“THOROUGHLY UNHAPPY”

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8331, 17 January 1913, Page 7

“THOROUGHLY UNHAPPY”

THE AUSTRALIAN CRICKET TEAM LONDON, January 16. The “ Manchester Guardian ” says it is useless to answer the complaints made by B. R. Mayne, a member of the Australian team which recently visited Britain. It adds : “If cricketers begin questioning the umpires’ decisions we will soon be back to the manners of the village green. Mayno’s criticisms are not cricket.” The Australian correspondent of the “Pall Mall Gazette' regrets the attack, and says English players had similar experiences in Australia. “It has been generally conceded that the Bardsley decision was an error, but it did not affect the result of the game. The Mayne incident shows what a thoroughly unhappy band the Australian team was. It is unfair to saddle the Board of Control with all the responsibility, but the board’s policy has not uplifted Australian cricket. Not since the notorious tour of 1893 has the Australians’ reputation been at so low a standard.” During an interview in Australia, Mayne had little good to say for the English umpiring during the Australians' tour: as a matter of fact, he classed it as mediocre. He gave four spec’fic instances —including that affecting Bardsley in one of the Tests—where in his opinion wrong decisions had been given. None of the English umpires approached the level of Crockett..