THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is Incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY “Public Service” WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 1949 SPORTING TOURS

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 58, Issue 4107, 2 March 1949, Page 4

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is Incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY “Public Service” WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 1949 SPORTING TOURS

The first of New Zealand’s major sporting teams has departed and the second scheduled to leave on April 24. The best wishes of the whole Dominion will be with the cricketers, whose tour is expected to answer the question whether New Zealand can regard itself in the front rank of international cricket. If the answer is satisfactory hopes might be encouraged of a New Zealand cricket tour of Australia and an Australian tour of New Zealand. It is lamentable that the Dominion ,in the past has seen so little of famous players just a few hours away by air.

The next event will be the sailing of the Tamaroa direct for Capetown with the All Blacks on board. Public opinion will hope that last year’s criticism of the selection of the team has died down and that there will be no untoward incident affect .ing the turn-round of the Tamaroa. Indeed, an improved rate of handling, such as w r as seen recently with the Dominion Monarch, would have the satisfactory result of the earlier sailing of the vessel with*longer for the team to settle down in South Africa before the first match, scheduled for May 31. This would be appreciated by/ team, which will find it far from easy to hold their condition during the voyage of three weeks.