CRICKET

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12513, 31 July 1926, Page 17

CRICKET

(By I£ old Player.”) Tho issue of an invitation to New Zealand to send a cricket team to England next season lias quickened interest amongst Dominion enthusiasts. Finance will bo the chief obstacle iO be surmounted, but it is by no means unsuriuountablc. ' One or two schemes have been mooti c-d, but tlio most feasible one seems I to be that of issuing debentures, whicn ‘ would involve the formation of a com- • pany. Time is short, however, and it looks as if guarantees will have to bo , the resort for funds. The imminence , of the proposed tour necessitates the I utmost speed in arranging details, as ; tlio county captains meet before the end of the year to fix the schedule of matches for next season. The Tests at present running in the Old Land heave caused great interest, ! and this makes the possibility of a ; New Zealand team’s tour more hopeful than would be tho case otherwise. * ♦ * « Taking for granted that the financial troubles are overcome, the question then arises: How far is such a four likely to benefit cricket in New Zealand? The answer must be favourable, as there cannot be jhiy argument against such a project doing anything else but raise tho standard of the game. There are some hard-shelled critics who affirm that only a few will benefit. and that it would be more beneficial to import coaches and raise the standard that way. It is quite easy to see that those who write in such a strain know comparatively little about the game. • * # # Common-sense urges that teachers can only lay a foundation, but the edifice must be built by experience. Anyono at all conversant with the game will know that Australia only tcached her present high standard as a result of the interchange of tours. . South Africa did the same, and in j recent years tho A\ r e.st Indies has been doing likewise. Tt is further stated that the Australian visits, plus the tours of New • Zealand teams in Australia, are good enough. The writer does not think along those Fries, and has a good many reasons for doing so. but limitation of space prevents him from setting them out. However, the writer is game enough to be dogmatic on the point that a tour of England would do more good ! to thj game in New Zealand than an ! army of coaches in tho same time. | Tho early teams from Australia did ' not show up very well in batting, but there came a time when some of the greatest stylists of all time arose in their ranks. Rutting the idea of coaches against that of practical ex- | perience. Australia provides a suffii eient answer. There is not a more j intense system of coaching youngsters ! anywhere than that of the public schools of England. Yet the results are very smal 1 in so far as big cricket is concerned. • • « * A tour of England by a New Zealand teem would establish the standard of our wicket. If successul it would be a great lever for securing visits from English teams as part of their Australian tour. It has been stated more than once by well-known Englishmen, that a short tour through New Zealand would be more acceptable to the players than playing so many up-country matches against odds in Australia. Such a happening would stimulate interest, and would give the Dominion a i>lace in the cricket world comparable to that occupied by our Rugby players. The prospects are sufficiently alluring to make those in authority realise that something real may he obtained, and that they need not go on for all time looking for tho rainbow’s end. An English newspaper says that several of tho Australian cricketers now in England have stated their intention of retiring from the game. It mentions AVarren Bardslcy, A. A. Mailey, and J. M. Taylor. The paper says that in all probability Mailey will return to England after the present tour, to take up a position on a big English newspaper as cartoonist nnd critic. Warren Bardslcy, according to the report, is anxious to make the trip to the West Indies before definitely retiring, and Taylor will devote himself to establishing a business in Sydney. Taylor passed his final dental examinations just prior to the present tour.

What a great thing it would be if the proposed visit of the Yorkshire cricket team to Australia wore carried out (says tho Molbourne “Globe’’). According to present arrangements there will not be a visit from a team from overseas till the 1925-0 season, thomrh it is worthy of note that England will interchange visits with South Africa before then. Mr Sydney Smith has promised that Australia will consider the question of sending a team to the West Indies. Will the Australian Board of Control really consider the sending of a team to such an out-of-the-way place when there is the possibility of getting a first-class team to come hero? If Yorkshire, # tho team lhat has not been beaten in its last AO matches, and has won the county championship four years running, is willing to send a team the board should issue an invitation without any loss of time. Maurice Tate, the Sussex howler, was 31 years of age on Anvil 28th ln*t. His right to Hi? title of “best England howler since Barnes’’ may ho iudgM from the following figures: Tn all firstclass cricket he has taken 1055 wickets, average 17.00. TTo has also scared 0103 runs, average 21-00. Tn Ted matches i . Australia and v. Bouth Africa, he has taken 65 wickets for 20 runs each. His 2N wickols v. Australia (1021-251 is the biggest “hag” on record in on" series of Tests (ErydandAustralia). He is the onlv cricketer who lias ‘•-•rorrd MOO runs and taken 200 wickets in three c*on«?vut've .sonsous.

ceded that- it was only -omelhing very liho a miracle that rv .onted him from winning the amateur championship at MuirliolUs