CRICKET TOUR

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 22, 26 July 1927, Page 7

CRICKET TOUR

"MISTAKEN KINDNESS"

ABSENTEES FROM COUNTIES

The non-inclusion of some of the leading English players in county teams for matches with the New Zealand cricketers was a subject of comment some little time ago, and publicity was given in England to opinions expressed by New Zealand critics. Under' the heading of " 'Mistaken Kindness' of the Counties," the following extract from an Auckland comment appeared in an English paper: "There is a strong inference that the motive for omitting the cracks has been to give the New Zealanders a reasonable chanco of winning matches. New Zealand cricket does not want to establish false standards. Its representatives would prefer sound defeats from the best teams to draws or wins against elevens deliberately weakened by mistaken motives of kindness."

Mr. Len. M'Kenzie. ex-Wellington City Councillor, who is now in England, makes reference to this comment in the course of a letter to a "Post" representative. "The writer," he states, "should perhaps have headed the article Mistaken Judgment' instead of 'Mistaken Kindness' in writing about the New Zealand cricketers iii England ana the class of men opposed to them. From this side one can only conclude they refer to the Sussex match, when Tate, Bowlev, and Cook stood out of the team. The facts are that Tato was —in. fact all three were—on the sick list, and the match against New Zealand was not the only one that one or other did not play in. Perhaps the writer of the article does not understand an English season, and does not know that they play every day in the week, Sunday excepted, without a stop and it is therefore the simplest thins for a man to strain himself or receive a severe knock, which necessitates him standing down for a game, or two. That is what took place with Sussex bo far the New Zealand cricketers have excelled themselves. Their match against the strong M.C.C. team was excellent—a fight all the way, our boys eonmig through with great credit, which was sounded in no uncertain pvnrt fH ° llewsPaP"- ■ critics and every follower of the game. In every match to date they have done extremely! into what may be called teanf work ±or a first-class side cannot bo made in a few hours. The counties are well aware that they have to put! a sW side against them, which they do: but 'thai "th Ilf th?y'h«o to rest a'man that they do so in a match like this as rt is not counted in the champion-

"In conversation with Mr. Gillitran the Sussex captain, ] lc said that £v Zealand has little to learn, and its side especially in front of the \viekc %vl del,' was becoming a lost art. He said he was much impressed with the standard H,-^ ai\ d tho New Zcalandws eerhen! in'th 4 UP tO, th ° r°P«t»U°* set Warw ?W a remar]!s tf &« old friend, Warwick Armstrong. * "Our team is really c i o i ng wol] . it tivo batting draws ft every n, tclT g' t taba h b 0 °V 0 a"'°!° ™>«ber a are upifi rdS-r^HHS