THE ENGLISH TEAM.

NZ Truth, Issue 889, 9 December 1922, Page 7

THE ENGLISH TEAM.

The English cricketers have met In turn Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, with the following result, viz.--One draw and three loses. The majority of their batsmen have batted on seven and some on eight occasions, besides having had a fair amount of practice on good wickets. lam still of the

opinion that the New Zealand players will m every way be a match for* them m Test games. , v One thing that must appeal to our cricketers is that Maclaren's team appear to be a good fielding and bowling aide, but badly want a batsmen after the Hobbs type to stiffen up their batting. After a survey of their. Australian performances they can be considered weak, m this department of the game. On}y five of the players seem' to be of the solid style of batsmen, vlz.-~Cha.p-man, Titchmarch, Macjaren, Wilkinson and perhaps Caltftorpe. Chapman appears to be the star batsman, oftd there is no doubt that this young play* IN THE FIRST FLIGHT of English amateurs, which is saying almost all that can be said of a cricketer. ' Maclaren is still a, good batsman, and it is most pleasing to find the popular, Lancashire player m form early for the tour of New Zealand. Ido hope that this player will get going here, if only for. an object lesson to our younger cricketers, as no batsman has a greater variety of strokes for them to study and copy. Titchmarsh is' very consistent .and the Australian Press speak highly of both him and Wilkinson. v Of the bowlecs, Gibson, the mediumpace trundler, seems to have been the most difficult on Australian wiokets, and is sure to do well here, ' aY the wickets, having more grass on them, will assist his break (which he has from both sides). Freeman has not yet bpwled up to his great reputation, but I feel sure the googly type of bowler that this bowler is will meet with - \ any amount.. -of a^eeJß^ai m. New Zealand. ;in fact, ; J fully expect Freeman's figures to be the best of Ma.claren'B team when the tpur cpmes to a close. TTyjdeßley, Calthorpe and Brand are also useful bowlers. ; The fielding of the team has lived up tp .the high Btandard that had been previously written about it, Chapman being brilliant at times. On their showing the New Zealand public can look forward to. some very fine cricket and some close and. exciting gam.es, as our qrioketers are much better than the average New Zeala,nder imagines. -!•">,* ;At time of writing the ' Englishmen are held up m Sydney owing to the shipping trouble and the New Zealand tour -will apparently have to be rabdined.. / ; . .