AFTER THE ASHES.

Mataura Ensign, 1 November 1911, Page 5

AFTER THE ASHES.

ENGLISH CRICKET TEAM. THE CAPTAIN'S OPINION. BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.— PEE UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION. Received November 1, 9.5 a.m. FREMANTLE, Not. 1. Mr P. F. Warner (captain of the English touring team) in an interview said he had a splendid team of fighters. He could not say how it compared with the previous team but it was the best possible, except for Fry and Spooner. He would not say he thought they would win but the members of the whole team would do their best. Fry was at the top of his form and was batting better than ever, but he was not equal to Trumper. Mr Warner was reticent about comparing the merits of the different members of the team, which he said were all good in different departments. Three of them were left-handed batsmen, Kinneir, Mead and Woolly. Left-handers were invaluable to a team. Hitch was the fastest bowler and was also a brilliant fielder. Mr Warner stated that cricket was flourishing in England and they had had a splendid summer. He did not think the triangular scheme would be practicable under a period of every ten years. Anyhow it would greatly dislocate county cricket. It was not true, continued Mr Warner, that he had his pockets picked as cabled and it was a distinct libel on the light-fingered gentry. During this tour amateurs and professionals would stop at the same hotels. ] ! There are three amateurs in the team, Messrs Warner, Douglass and Foster. ! In an article in his own magazine C. B. Fry chats interestingly concerning the English cricketers who are now in Australia. Of Barnes he writes: "Barnes is the finest fast-medium-pace bowler we have, and a very fine one indeed. At his best, and there is no reason why he should not be at his best, he is, I believe, the best all-round bowler living for Australian conditions or for any other. "Iremonger is, I believe, the best medium-pace right-hand bowler we have for a perfect wicket, and is very good on a wet wicket. He is a clever bowler, who varies his pace. He is also a firstrate bat. "Foster is a fast-medium or fast lefthand bowler, of brilliant quality—distinctly the best available. He is a brilliant bat, likely to improve in every match. "Douglas is an accurate and hardworking fast right-hand bowler. The best bat by far of all the bowlers who may be fairly classed as fast, and about as likely as any fast bowler we have, except Walter Brearley, to get wickets in Australia. "Rhodes is probably as useful as any slow left-hand bowler we have for Australian wickets and he is worth his place otherwise for his batting.

"For a set of stock bowlers the batting strength of these five is quite exceptional. Even Barnes is a good bat, and any of the other four might make a century in a test match. As Hobbs is quite a good fast bowler with a new ball, at any rate, as a change bowler, the bowling is almost adequate, even without Douglas. "As regards the batting, Hobbs is the best batsman, who combines soundness with quite brilliant scoring strokes all round the wicket—except R. H. Spooner, who is at least his equal, but who cannot go to Australia. The two would have made an ideal pair of batsmen of one kind, and of a kind required. Spooner is a great loss to the side. "P. F. Warner, of all class batsmen now playing, has his scoring strokes so ordered as to give the widest margin of error—his scoring strokes ought never to cost him his wicket—and this is precisely what is wanted in Australia; he ought to succeed in making •many long scores, as he does in England. I suppose the Australians will get him out, but I cannot see how in my mind's eye. "Kinneir is a left-handed Arthur Shrewsbury, and a batsman who may prove a great stumbling block to the Australian bowlers. General opinion in first-class circket circles favors him as the best left-handed bat we have for lAustralia. His defence is exceptionally sound, and his scoring strokes are exceptionally safe. "J. W. Hearne is a most promising bat, and has come prominently to the front this year, and he is the only possible leg-break bowler. "Woolley is the most powerful and brilliant left-hand batsman we have, and Mead, also a left-hand batsman, is one of the soundest batsmen playing. Woolley is a good fielder anywhere and can field in the slips. This applies also to Mead." "GOOD ALL ROUND." PEB UNITKn PBERS ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON, Nov. 1. Mr G. F. Thompson arrived by the Athenic and will proceed to Auckland to-morrow as coach to the Cricket Association." He thinks the English team is good all round and will pull 6afely through the teste. The team could have been improved but not to a great extent.