MACLAREN ARRIVES

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11393, 14 December 1922, Page 8

MACLAREN ARRIVES

A GREAT CRICKETER COMMENT ON PAST AUSTRALIAN WICKETS. TEAM SEEKING EXPERIENCE. “Although I was getting a few runs at Sydney, I was not timing the ball. I was always in time, rather too quick than too slow. I just wished I had three more men to go in, as I was just beginning to get the pace of the wicket.” So said Mr A. C. MacLaren, the great English cricketer, to a “Times” reporter, yesterday, during an interriew. He had just arrived from Sydney by the Ulimaroa, having been delayed a week owing to the hold-up of the boat in Sydney; The other members of the team left Sydney on Saturday by the Moeraki, which wa6 due in Auckland yesterday, but Air MacLaren travelled by the Ulimaroa. Not having heard of the change of programme, he was expecting his team to travel down to. Wellington to play according to the original itinerary. Owing to the boat striking a fog in the strait, the stream was not reached until 9.40, and 6he was not berthed until just on 12 o’clock. It was then too late to catch the midday express to Auckland, so he postponed the journey until to-day. PICTURING THE TOUR. While in Sydney he bought a graphoscope, which shows cinema films as well as ordinary lantern slides. He has already taken two films of the match in Sydney,- and intends to take others during the tour. His purpose is to give a series of lectures on the tour, and any profit from this work he is devoting to the fund for disabled soldiers at Home. It is possible that he will give. one or two lectures during his tour of the Dominion, in which case he will probably he heard in Wellington. He will be showing the pictures in Australia when they go back for the return matches. TO GAIN EXPERIENCE. “The idea of the tour is to give some of our younger players a greater experience of the game. A tour abroad always improves their play; they get broader-minded; it gives them experience of playing before strange people; they gain confidence which can he gained in no other way, and success follows. In fact, it gives him an opportunity of playing a different kind of cricket to what we have at Home. County cricket at Home has a commercial ring about it, but out here it is sporting cricket all the way through for a team like this. NOT THE BEST SIDE. “Of course, the M.C.O. is not the best English team, fpr when we came out here it was realised that we, had to send our best side to South Africa, and that hurt us a little bit. Ours is a young team, mostly composed of ’Varsity players, nine from Oxford and ~ Cambridge, two professionals, and three non-’Vareity men, of whom I ami one. We are returning via Australia, as we have return matches with the States, and the Universities,' .1 am ; quite in the dark as to New Zealand cricket, hut I think you will find that we shall give you a good game. THREE GOOD BOWLERS.

"You /will probably find that this side will not take a lot of setting out, but bowling is our strength, and we shall be more difficult to get runs against. We have three good highclass amateur -bowlers in Gibson, Calthorpe, and Brand, and we have Tyldesley and Freeman; but when I see the strength of your side I may prefer to leave the professionals out and play eleven amateurs against yon. It depends a good deal on how you shape up against ns. If you are going to knock up a tremendous lot of runs, then we shall have to play our two professionals.” AUCKLAND A GOOD SAMPLE. Mr D. McKenzie said that Auckland would give the M.C.O. a good idea of the strength of cricket in New Zealand. The first test team would probably include four Auckland men, two Wellington, one Canterbury, and one Otago in the “certs.’’ On being told that he was to decide which was the best of the grounds on which they played, and that a prize was being awarded to the groundsman of the winning ground, Mr MacLaren laughingly remarked: a nice thing to put on to me.” He added that he thought that the New Zealand grounds would be more like the English wickets. FAST AUSTRALIAN WICKETS. Referring to the Australian grounds, Mr MacLaren said that at Adelaide, they went on a hard wicket, which was much faster than anything they played on at Home. He told the boys that this would be their hardest game, and Adelaide were the only team that beat them easily. Victoria beat Adelaide and then' New South Wales heat Victoria. The point of it all was that they must have practice. He did not wish to give offence to anyone, hut he fejt it was rather “killing the goose that lays the golden egg” to put the team in the field so quickly. The boys must have time to practise when they get over there. They might he in form, but they could not get accustomed to the wicket and the glare of the light in less than a fortnight. “We had to get all our practice in the games, and those who did not get any runs did not get any practice. Only about three of our fellows showed any form in Australia, for we all lacked confidence. Although 1 was getting a few runs at Sydney, I was not timing the ball. I was always in time, rather too quick than too slow. I just wished 1 had three more men to go in, as I was just beginning to get the pace of the wicket. A GOOD PERFORMANCE. “It was a fine performance in dismissing New South Wales, with eight international players in the team, for 201 runs. In the old days we had ten dayß in which to practise before we Btarted play, and in meeting a, team like Adelaide a week's practice was the least we should have had.” Later in the day, Mr MacLaren went up to the college to witness the match in progress there, and on the way was shown the pitch at the Basin Reserve, on which the test match and the game against Wellington will be played.