ENGLISH CRICKETERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 September 1936, Page 11

ENGLISH CRICKETERS

I PLEA TO BARRACKERS • “What do you think of the English team?” That question is heard on all sides. A far more important query is: i "What is going to happen this seaIson?” It has nothing to do with the results of the test matches; it refers to the cloud which has been hanging i over the cricket world since the unfortunate incidents of the last tour. The rights and wrongs of those incidents do not matter now, but the aftermath may be serious. There is certain to be an atmosphere of tension and the outcome depends on the attitude of the “Hill.” (writes Dr. R. H. Bettington in the “Sydney Morning Herald”). All fair-minded people must hope that the attitude will be one of tolerance and forbearance; otherwise the Englishmen may be placed in an awkward position. Larwood and to a lesser degree, Voce, were the bogeys of the ■ controversy. Larwood is not coming. Probably the selectors were wise in not including him in the team: it is the safer way. Tentative suggestions were put forward in both Australia and England that Larwood should be" selected and that the Australian Board of Control should ask for him. but how can they guarantee him proper treatment? Rightly, both authorities ignored the hints. Neville Cardus, a sound judge, thought. Larwood good enough to come, but we do not know if the selectors shared his opinion. It was reported that his foot was not sound, and that he might break down here. Only men who have bowled in both countries can realise the enormous difference between English and Australian pitches and grounds. One day here is about as hard on the feet as two days in England. NEW CRICKET LAW Voce is coming. What will be his method of attack? The fast left-hander has two, off-fields and leg-fields. The former is still of unquestioned fairness; the latter was recognised for years as a legitimate field for that type of bowling. F. R. Foster used it here successfully; Waddington unsuccessfully. Is Voce to be prevented? What will happen if he hits one of the Australians severely in the process? We can all imagine the result. New cricket, legislation has been adopted to prevent the bowler deliberately attacking the batsman. Whether that legislator is going to be effective is open to doubt. The intention is the thing that matters, and umpires have not yet been gifted with mind-reading abilities. Frequently they have no doubt what a bowler thinks, of them, but what he thinks of the batsman may be a different story.

Again. I would emphasise the infinite possibilities for making or marring the tour which lie in the early reception of the team by our crowds. This is hardly the place'tb go in for heroics but f hope that my argument may influence a few. I think we can rest assured that, whatever appearances may show, this coming English side will do all in its power to help things to run smoothly. Nearly everyone writing on cricket gives their views on barracking at some time or other, and in the last few years several of our ex-interna-tional players have gone as far as to say that barracking is for the good of the game; others that it does no harm. Frankly, 1 fail to follow their argument. Few if any, visiting Englishmen ever agreed with them, and they are surely the people to judge. Barracking has become a part of our cricket, and the Australian is prepared for it; he grows up with it. To the visitor, it comes as an unknown quantity and, depending on his temperament, he is more or less apprehensive. The effect must be to make the nervous player more nervous, frequently leading to a showing far below his normal form. Failure increases his disturbed state of mind, and increases the barracking. There have been some outstanding failures here of famous visiting players. Can barracking be one of the causes?

Baracklug iu England is not prevalent in the south; it exists in Yorkshire and Lancashire, but in a far milder form. There is none of the monotonous reiteration so common here and it appeared to me to be far more humorous. The “quality” of the remarks here must be going off, because the humorous element is scarce and some of it is offensive. The Australian barraeker tends to be cruel, and success is his god. Tbe popular hero can do no wrong: the “rabbit,” if such a word can apply to a firstclass cricketer, labours under an intermittent fire of disparagement. BOARD OF CONTROL’S PART It may appear that this criticism is drastic, but I feel that barracking is becoming a menace to our national game. Intense feeling is the origin. Nearl every male Australian has a traditional love of cricket, making him a keen judge. This is an excellent trait, but keenness can be overdone. The climax was reached during the last English tour. What can the Australian Board of Control do to prevent offensive barracking? A recent cablegram from England said that, in a county match two slow batsmen were being barracked when one of the umpires walked over to the noisy section of the crowd and asked them to stop, as credit for making the batting slow was due to the bowlers. The barracking ceased. Would this treatment have the desired effect here? None knows, but we can think. Really drastic measures would probably have to be taken, such as refusing admission to noisy barrackcrs, having large numbers of police to eject offenders, or stopping play. Any of those remedies might lead to serious trouble, and the carrying out might not be so easy as it would appear. The innocent majority would suffer. Last, and most important there would be some financial loss. With increasing popularity, the money side of international sport is becoming more and more prominent. In cricket it is now more than prominent. Both English and Australian cricket depends on visiting test teams to balance budgets, and neither country Is likely to do anything which may nterfere with the normal sequence of visits. I feel that a strong effort is necessary to re-establish the happiest of feelings between players of the two countries and the public. Let the hope be that this coming season will be a bright one in every way. POLICE CONTROL. I RY < ABLP—PRBHH AHBN. —COFIBIGHT.] ADELAIDE, September 11. The Board of Cricket Control today decided that the assistance of police should be obtained to control

barracking in all international crickot matches in future. This decision follows representations by’ the Marylebonc Cricket Club that steps should be taken to prevent disturbances on future tours of Englishmen.