THE REPRESENTATIVE CRICKET TEAM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9714, 9 January 1895, Page 5

THE REPRESENTATIVE CRICKET TEAM.

It is hard for ordinary people to understand the mystery which is being made about the selection of the representative team to meet the Fiji cricketers. On Monday we published the names of twelve players who had been selected, mentioning that the committee had not finally decided between Gould and Kelly. The committee now feel called upon to formally declare " that the team has nob yet been selected." Everyone knows that a team consists of only eleven men, and therefore for some unexplained reason the committee has gone out of its way bo urge that " tho team has nob been selected" as twelve men have been chosen ; but they carefully refrain from denying that the twelve names we published were selected. The reason for all this unnecessary beating about the bush is simply this. The committee were not quite certain whether or not Gould could get away, and they wanted to definitely ascertain this before deciding between him and Kelly. If he could play, ho was to bo the eleventh man, and if not the place was to bo given to Kelly. The names were therefore we subsequently ascertained, to have been held back, as it was thought that Kelly might perhaps feel that a slight had been cast upon him by making his selection contingent upon Gould's inability to get away for the match. It is a well-known fact that the twelve names we published were selected, and this has not been denied. The statement of the committee simply amounts to the declaration that a team is not composed of twelve men, a fact that nobody will be inclined to deny. However, the space already devoted to this matter has been far greater than its importance warrants. We ara pleased to learn, however, that Mr. MacCormick has withdrawn his resignation from tho committee, as his wide experience as a cricketer renders his judgment of the greatesb value. It is much to be regretted that any friction should have arisen.