AUSTRALIAN CRICKET

Taranaki Daily News, 23 December 1929, Page 11

AUSTRALIAN CRICKET

MR. H. TRUMBLES VIEWS., - PROSPECTS FOR NEXT TOUR. An. arrival at Wellington on the Maunganui from Sydney a few days, ago was Mr. Hugh Trumble, well known as an Australian cricketer of other days, and at present secretary of the Melbourne Cricket Club, who, with Dr. Roland Pope, another "cricket enthusiast, is spending a six weeks’ holiday in the Dominion. It will be remembered that Air. Trumble was the manager of the Alelbourne Club’s team which toured New Zealand in the 1926-27 season, and played a match against the New. Zealand, side on the eve of its departure for England. &

We - may see the AI.C.C. team play a couple of matches,” said Air. Trumble, to a Post reporter, “but we are not going to follow them round.” There is no doubt that they will prove a popular side, as they have some very attractive batsmen, particularly Duleepsinhji. We were unfortunate that we did not see Duleepsinhji at his best over in Australia.” He considered it was a pity that the tourists should he without the services of Bowley for the early part of their itinerarv.

AUSTRALIA’S TEST CANDIDATES.

Mr. Trumble had some interesting observations to make on the recent “lest trial at Sydney. The match, he said, was long drawn out, and was not taken altogether seriously. Nor could the match be taken as important as regards the final selection of the team for Eng, land, as form in the Sheffield Shield matches has yet to be considered. “Jackson and Bradman,” he said, “both played magnificent innings, and they are men who are likely to go well in England. Jackson played a really wonderful innings. Bradman, though very good, has not the same style. Kip- • pax also played a very fine ‘innings.” .He bore out what has been said pre-, viously of the undoubted strength of the present-day Australian • batsmen. Woodfull was at his best, and Ponsford had recovered from the injury which put him out of the game last season. BOWLING A PUZZLE. The Austialian selectors were goiu nr to have a puzzle in finding bowlers up to the required standard, said Mr. Trumble. Mailey having dropped out of the game, the only slow bowler in view at the moriient was Grimmett, who was bowling very well. "It will be impossible to leave out Blaekie, for all his 47 years,' 3 he said. “He-is a wonderfully preserved man, and keeps himself very fit.” - - Wall and Alexander appeared to be the best of the fast bowlers in the Australian game. ■ Alexander, he said, was the fastest man offering, but he “was .still a bit green/’ although it was -likely that he would improve with further experience. Wall could hardly be’ called a really fast bowler, but he was a great trier. In the trial match, Hornibrook. a left-hander, had bowled well, and none had done better than Oxenham. Oxenham mixed his deliveries skilfully, and was also a trier all the way. FIELDING NEEDS SHARPENING. The second wicketkeeper for the touring team would probably be Walker, who had shown-good form in the trial match, and was also a batsman of no mean ability.-■ He was another who should improve with further play in first-class company. . “ “Our fielding,” said Nir. Trumble, “needs sharpen ing-up. It is weak in the’ slips, where Gregory is missed, and at cover-point, where there appears to be no one to take the place of Tommy Andrews.” The. team woi’d almost certainly .contain a preponderance of young players, and the captaincy was mo‘st likely to be entrusted, to Ryder; Mr. Trumble felt that it was to be regretted that Australia had not adopted the larger wickets for this season. There was nd doubt that the innovation had . come -'En'glaml. —