WHITHER CRICKET

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 111, 6 November 1937, Page 11

WHITHER CRICKET

TEST ATMOSPHERE

MR. DONNELLY SPEAKS

"GIN, JAZZ, AND COCKTAIL"

Where stands New Zealand cricket? In the eyes of the cricket world it has risen, to be granted Test match status, but to the New Zealand Cricket Council that does not meaji that the game in this country is aiming at. liie same class of Test.match cricket as that in which the major cricketing countries engage. Mr. A. T. Donnelly, who for years has been foremost among New Zealand's cricket administrators, said at a function in his honour held in Wellington last evening: "We are not a Test match country in the ordinary sense of the word, and I hope we never shall be."

■ In retiring from active service on ' the New Zealand Cricket Council, of I which .hbdy he ha* been chairman for I ten years, Mr. Donnelly took the opportunity of reviewing the progress of the game as he had seen it in New Zea-. land, and while he made it clear that he was expressing his personal views, he indicated the policy adopted by the controlling body in studying the interests of New Zealand cricket. LOSING REAL FLAVOUR. The development of Test match cricket, he said, had been'such that there was, in the matches between England, Australia, and South Africa, a "gin, jazz, -and cocktail atmosphere" about the proceedings. Everything seemed to have been subordinated to Test matches between, those countries; and the tendency was to squeeze the real flavour out of the game. There was commercialisation, specialisation, and showmanship, and great were the demands mWe upon the. players like Bradman, McCabe, O'Reilly, and others —in the big Test-match countries — when called upon to play their part in. the all-important games. New Zealand, he said, did not aspire to the sort of thing that in showmanship drew such crowds that many had to use field-glasses to see what was going on. New Zealand was an amateur cricketing country in which the game was played mainly on Saturday afternoons, with some special occasions and visits now and again to and from other countries'. MODEST AMBITION. The council had been pressed to play more and more cricket, but it had always borne in mind that those playing the game in this country were amateur cricketers, club cricketers. An occasional tour overseas was the limit the council had set in its • modest ambition in the Test sphere. While he did not take exception to professionalism, Mr. Donnelly said that he would be sorry to see young men in this country devoting so much time to cricket that they were imperilling their chances of advancing in their occupations, There were, of course, exceptions, and he instanced the Cases of players like Merritt, James, and Dempster. -But the Test cricket to which he was referring was a highly technical sport which depended upon practice and opportunities to play to reach the highest standard. In a country like New Zealand it was impossible 'to devote enough time to get' that far without the players running, the risk of injuring their prospects in life and of injuring themselves for their work in the field. However, they could for a long time play first-class cricket as it was plr.yed here. The position as he saw It was that "we are amateur cricketers, Saturday afternoon players—nothing more nor less." , PROGRESS AMAZING. Taking that into consideration It was really amazing how cricket had progressed in New Zealand. Critics had compared New Zealand with England and Australia, but in' those countries cricket was played in the highest department, whereas New Zealanders played it only in their spare time. Everything considered, it was extraordinary how New Zealand's cricket standard had advanced. The batting had improved very considerably, and Mr. Donnelly attributed that largely to the visits to England in 1927, 1931, and 1937. The bowling, had not shown the same results, but bowling was poor all over the world. New Zealand's fielding was not good; for some reason players today did not field as well as in former times. But the batting was certainly stronger in every way, and it was a great achievement that New Zealand's players could give county sides such good games and could do so. well against the full strength of England.' OUTLOOK CHANGED. The future was very difficult, said Mr. Donnelly, the difficulty lying in the commercialisation of the game. It had come to a stage where gate money had caused cricket to lose some of the features very dear to it. Where, with the subordination of. the game to Test matches, 150 runs were scored, it would be difficult to get anybody to turn up to matches if the same effort were transplanted to local cricket. "Doped" wickets and the extension of hours of play all came into it. As things were today, it was pretty hard for New Zealand, for financial reasons, to hold its own in the international sphere. The game had slowed up, and everything had gone up out' of sight, and the council's experience in the last few years had been that it was impossible to finance an" English team on a visit here and "come out of it evens." ' ■ OLD PRINCIPLES THE BEST. Mr. Donnelly felt that the game was perfectly all right played along the old lines and following the old principles. He believed that the M.C.C. would really have it that way. That body legislated and acted in. the broad interests of the game throughout ■ the world, and, he believed, was completely indifferent as to how Test matches went. He paid a tribute to the assistance given by the M.C.C. to New Zealand cricket, and also' "mentioned what the Australian Board of' Control had done in the past and was doing now in having the New Zealand team playing a series of matches in its country, with hopes for the future of visits from Australia being renewed.

"Whether we hold our place or whether, through any economic pressure, we are forced to drop out," said Mr. Donnelly, "the game will still go on below the international sphere,- as long as there are youngsters" to-find an old kerosene tin or a street lamppost for a wicket." •