CRICKET CONTROVERSY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18927, 27 January 1925, Page 9

CRICKET CONTROVERSY.

PARKIN AND LORD HAWKE, ENGLISH TEAM'S DEFEATS. A. and N.Z. LONDON. Jan. 25. Writing to a newspaper Cecil Parkin, the Lancashire professional cricketer, says: "I see nothing wrong in my comment about the test matches. I only repeated what I have said countless times about other teams and captains. Lord Hawke's remarks are an insult to players like Hobbs and Hendren. Why should not a professional captain England? Rhodes practically captained Yorkshire for years. Professionals earn an honest living in the finest game in the world. They are not ashamed to take money. Many sham amateurs make more money out of cricket than do professional people." Parkin adds: "The defeat by eleven runs at Adelaide was as bad as a defeat by 100 runs. The moral is simple. We have not sent the best team to Australia. Ijlobbs, Sutcliffe and Tate have not been properly supported. If Tate had not had to do three men's work he would not have been injured. The Englishmen want some stiffening, such as can be found in the northern teams. Too many southern players were selected. It would be difficult for the present team to defeat Australia if Gilligan tossed with a twoheaded coin." Lord Hawke, in a special interview with the Sunday Express, said: "Bless my soul! I never meant to hurt anyone's feelings, especially those of professionals. I simply meant that England will be in a bad way when she cannot produce another amateur capable of leading a test team."