STRONG BATTING COMBINATION

NZ Truth, Issue 1306, 22 December 1930, Page 12

STRONG BATTING COMBINATION

Great Difficulty Selectors Have To Face Is In Finding Express Bowler WILL YOUNG AUCKLANDER GET JOB? (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Cricket Representative.) There will be a scramble for a possy m the New Zealand cricketing contingent for overseas at the end of the present season, but at best there are not more than twenty players worthy of serious consideration. Fourteen or fifteen players will be sent, and picking them so early m the season and before Plunket Shield games have given a final guide to form is a difficult task. Something more than moderately good club men are required for the trip, and m eliminating these one is left with a mere handful of players. The batting strength of the side will be, or should be, one of the best that has represented the Dominion, but the chief difficulty that is going to face the selectors is m choosing 1 a fast bowler.

/YNE has td be .included m the team, and now that Dickinson, of Otago, is definitely not going Home, the selection of a successor will not be easy. There is no dearth of slow and medium pace bowlers who will find their way into the team, and bowlers with some pretentions as batsmen/ too, but that does not obviate the necessity of a fast bowler. Territory under the jurisdiction of the "Wellington Cricket Association will, m all probability supply five players who are certainties for the trip. C. S. Dempster, the Wellington coach, is a forceful, fearless batsman, with all the strokes of a finished player m his kit. He has .had experience l on Home wickets, and can be ticked off as a certainty. Dempster knows the art of placing the ball through a tight field, and can - force the scoring if the oc- • casion demands. He has a safe pair Jack Mills of hands m the field, and by the time the tour starts should be at his best form. He plays for institute, but so far .this season his best display was seen m the Town v. Country game recently, when he reached over the century against fairly sountl bowling. The next man who is a certainty for the trip is' Ken James, of Old Boys. James is a provincial and Dominion rep., and has been on International fields also. As a wicketkeeper, James still retains his old brilliance, and this possie is aseured for him with the team to England. .One of the soundest defensive batsmen In the; capital when the occasion demands,' James also can force the pace and has consistently scored runs this season, as his recent strike of 140 demonstrates. "The, evergreen and popular Tom Xowry (Rangitikel) is another certainty for the trip. He . captained the 1927 team to England, and will do so again. A master tactician who displays wonderful judgment m placing a field, Dowry Is a, first-class field, besides being a sound string 'keeper. As a batsman, he can be relied upon to contribute his quota of runs, for he plays good, sound strokes all round the wickets. With the experience gained m England and also against the M.C.C. here last year, he will be an invaluable man. Another player who should -be a certainty is Jack Newma'n, of Nelson. Jack is at present playing for the Midland seniors m "Wellington, making the trip across the Strait each week-end for the purpose. His experience m the capital Will stand him m good stead. . A medium-pace, left-hander, Newman is one of the best bowlers m the Dominion. When the M.C.C. team was here, Diileepsinjhi, when playing m Nelsaid Newman was one of the best bowlers he had been stacked up against. ;. Newman has taken wickets consistently this season. He keeps an excellent length, and while he varies his pace, he can flight the ball nicely. He is one of the headiest, bowlers this paper's rep has Been for a long time. The fifth nominee' and possible selection •from Wellington will., m all probability, be E. D. Blundell, now playing with the Wellington eleven. .A right - hand, . medium-fast bowler, Blundell varies his bowling nicely, but m the Dominion this season,, he has not done a great deal. Against firstclass batsmen m England he is reputed to have done very well, but. as yet he hasn't fathomed the unorthodox style of the 2Cgw Zealand batsman. On his English reputation J. L. Kerr he ' may get into the team, and, of Bourse, form m Plunket Shield matches toay throw a better light on his capabilities as a bowler.^ - J. E. Mills is one. He is a very . capable bat who distinguished himself m this department against the Englishmen last- year. This experience should stand him In good stead, for he is only a colt, but a lefthander with good action. Mills has not scored prolifically this feeason, but his performance has been quite satisfactory. He is a quick, active fieldsman . and has a safe pair of hands. In all probability he will be selected. G. L. Weir, another Eden player, was the discovery of last year's cricket, and will also get into , the team. He played with distinction against the Englishmen last year, and was one of the few to stand up to the bowling without any show of nervousness. He is a righthand batsman and should go far. F. C. Allcott, the Graf ton skipper, is a seasoned player, but cannot be termed a veteran. He bowls a good, mediumpaced ball, and m company with Cowie, he has done a good deal of damage this year, Allcott went Home with the 1927 team, and has been playing rep. cricket ever since. A sound left-hand batsman, he has a good knowledge of the tactics of the game, and is captaining the Auckland Plunket Shield team this year. He may find his way into the team for Home. . . A player with no previous rep. or international experience, is H. G. Vivian, •of Parnell, but he stands as good a chance as anyone of getting into the t€ELITI Critics were favorably impressed with his form last season, when his batting ■prowess brought him under notice, and this year again he has been consistently knocking up' scores. ' He is a left-hander with the confldent style of a born batsman, and has a fine grasp of all strokei, both for scoring and defence. Vivian is also . smart m the field, and occasionally takes a hand with the bowling, but it is as a batsman that he will be considered. The bowling strength of the team for Home will not come from Auckland, but if any bowler is likely to come from the Northern province, it will be Cleverley. He is only a colt, but is bowling T. Lowry very fast — one of {he fastest m the Dominion, but his enthusiasm wants curbing and his bowling powers harnessing by an expert hand. Wen'sley has him under tuition, and he Is showing marked improvement. Wensley will go south with the Auckland team and see how Cleverley shapes Jn the Shield games. The colt does not tire easily, and keeps bis pace well. If be shapes at all well on

