INTERVIEW WITH THE CAPTAIN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7605, 15 January 1903, Page 3

INTERVIEW WITH THE CAPTAIN.

THE VISITORS' YTKWS OP NEW ZEALAND CRICKET. [FKOM O,UK CoßßiiSl'ONi)i.NT.j WELLINGTON, Jan. 15. Interviewed 'by a lepresenliuive of tho Dunedin " Star,' who is touring tho Xoith Island with the English cricketers, Warner said that ti:e 'best ground the team had yet played on was the Auckland Domain, and the 'best Avickct that at Napier ; but Napier's ground was ridiculously ssmall, especiaily for straight drives, it was hardly lair to judge a, cricketer by a single mat civ, but Hay, of Auckland, struck the team ay tha best batsman, and ■McCarthy, of 'Huwera, as tho best bowler they had m<it. The latter seemed to have .more possibilities than anyone else. Lusk was a fair bowler who curled in the air, and to get three men out in ten overs, which he did ax, Napier, was a good performance. Marshall, of Wangaimi, seemed to be a likely man i'or the Now Zealand representative team. If Trott could get leave from, the Hawke's Bay Association he would accompany the Englishmen to Australia, and play at Sydney and Melbourne, in which case Whatman would remain in tho colony and' join [Lea t bam' in a deer-stalking expedition. The main fault with th& cricket, so far as he tad seen it in the colony, was the failure of captains to improve the disposition of the field to me*t the batsmen's strokes. Cricket, too, would ba givatly improved I>y tho engagement during the oil' season at 'Home of two or three professional bowler-s. Three memibers of the team were acting as Press correspondents, namely — Johnson, •for the "Sporting Life;" Hargreavo, for tho "Athk-tio News" (Manchester); and Warner, for the '' Sportsman." Warner waa also compiling an illustrated book on cricket in Maoriland, which would be published by Longman's. Tho visitors had been treated' most hospitably everywhere, and desired 1 especially to thank Sir Joseph fWar<l for concessions not only to the team, 'but in providing excursion fares so as to enable people to witness the matches. They also highly appreciated fclio invitation received from Major Wardift asking the team to become guests of the Melbourne Cricket Club for a few days whether they played in Melbourne or not! While realising that only the weakest teams ihad been m<?t so far. the Englishmen were -disappointed -with the cricket aeen, particularly that at Auckland. It has been -decided that <he team shall travel overland from' Nelson to Greymouth.