"LONG OVERDUE'

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 59, 7 September 1937, Page 13

"LONG OVERDUE'

A CRICKET VISIT

AUSTRALIAN TEAM

RECOMMENDATIONS MADE

The view that a visit to New Zealand by an Australian cricket team is long overdue was expressed at the annual meeting of the Wellington' Cricket Association last evening. Delegates decided to request the incoming management committee to take up the question of the ivTew Zealand Cricket Council arranging for a visit from the Australian eleven- on its' way to England at the end of the present season, or, if that is not possible, for a visit of another, Australian team this season and of the Australian eleven on its iway back from England. A resolution in these terms and suggesting that the representations to the New Zealand Cricket Council be made by letter and also by the personal endeavours of the association's delegates was moved by Mr. J. Reid, and was carried unaniimously.

Reference to the visit;,of the New Zealand team to Australia on its way back to New" Zealand from the Home countries was made by the president (Mr. M. F. Luckie) in moving the adoption of. the annual report and balance-sheet. He _,aid he hoped the visit would induce Australia to send a team to New Zealand, either a State team or a second eleven if necessary, but a team qi sufficient strength to warrant the promotion and-exchange of- further visits. As they .all knew, they could not hope to improve cricket in New Zealand unless the New Zealand players had the opportunity of seeing or playing against better teams, and obviously the one source to be looked to was Australia. He felt that, it: would not be difficult for Australia to make two or three visit? in three successive years to ,ohe visit to Australia by New Zealand.. This was a matter he felt the incoming executive j would be fully alive to and would take i up with the New Zealand Cricket1 Council. (.'.■,'. -. '....■ .- .

Mr. W. A. Parton, who seconded the adoption of the report;and balancesheet, said he hoped good results would' come from the visit to Australia of New Zealand's returning team. A GREAT FIELD.

Later in the meeting Mr. Reid introduced i his motion. Between ,1920 and 1928, he said, New Zealand had • visits from six: Australian teams and in :his judgment New. Zealand cricket Svas never stronger than it was round about 1928. Since then New Zealand had had no visits fron. Australian teams and Australia was only two and a half to three days away from New Zealand. It was his opinion that New Zealand cricket had been going back since relations with Australia had been discontinued. \He referred to' the financial loss suffered from the visit of Hplmes's M.C.C. team ,in the 1935-36 season and said he s thought the New Zealand Cricket; Council was working , entirely on wrong lines; every endeavour should be made to tap the great field Australia presented. It was one which was at New Zealand's door. Unless and until the .relations between the New Zealand Cricket Council and the Board of Control were improved —and there seemed to be some prospect of that —New Zealand cricket would, not go ahead in : the way it should do. Public interest would be increased and it would, all be to the good of. the fgame.? Interest in cricket in New. Zealand was at a fairly high level at;-the- moment. Now .was the time to capitalise that interest, because if the coming season were allowed to go by, then a good deal of interest that : had; been aroused would be .lost. The steps he advocated in: the resolution would, he suggested, :if acted Upon, indicate to the New Zealand Cricket Council that-they in Wellington were : exceedingly keen \ that - the council should do its" duty and arrange for a visit, by an Australian team; ■ AUSTRALIANS KEEN. Mr. L. J. Brabiri, who seconded the motion, said that, from conversations , he had had in Australiarecently not only one team outside the Australian eleven would be pleased to come to New Zealand, but half a dozen of them. Clarrie Grimmett had, wanted to know, when he was going. to receive an invitation "to tome home," and other playeus he had spoken to said there would be no difficulty in getting a good team if the .Australian, Board of Control would give the necessary permis-, sion. Mr. J. H. Phillipps said he thought that all in New, Zealand were of the one opinion that it was highly desirable that an- Australian • team should 'visit New Zealand, but he thought it only fair to state that the New Zealand Cricket: Council for the .past ten years had endeavoured to get an Australian team' to come 'to New Zealand. Up to date the council's efforts had not been, successful, but it had not been for want of making an effort, Mr. Luckie said he was convinced that the Australian Board of Control would adopt a favourable attitude. When in Melbourne for the third Test between the M.C.C. 'and Australia he had. raised unofficially, the subject of a visit by an Australia team to New Zealand, and he had received a most sympathetic reply. "I think," he added, "that there has been perhaps ; some slight feeling aroused over the previous offer they made,'1 and which in its wisdom the New Zealand Cricket Council declined to accept." Mr. Luckie pointed out that if merely a visit from the Australian eleven on its way to England was sought that would mean that the Australians would not be seen in action in New Zealand before the beginning of February, and the team would have to leave the Dominion by the middle of March. Thus the team would not have long in New Zealand, and would only be able to play four or five matches." The alternative part of the resolution appealed to him as being the more attractive proposition. At least hall a dozen teams could be selected 'in Australia to give New Zealand all'it wanted. The discussion then lapsed, the motion being carried.- ' ' .