the trip south, he stands & very solid chance. He is only a moderate bat, but fields well. The great difficulty will be the selection of a fast bowler, and because of this young Cleverley may go m. He is a right-handed bowler, and has been taking wickets this season, • but has been no-balling badly. This is probably due to his desire for' more pace, but It /Is an error that can be rectified. Canterbury has some good material this year, and there are a number of certainties from there to be included m the team. Most brilliant batsman of the season. is young J. L. Kerr, the right-handed opening batsman who has come right out on top. He is only 21 years of . age, but attained rep. honors at the end of last season, playing three innings, his_ scores being 61, 69 and 70. This season he has the largest aggregate runs and the best average m club cricket. He is at home* to any class of bowling and his footwork and finished strokes place him ahead of any other Canterbury batsman. He should do well m England, as he is of the steady, reliable type. He is a very keen fieldsman, being continually on the move and very alert. W. E. (Bill) Merritt, the best slow right-hand bowler In the Dominion, Is another certainty. Merritt is also rapidly improving as a batsman, being fifth m the Canterbury club averages this season. As a boy of eighteen, he was selected to go Home with the 1927 team, and was a great success, getting most wickets on the tour. He is inclined to be slovenly m the field, but he can smarten up when his team most needs his services. ■M. L. Page, the Canterbury captain, should be another certainty. He is a forceful right-hand batsman, a useful change bowler; and a brilliant field. Page was. also a member of the last team' to tour England, where he did very well. He also batted m confident style

against the Englishmen m the Dominion last season. » He~"is m his prime as a cricketer and his club form this season is first-class m every respect. A. W. Roberts is another Canterbury batsman who should find his way into the team. He is a steady and reliable righthander, and was the most prolific scorer m Christchurch cricket last season. This year he is batting well m club matches, and recently made a century when opposed to Merrltt's bowling. Roberts was given a tryout last year against the Englishmen, but failed to make runs, due to lack of practice against fast bowling. He is one of the best outfields m the Dominion, and a useful change bowler. He should make a big success on tour. R. O. Talbot, aged 25, is one of the best all-round-ers m the Dominion. He first represented • Canterbury when he was only 17, and made a century against Otago m his first rep. season. He is a fine, forcing, right-hand batsman, with splendid strokes all round the wicket. He plays best against difficult bowling. He just missed selection la Ken James the previous N.Z. team for England. He made a • great century against Wellington last season, and now is batting well m club/ cricket. He is a good, fast medium, right-hand bowler and a fine field, and therefore must be considered. Roger Blunt, Dominion and international rep., is a certain selection from Dunedin. One of the best bowlers m the Dominion, he also is a sound, reliable bat with past experience of English wickets to his credit.

Another Dunedin player who stands an excellent chance of inclusion m the team is Jack Dunning. A good bowler 'and a reliable batsman, he has been showing up m Dunedin club games this season. He did well m Auckland last year and also has had experience of English wickets. From those mentioned above, those likely to be m the final choice are: T. Lowry (Rangltlkel), C. S. Dempster (Wellington), M. L. Page (Christchurch), W. E. Merritt (Christchurch), J. L. Kerr (Christchurch), K. C. James (Wellington), A. Newman (Wellington), R. Blunt (Otago), H ,G. Vivian (Auckland), J. E. Mills (Auckland), J. Dunning (Otago), A. W. Roberts (Christchurch), R. O. Talbot (Christchurch), and E. D. Blundell (Wellington). There is a possibility that Allcott may get m, and also that Matheson, the Auckland fast bowlef, will be considered. Blundell may go m because of his experience on English wickets. This selection gives the team six good bowlers to choose from, and also a wealth of batting talent. The task of selecting a suitable manager for the tour is one that should not weigh heavily on those responsible. "Father" Wilson, of Wellington, or "Dan" Recce, of Christchurch, are the ideal type of man for the job. Both have given the best years of -their lives to cricket, and both are sound business men. ■ ■> It is quite on the cards, however, that neither will go, but that the Council's representative m the Old Country, H. D. Swan, will be selected to manage the tour on the other side. This already is mooted, and if the suggestion materialises, then Skipper Tom Lowry will be entrusted with i the management of the team until it reaches England. Under capable management, the above team should have its fair share of successes m England, .and, what is more, should be a happy band.