W. N. CARSON

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19454, 13 October 1937, Page 7

W. N. CARSON

CRICKET IN ENGLAND VALUABLE INNINGS NO MEAN PERFORMANCE GOOD FORTUNE MISSING (From a Special Correspondent with the Team) (By Air Mail) LONDON, Sept. 28. _ Having played only four innings in Plunket Shield cricket last season, W. N. Carson, who came from Gisborne, was young in cricket experience when he was chosen as one of those to tour England, although he had played in second-class matches for Poverty Bay, for which district he scored 119 against Taranaki in 1933-34. Despite his youth, however, there were high expectations of him, because in two of his four innings in Plunket Shield matches he scored 290 against Otago and 194 against Wellington. Nor can it be said that he failed on the tour, for lie scored 027 runs in first-class matches nl an average of 19. This in itself is no mean performance by a young player on his first tour of England. Moreover, many of his innings were highly credit table to himself and distinctly valuable to his side. Mis 85 against Surrey probably saved New Zealand from the Indignity of being behind on the first innings of the team's first match in England, for when he went to the wickets five men, were out for 94. His 80 in the second innings against Northanl? was a big factor in the tourists being able to reach a position at which the innings could be declared closed with a prospect of forcing an outright win. Hidden Merit in Scores A score of 37 against Worcester was worth more than it seemed on paper, because it was made when most of the batsmen were failing, and similarly there was more value than met the eye in his inning's of 11 and 20 against Derbyshire. A score of 22 against Middlesex also had hidden merit for, on a wicket giving the bowlers assistance, lie was the only player of the last nine who was able to reach double figures, the innings folding up after W. A. Hadlce had made 04 and H. G. Vivian 73. He was stood down against Notts. did not play in the first test, had only one innings against Norfolk, and was dismissed cheaply by very fine fastmedium bowling in both innings against Somerset. t It is very difficult for a batsman to maintain form on a tour when he is missing some matches and not having the best of luck in others and it is to the left-hander's credit that he stuck to his task well enough to make 40 against Durham, 47 against Warwickshire, 20 and 54 not out against Sir Julian Calm's eleven, in strength if not in rating a first-class side, and 54 against Hampshire. Difficult to Keep in Form

It .soon became evident that he was not enjoying the good fortune of others, and so he tended to be in and out of the side from match to match, making it very difficult for him -to attain and maintain form. Moreover, the shrewd professional bowlers of the counties played on his fondness for "chasing" a ball outside the off stump, as well as his eagerness to punish a ball the least short on the leg stump. It may easily happen that he will be a heavy scorer on the faster wickets of Australia and he will certainly again enjoy successes in New Zealand. Even on his record in England, however, he has not disgraced his home town of Gisborne or betrayed those earnest admirers who wished him high success simply because he came from one of the minor association districts of New Zealand.

That there was a place for him in the side is unquestionable, for he was always likely to make runs and he was useful as a bowler and fieldsman. At first it was intended to develop him as a leg-break bowler, but later he was allowed to use his natural style of semi-rotind-arm fastmedium attack. With this he actually achieved second place in the first-class bowling averages, taking 14 wickets at 22 runs each. Bowling: Performances

At times he was really fast. Against Minor Counties, for instance, he struck the wickets at such pace that a bail flew nearly a chain and a-half. His best bowling performances were against Glamorgan, when he look two wickets for 10 runs, and against Minor Counties, when his figures were four for 20.

Had he bowled more he might have batted better. Always a player who believed in perlect physical fitness he was not assisted in keeping down his weight by the fact that he was omitted from the team so often and so could not secure regular exercise easily.

This, however, did not interfere with his efficiency in the field. There he was a fast runner and a very safe catch. Some of his catches on the boundary were among the best on the tour. Fourteen were taken by him in first-class matches, his best game being against Minor Counties. In that match he made four, two by the sight screen and two in the slips.

lie will return lo New Zealand a better player than when he left, and one who should be prominent for many years in matches for the Plunket'Shield. 11. G. Vivian, Auckland's captain, has great faith in his future, and it is a help to a young player to be under an encouraging captain.