"The Piunder" First.

Southland Times, Issue 9389, 1 December 1886, Page 2

"The Piunder" First.

The English cricketera are greatly diesatifcfied with the terms ottered their eieveu to visit New Zealand, and ac will be seen from the subjoined letter, received by Mr A. M. Beale, of the Auckland Cricket Association, the trip has been abandoned : — "Oxford Hotel, Sjdnev. November 18, 1886. Dear Sir,— Oa reaching Melbourne, I examined the condition of the diffyrent clubs of New Zealand, with regard to a visit of the English cricketers ; and finding they were quite out of the question, immediately abaadoaed the idea. Wellington, only offered anything like fair termß, and they are as liheral as the others are the reverse. With the time we should waste to play four or five matches^ In New Zoaland, we can make double in the country places of N.S.VV and Victoria. Unless far better terms can be offered in the future, lam afraid it will be a long time before much English cricket is seen in New Zealaod. Yon will find the Australian Eleven a good Jot, and of course you can make far better arrangements with them, they being so near home, tbaa you could expect to do with as, who come all the way from England. Our team very much wished to visit you, but it is oat of the question on such conditions. Why on earth they should want twice as much as the Melbourne and Sydney people I cannot imagine. I Bhould have thought they would have welcomed the Eaglißh team to New Zealand without any share of the plunder, if only to improve their cricket, as the visits to Australia improved Australian cricket in such a marked manner • but your authorities think otherwise, and by; such heavy blackmail have pat the veto on our visit. I should have very much enjoyed spending February in Now Zealand to escape the great heat here, but the inducement will not do. Trusting at some future time .your clubs in New Zealand wjll look at the mattej: more of our way of thinking.— l am,&c, James Lillywhite."