PICKING OF N.Z. TEAM DELAYED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18062, 24 January 1927, Page 11

PICKING OF N.Z. TEAM DELAYED.

COUNCIL AGREES TO REQUEST OF SELECTORS. The Selection Committee for the New ‘Zealand Cricket Council have requested the Alanagement Committee of the ..New Zealand Cricket Council to agree pto the postponement of the selection of ''the eight players. To this the .Management Committee have agreed, Uand the following telegram has been teent to Air W. R. Patrick, convener of k tthe Selection Committee, who is at •present in Auckland:— The committee accedes to your request to delay the picking of the first eight. As the Wellington match against Alelbournc is not until February 25, we do not think you can delay the final selection later than the Auckland-Alelbourne match on February 7. This would also give you the Canterbury-Otago match. Wire selectors’ opinion. 31 was the council’s original intention that eight players should be chosen after the final of the Idunket Shield which is at present in progress in Auckland. It now appears that the whole team will be chosen at the same time, that is after the Alelboume Club’s first game in Auckland, and also after the Canterbury-Otago Plunket Shield match, which commences at Dunedin on February A WILL ROWNTREE BE NEW ZEALAND’S WICKET-KEEPER? The “ Star’s” cricket correspondent writes:—The wicket-keeping of R. W. Rowntree in the present match, Auckland v. Wellington, for the final of the Plunket Shield, must surely have convinced the .selectors that lie is the man for the position of first wicket-keeper in the New Zealand team that is shortly going Home. On the first day of the match he disposed of Worker and Badcock- with catches behind the wick* ets, and he stumped Hollings. On Saturday he caught Iliddleston and Worker, so that out of the thirteen Wellington wickets which had fallen up to Saturday night, Rowntree had aecouted for five of them. This is no mean feat. T. C. Lowry and K. James are two younger wicket-keepers both in the running, but as either of them is good enough to get in as a batsman, it looks any odds that both these players, as well as Rowntree, will be included in the side. NEW ZEALAND CRICKETERS MAY BE VACCINATED. Tn view of the influenza epidemic which is raging on the other side of the globe, it is probable that the Alanagement Committee of the New Zealand Cricket Council will arrange for the vaccination of all members of the New Zealand team before they leave for their tour of England in April.