CRICKET TOURS

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 9, 12 January 1932, Page 10

CRICKET TOURS

SOUTH AFRICAN TEAM

NEW ZEALAND VISIT

"FLNE FELLOWS'

A mission of importance so far as the future' of New Zealand cricket is concerned has just been carried out by Mr. W. H. Winsor, secretary of the New Zealand Cricket Council. During a visit to Australia, from -which he returned to Wellington to-day, Mr. Winsor approached the Australian Board of Control on ■ matters affecting cricket in the Dominion, and he also discussed details regarding the visit of the South African team, with Mr. J. H. Tandy (manager of the team) and with the Australian ,officials. He informed a "Post" reporter to-day that the iinancial arrangements for the Springboks' tour had been completed, and that, as reported yesterday, the Australian Board of Control had agreed to the South Africans' engagements with Victoria, and Australia (fifth Test) at Melbourne being advanced a day so as to give the South African team extra time for tho final Test and make the way easier for the teani to connect with a steamer leaving Sydney for Auckland on the 19th February. The tourr ists, with the exception of Stcyne and van der Merwe, would reach Auckland on the 23rd February, and, according to an itinerary which had beau mapped out, they would play their first match of the brief New Zealand tour with Auckland on the 23rd, 24th, and: 25th February. In view of' counter-attrac-tions in Wellington—amateur athletic championships and a band contest —it was probable that the South Africans would proceed from Auckland to Christchurch to play a Test there with New Zealand on the 27th and 29th February and tho Ist and 2nd March. They would afterwards return to Wellington for a match with Wellington on the 4th, sth, and 7th -March, and -would leave for Sydney on the Sth March to complete their Australian, programme —a match with West Australia—and leave Freniantle about the 23rd March on their return trip to South Africa. In addition to the manager and the playing members of the team, there would be two other visitors in the party coming to New Zealand—Messrs. A. A. Frew and L. G. Duffius (South African Press representatives). ■ KEEN SPORTSMEN. " They arc a fine lot.of follows, everyone of them, socially and as players," remarked Mr. Winsor. '' They are keen sportsmen, and look . cricketers every inch of them. They do enjoy their cricket. I think that possibly over here they may play a different game from that which, they play in the Test matches with Australia. "This man Bell is a bowler a bit out of the ordinary," Mr. Winsor continued, in giving some details of the players.! "You would not call him a fast bowler, I and Ido not consider him to'be quite j aj fast as Ebeling, who visited New Zealand some years ago. He is of the fast-medium type—a fine upstanding | man who can bowl all day and who keeps the ball on. the leg stump and just off it all the! time. The left-handers, Quinn and Vincent, 'are also good bowlera. Quinu, who is not as fast as Henderson, bowls over the wicket and keeps an immaculate length. He is of about the same pace as Newman. Vincent is a plow-medium bowler with a very deceiving ball—one which is thrown up and drops suddenly. He is - able to turn - the ball both ways, .and! in tlio third Test he had the best, of the Australian batsmen, even Bradman, thinking; in fact, he appealed three times against Bradman. I think myself that the first appeal against Bradman must have been very close, but Vincent was successful with his third appeal. McMillan is a slow right-hand leg-break bowler, but on his performance in Melbourne he did not appear difficult. PINE FIELDSMEN. "As regards fielding the South Africans are a-, perfect-.side. Morkel is a brilliant field, and Cameron is a wonderfully safe wicket-keeper. In tho match that I saw he was a safer man than Oldfield, but I do not think he is quite as good as James. "Mitchell and Curnow are most difficult men to get out; they- are very steady batsmen. Christie looks as though on the right occasion he would be brilliant. Cameron is a good, forceful batsman, and Morkel goes for it, too. I was impressed with the fact that they can all bat, and in the first innings of the match'which I attended every man on the -side reached double figures. Viljoen played a really good knock against good bowling. -He is a young player, and it -was his first, century in Tests. The South Africans are players who do not leave their crease; even in. facing Grimmett they stretched out to play him." BRADMAN AND COMPANY. It was in the match to which Mr. Winsor has referred that the Australians lost three valuable wickets cheaply in the first innings. ."The Melbourne wicket is always difficult before lunch," said Mr. Winsor, "and "the Australians, winning the toss, had first strike. During that inningn 801 l was able to kick the ball head high, but; when South Africa batted the ball never rose above the stumps. As regards Bradman, on his display in the,second innings he is a marvellous bat. Thereis none of this stepping out and driving with him. He plays back and forces'the ball like Hammond. He has a nice, easy stance, and always lifts his bat, being so quick in bringing it down that he can guide the ball anywherea Another thing, he keeps the ball on the carpet. "Woodfull played a .wonderful fighting innings, and I was impressed with the way in which he holds a side,together. I enjoyed every minute of his batting; he is always doing something and never poor to look at. Kippax is tho nearest approach now to the Trumper type of batsman, but, of course, we have seen him here. He is in good form, and he has ujpro power than Bradman. A ■ noticeable feature of the performance of these three batsmen was that, while t at times they scored very quickly, there were periods when they would bo very slow. Where tho occasion demanded they would play out a maiden over. ■'• There is no question about Bradman being the idol of tho Australian crowds. This was the first chance the Mclbourno crowd had had of seeing him really get going in a Test, and they enjoyed it. ' As a field, well—he is streets ahead of any of the other?. Grimmett was the next best in the Test at Melbourne, and he fielded wonderfully well." Reverting to the visit of the Springboks, Mr. Winsor added: "The South Africans aro looking forward with great in.terest to coming to New Zealand. They aro genuinely keen on the trip."