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Evening Star, Issue 22817, 27 November 1937, Page 10

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HEW ZEALAND CRICKETERS PRIME MINISTER'S TRIBUTE GOOD NAME FOR SPORTSMANSHIP [Pek United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, November 26. That the New- Zealand cricket team had'maintained the high reputation which the Dominion enjoys for sportsmanship in the Old Country was made abundantly manifest in the speeches delivered at the reception to the team by the Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) at Parliament House this afternoon. The reception was attended by several members of Cabinet, members of both Houses of the Legislature, and representatives of sports bodies. The Primo Minister, extending a welcome home to the team,,said he had been filled with pardonable pride when he had heard representative British sportsmen, such as Lord Desborough, paying the highest tributes to the New Zealand cricket team’s sporting attributes. While New Zealand statesmen in the past had done much to uphold New Zealand’s prestige at the seat of Empire, it was questionable if New Zealand’s soldiers, Rugby players, and cricketers had not done even more to put the Dominion on the map. If the team had not brought hack the ashes, it had at least brought back untarnished New Zealand’s good name for sportsmanship. TJie Leader of the Opposition (Hon. Adam Hamilton) joined with the Prime Minister irt extending a welcome to the team. The people of New Zealand, he said, were pleased to know the team had put up a good fight and had done much to cement the ties of good fellowship between the Old Country and the Dominion. If there was one word of criticism he might offer it was that New Zealand cricketers might spend a little more time practising catching. _ „ T The Minister of Finance (Hon. W. Nash) said he had also been in England while the New Zealand team had been there, and he could testify to the limb compliments which had been paid the team bv eminent authorities. The New Zealand team had surprised everyone by its play in the first test match. From what he had seen and heard in England he was convinced that in future New Zealand cricketers would receive the utmost consideration in England. . Mr A. M. Donnelly, ex-chairman of the New Zealand Cricket Council, said he had been deputed to represent the New Zealand Cricket Council. Cricket was a highly technical and a highlv specialised game. In England _ and Australia, players devoted practically the whole of their time to cricket, while those in control of the game in this country considered it should be played as a recreation. Seeing that cricket in the Dominion w’as essentially a Saturday afternoon pastime, he considered the standard of play was on a high plane. The free, amgteur manner in °which the New Zealand team had played in England and Australia had won the praise of the critics and the public alike. The sporting manner in which the New Zealand captain had declared his innings closed against Lancashire had won golden opinions. Instead of playing for an uninteresting draw the New Zealand captain had thrown down a challenge to Lancashire. Mr Donnelly said that two members of the present team, Messrs T. C. Lowry and M. L. Page, had been members of the New. Zealand teams which visited England in 1927 and 1931 ; and both had done a great deal for cricket in the Dominion during the past 10 years. He was sure both would carry with them in their retirement the best wishes of every cricketer in New Zealand. TOUR WORTH WHILE.

The manager of the team, Mr T. C. Lowry, said that though not a betting man, he would like to wager that the next New Zealand team to visit England would not lose many matches. Unfortunately, cricket tours cost money, and tho present tour would cost New Zealand about £I,OOO. The last South African team to visit England was losing money on the tour until it had unexpectedly beaten England in a test, which aroused public interest, and the South Africans had ended up the tour with a profit of £15,000. The tour had been worth while, as Cowie now ranked among the three best fast bowlers in the game to-day, and Wallace among the first half-dozen batsmen. If the New Zealand guarantors would only once again sign on the dotted line New Zealand might yet beat England in a test match on English fields. It might be asked if it were worth sending cricket teams to England seeing the loss was so heavy, but he considered that it was, as New Zealand players had very little experience in the Dominion and their best players were enticed away from here. The captain of the team (Mr M. L. Page) said the team was fortunate to visit England in the Coronation year, when there was a lively time in London. This might, perhaps, have been responsible for the team not striking form early. What success had been achieved on the tour had been due to the happy spirit which had prevailed. Owing to the dry season there had been few days off from continuous play, and he often wondered how the younger members of the team had stood the heavy strain.