AUCKLAND TOURING TEAM.

NZ Truth, Issue 890, 16 December 1922, Page 7

AUCKLAND TOURING TEAM.

(By L. T. COBCROFT.) Tho Auckland 'province "does hot wish.or intend, that Its .cricketers will do the Southern tour wjth twelve men only. It- -has.- • 'chosen no fewer- than seventeen players to make the trip, J. cannot saa; Oha.t-1; with its decision to sena^ so* many*players to do such a short tour and play so few matches. Besides, it is going to be expensive, » * f'When one takes into consideration that the number m an Australian team going on a six or seven months' tour to the Old Country and playing some thirty games does not exceed fifteen, It appears , a little over the odds that Auckland should act so unwisely both from a financial point of view and also a . cricketing one. >

Would it not be much better to haVe twelve or thirteen at most?. Then the team would be able to play together arid develop into a strong combination, as there is not the slightest doubt that if a player was chosen by the selectors as fit tb represent the province he could not be passed over on one or two games. But evidently it is the intention of the Auckland selectors to play some of the weaker members of the team against, some of the weaker proviifcial sides! Of course the report sent through this week might be ari erroneous one as it says: "The following have been selected for the Auckland cricket team tc- tour the South: Rountree, Alcott, Horspool, Patterson, N. C. Sneddon, Smith, Buxton, D. R. Garrard, W. Garrard, Player, C. Dacre, Frater, Anthony, McLeod, Whelan,. Irvine, Cummings, and Brook-Smith. A very formidable side can be chosen from the above players and one that will take a power of beating.