CLEM HILL.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 23 August 1926, Page 7

CLEM HILL.

THREEFOLD JOB CREATES TROUBLE. The following is by special cable from J. G. Bridges, “Smith’s” correspondent with the Australian cricket team : Clem Hull occupies a peculiar position this tour, playing three parts. He is a member of the Board of Control, one of the selectors of the team, and a journalist! An ordinary man would find it difficult to steer a safo course between them, but not so Hill. • After helping select the Australian team he accepted offers to become their critic for Australian and English newspapers. . .. Questions wore raised immediately as to whether he was acting within his rights as a member of the Board of Control, which debars members' of the team from writing to the Press. It was suggested that in any event lie was displaying questionable taste in doing so. Anyway, Hill came to England, not as a member of the board, but as a, pressman. As such he joined “The noble band of British journalists,” as S yd. Smith describes the New Press team. ONE IN, ALL IN The Board of Control made strict rules in regard to pressmen, the most important being one which debars them from entering tlio dressing-room of the players. The Australian journalists, wondering whether the rule would apply to all pressmen, questioned Mr Smith early in the tour on the subject. He replied that the rule would be rigidly’ carried out, and that not even Hill, a member of the Board of Con. trol, would be excepted. Neverthe’ess, it was not very long before we had the improper and annoying spectacle of Hill reporting a. Test match from the Australians’ dressing room. Some of the players were most hitter about it. Hill is not exactly popular with many of them, and more than that, they regard him as a pressman who should have respected the rule made by the board of which ho is ai member. “It is not cricket,” remarked one player. The other pressmen, realising that the rule had gone by the board, now enter the dressing-rooms unchaTongcd, hut they do not report Test matches from them.

It will be up to the Board to make more rules before the next tour.