GLOWING TRIBUTES

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 68, 17 September 1927, Page 10

GLOWING TRIBUTES

AT FAREWELL FUNCTION

"ANY MORE MEERITTS"

(United Press Association.—Copyright.) - (Received 17th September, noon.). LONDON, 16th September! Mr. P. F. Warner, commonly referred to as "Plum," who is among the appreciators of the New Zealanders' cricket, speaking at a crowded farewell organised by Mr. Cecil Wray at New Zealand House, mentioned that he had received a letter from a German professor living in Berlin saying that the writer realised the part cricket

played in building up the British Empire. "Indeed," said Mr. Warner, "crichet should be a department of the League of Nations." (Laughter ana cheers.) Mr. Warner added that the New Zealanders left behind them a sterling aame,

. , ,' Dow* as men and cricketers, which was rich in. example tor coming generations. • . Mr. S. G. Baymond, who was.presiding, read a glowing tribute from Earl pmw'^? 1 w^ ich, the ex-Go vernor-Gen-eral of New Zealand said that- "the sportsmanship, free batting, and other merits had won the hearts of England. ■U there are any more Merritts in the New Zealand schools that Dominion will soon capture 'The Ashes. ' " Lord Harris, treasurer of M.C.C., who was unable to be present, wrote: "They are a first-class team, and all they need is a bowler or two, but it would not be presumption on their part in the future ' to ask for two or three Test matches." Another absentee was Lord Hawke a trustee of the Marylebone Club, who wrote: "I hope that when the New/ return they will play Test matches, as they have shown themselves to be worthy." Mr Eaymond said that he had'been, told by the six scorers of a thousand runs apiece that they had never anything like that previously, as this was their first big touring team. That was a wonderful confession when one remembered that if one New Zealand batsman failed another always came off. He added that Merritt could now be definitely placed amongst the world's great googlie bowlers. He could not say how much of the team's success was due to the captaincy of Lowry, but he had been tireless in Ms management of the team.

The New Zealand High Commissioner, Sir James Parr, who came specially from Geneva for the purpose presented each player on behalf of New Zealanders resident in Engand with a massive engraved silver cigarette box. In making the presantation Sir James said that perhaps the team's greatest exploit was that they had come safely through an English summer which he had been told was the worst for twenty years. If the game could flourish in England under such conditions, it seemed a shame that more was not done for the game in New Zealand. * Sir James added that they were all grateful to the guarantors, who, perhaps, would have fto put their hands in their pockets. "But why, not," he concluded, "for such a cause?"

Mr. Warner,' in paying- a tribute to Lowry's and Dacre's centuries at Lord's on 12th May, expresed the opinion that Dacre combined the charms of Trumper and Hobbs, and he was confident that New Zealand would soon throwdown the gauntlet to England. Tho New Zealand captain, Lowry, replying, said he was not far wrong in his prophesy that the team would prove equal to tho seventh or eighth position in the county championship. "I trust and hope that later on we shall achieve an international status which will entitle us to Tests/ he concluded.

The team were the guests at a private dinner given by the British Empire Club in. the evening.