CRICKET DISPUTE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 135, 8 May 1933, Page 8

CRICKET DISPUTE

REMARKS OF PLAYERS. DAILY TELEGRAPH STORY. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) Received May 8, 1.0 p.m. LONDOiN, May 7. "Jardine the Hero of the Jests." "Triumph in Eace of Abuse." "Supreme Loyalty of Team." "Amazing Conduct of Australians." These are the headlines to a Daily Telegraph story by Mr Thomas Moult upon the arrival of the cricketers. He says that, though the players' lips were sealed about certain aspects of the tour, their very silence indicated the truth that "a body of touring cricketers has never before been called to face such difficulties in the history of the game." Mr Moult gives the following impressions gathered from conversations with the players: "That the unparalleled difficulties of the tour were surmounted and the Ashes regained was a great personal triumph for Jardine. That the term 'body-line' bowling was deliberately used by a section of the Australian Press when it did not consider the ordinary term 'leg theory' inflammatory enough. That, when Larwood's success brought about a crisis, the team were unanimous that Jardine should continue to employ the leg theory. That the tales of dissension among the Englishmen were deliberately manufactured. The behaviour of the crowds during the Tests was sometimes nightmarish and frightening and there were moments when the players felt that the thousands would break the fences a)id pour on to the field." Every player above all emphasised Jardine's strength of character and utter fearlessness in the most trying situation a cricketer ever had to face. Every player expressed his willingness to go again. Jardine alone hinted that this was his last tour.

"We in England had been given no idea of the intimida.tion they were enduring in Test cricket. The crowds went much further than throwing oranges on to the field and counting Larwood's strides in a chorus. Fortv thousand out of 60.000 spectators stood unanimously and roared an offensive epithet in two syllables repeatedly till they were hoarse. Doubtless it was to this that Ja.rdine wittily referred in New Zealand when he said: 'We have just come from a country where our parentage was regarded'as doubtful and our ultimate destination absolutely certain.' " EDITOR'S STATEMENT. Received May 8, 1.25 p.m. LONDON, May 8. The editor of the Sunday Express has written to the Daily Express stating that he never heard of such nonsense as the statements issued on behalf of Larwood. "As late as Saturday Larwood gave an interview to the Dailv Mail reiterating his assertion to its that he had been released from his pledge of silence to the M.C.C We bought and paid for the interview at Larwood's suggestion. When later in the week he asked to be released from his contract he made it clear that he sought release chiefly because he proposed to publish liis experiences in book form. We preferred to publish them in the Sunday Express."