NOT IN ‘WISDEN'S' LIST

Evening Star, Issue 23651, 10 August 1940, Page 8 (Supplement)

NOT IN ‘WISDEN'S' LIST

A. H. FISHER AND A. DOWNES 1 WHY THE OMISSION ?

[By “ Wallaby.”]

Who, one wonders, is responsible for furnishing the names of those New Zealand cricketers which appear under the ‘ Births and Deaths of Cricketers ’ section in ‘ Wisden’s Almanac ‘ ?

The question is asked because one notices that the names of men like A. H. Fisher, A.' Downes, J. (Baker, of Otago, and a number of fine performers belonging to other provinces and who have represented New Zealand with credit in this country and in Australia, have apparently not been deemed worthy of inclusion in a list of many hundreds of cricketers, comparatively few of whom have any greater claim to fame than that they play, or have played, for a county or other first class side in England. Members of teams from abroad which have toured Britain are included, however, and a few —very few—of the leading players who have not toured. Among those New Zealanders, not members of a touring team but whose names appear in ‘ Wisdon’s ’ list, are: The late N. C. Snedden, the late E. F. Upham, the late A. B. Williams, and D. Reese, all of whom are worthy of a place there, but no more worthy, one ventures to say, than the famous Otago pair of bowlers, Arthur Fisher and Alec Downes, both of whom have splendid records. Here are those records, established over a period of 20 years or more of active cricket in each case:

A. H, FISHER —Batting.—

D. Reese’s averages for New Zealand are: Batting, 30.3; bowling, 20.8; E. F. Upham’s, 7.23 and 27.6; K. Tucker’s, 25.9 and 19.5; J. Baker’s (batting only), 31.7; and N. C. Snedden’s, 25.05. . . So that one may again ask: Who is responsible for the omission from a list of presumably the most distinguished cricketers of ' the various cricketing countries (even Philadelphia is represented) of Now Zealanders of the calibre of those mentioned above, and of some others nut mentioned ? Should it not bo the duty of the New Zealand Cricket Council to forward such names to the editor of ‘ Wisden’s ’ lor Ins consideration? Otago players particularly have been ignored in tins May,

t£ £ C w ta l5 a W < For N.Z. ... . 13' 153 2 52* 13.9 For Otago 87 1,102 10 76 15.0 Other matches 3 12 0 6 4.0 103 1,327 12 76 14.5 —Bowling.— CO ft to £ a <1 . ... 19 506 26.0 For Otago ... 250 3,453 13.8 Other matches ... 5 79 13.8 274 4,038 14.7 A. DOWNES. —Batting.— CO d> Sb d in to HH rv* fee a < For N.Z. . .. 17 182 i 74 11.5 For Otago . .. 84 907 8 70 12.7 Other matches 3 9 0 5 8.0 104 1,158 9 74 12.1 -—Bowling.— ul CO ■ g fcD & Ph < i?or N.Z. ... ... 29 779 26.8 For Otago ... 308 4,240 13.7 Other matches 6 130 22.6 343 5 ,101 15.0