealanders' batting. Their reputation as batsmen on a fast wicket is definitely established, and, unless they get argued out of their attacking batting tactics, I believe they will do fine missionary work here. Many of our younger amateurs—especially the young men at Oxford and Cambridge—are emulating the super caution, of some of our leading professionals, and so far without prospect of success. Strokes need practice. "Watch one of these young m»n play in a college match and you will note that he has good scoring strikes at his command and that he uses them effectively at the expense of even good length bowling. Then he plays for the university, and leads you to believe that he has no strokes at all. He insists on making one rule and keeping one method for first-class cricket and one for college cricket. He will not observe the best of all batting rules Treat the ball bowled on its merits " This is what the majority of tho New Zealand batsmen do, and it is the reason why they score so fast and make so many runs. These young men say modestly enough that they have come here to learn. Incidentally they have already done a bit of practical teaching.