CRICKET

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 72, Issue 291, 7 December 1929, Page 6

CRICKET

FINE PLAYERS M.C.C. TOURISTS ADVANCE PARTY ARRIVES Tho advance party of tho M.C.C. team for tho New Zealand tour which arrived in Wellington on Tuesday by the Marania from Sydney includes Frank Woolley, one of the greatest left-hand playc’r s that cricket has ever produced. Although he has made several tours to Australia, Woolley is paying his first visit to New Zealand, and both he and his wife, who are accompanied bp their three-year-old daughter, indicated that they had been keenly looking forward to the trip to New Zealand.

Other members of the M.C.C. team to arrive were E. I£. Bowley and W. Cornford, tho latter also visiting New Zealand for the first time. Bowley is well known here as a former coacli to th 0 Auckland Cricket Association, and he comes to tho Dominion on this occasion with the distinction of having represented England in Tests—a distinction regarded by many English cricketers as being long overdue in the case of this player, who has been performing exceptionally well in English county cricket for a number of years. Woolley and Bowley were two of the members of the M.C.C. touring team to play in the recent Tests with South Africa, but Woolley, of course, has long since been a Test match player. Cornford, the smallest member of the touring team and known as ‘ ‘ Tich, ’ ’ is a wicket-keeper of outstanding ability, and it has been said of him that on his day he has no equal in England. The visitors were met by Mr I’. B. Broad, chairman of the Wellington Cricket Association, Mr A. Varney (secretary), and other members, as well as a number of local players and enthusiasts. All three visiting cricketers were affected by sickness or injury in Australia, and . have come across ahead of th e team in order to have a brief spell before th e matches here. Bowley, who is suffering from neuritis, will probably require special treatment, and was examined by a specialist soon after his arrival. Bowley was advised to go to Rotorua for three weeks’ treatment. H e will therefore not be available for the match with Wellingon, commencing on Friday. A Treat in Store. The ex-Auckland coach said that the team had not been able to do itself justice in Australia owing to the exceptional run of bad luck in th e matter of injuries and sickness. In no match in Australia had the team been at full strength. “It was just bad luck,” b c said, “but if we had had a full side, we might have scrambled through without a reverse.” Most of those who had been affected were now getting over their ailments, and it was hoped that tho players would bc abl e to give of their best in the New Zealand engagements.

There was no duubt about the side being a good one all round, said Bowley. It was very strong in batting, and it had four fast-medium bowlers, Nichols, in fact, being a fast bowler, and AUom, Barrett, and Worthington, of the fast-medium typo. Woolley, Dulcepsinhji, Nichols, Turnbull, and Gilligan were all showing form with the bat, and Dawson had indicated at Sydney that h c wa s striking form. Bowley regretted that he had been able to hat in only one match in Australia—that against Western Australia. It was a great disappointment to him to have to retire from the match at Sydney, where the wicket was such a good one for the batsmen. Woolley, in spite of the effects of a nasty smack on tho chest during the match at Adelaide, had macle a double-century in Sydney, and if he and Dulcepsinhji got going in New Zealand there would be a rare treat for followers of the game here. Woolley and Dulcepsinhji were the two finest batsmen in England to watch. The team as a whole, he considered, would play bright 'cricket, and there would be no sitting on tho bat. They hoped to give a really good account of themselves in New Zealand. It was unfortunate that in Australia the weather had upset them to a certain extent, the wickets being fiard one day and slow the next. Australia’s Problem. W. Cornford, who received a nasty gash over the eye in tho Melbourne match, has recovered from his injury, and look s to be fit and well for the job which ho has on hand behind the stumps, and he has been well prepared for it in having to stand up to Maurice Tate and company in the Sussex team. He is also a capable bat, often making useful scores. From what he had seen of cricket in Australia, he considered that the Australian selectors were faced with a problem in finding bowler s for the team to meet England in the next Tests Of the fast type Wall was about the most impressive. Bowley also agreed with this view, and added that Don Blackie bowled as well a s anybody against the M.C.C. team. Woolley Interviewed.

“I have always been very anxious to come to New Zealand; in fact, it has been my ambition,” remarked Frank Woolley to a Post reporter, “and I am delighted to be here now.” W’ith regard to the team of which he was a member, he said that it was a fairly solid side.

“Lou will find that when they get a start they will all play bright cricket,” hc said. “They are a young side, and you will find that they are a fine lot of fellows. Whil G they arc anxious to see as much as they can of New Zealand, they are coming to do th 0 best they can to help your cricket.” Dulcepsinhji, he said, was batting w.ell and-giving samples of his true form, and Turnbull played a very fine inning s . at Sydney, as did Bowley at Perth. It would E a great handicap to the team in being without the services of Bowley throughout the early part of the New Zealand tour. Woolley expected that Legge would make a lot of runs out here, being a very pretty player with plenty of offshots. Dawson was another young mem-

ber of the team who should get plenty of runs. Both Barratt and Allom had bowled very well in Australia, as also had Worthington—they had stuck it out very well. Nichols, with Barratt, would provide the fast bowling, Allom and Worthington supporting with medium paced deliveries. “I think the team has done very well in Australia—far better than we really anticipated,” he added. “With just a bit of luck on our side we should not hav e lost a match.” As to Australia’s prospects for the next visit to England, Woolley said that there were great possibilities in batting, but up to the present there appeared to be nothing outstanding in bowling. The Australians should be, he considered a brilliant fielding side. Great confidence was being placed in several of the young batsmen but it was just a question as to whetner they would be a« good on English wickets. Woolley rather fancied that they would have to alter their style a good deal, and that would bo a handicap. He inad G special mention of Jackson and Bradman as young batsmen, and considered that Wall would probably be the fast bowler, while it looked as though Blackie, although 49 years of age, would have to be tho mediumpace bowler.