N.Z. CRICKETERS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 264, 6 November 1937, Page 4

N.Z. CRICKETERS

THREE FINDS IN N.Z. TEAM MRS. TINDILL’S VIEW “The three ‘finds’ of the tour were undoubtedly Donnelly, Cowie and Wallace,” said Mrs. M. T. Tindill, who returned by the Orion recently, referring to the performances of the Dominion cricketers, whose English tour has just concluded, and who are to play several matches in Australia before returning home. Mrs. Tindill is th? wife of E. W. Tindill, of Wellington, who is the wicket-keeper of the team. She is returning to Wellington, and she left her husband in Australia. She said that though she had not seen all the matches, she had seen a good many, and when she spoke about Donnelly, Cowie and Wallace she was voicing not only her own opinion, but that of the team officials and of the public in England as well. The English public, she said, had been enthusiastic about Wallace's style; he was vigorous yet safe, and it had been said of him that he had a great future. The tour had improved him, matured him, bettered his judgment, and had taught him the need for control. Wallace, she said, previously had given the impression of being in a hurry to become aggressive against the bowling. He had found tnat he could not always do that, and the lesson had been good for him, because, while it had not spoiled a natural style, or perhaps batting temperament, it had made him make haste more slowly. There was no doubt, though, that he had more finish to his shots. The inclusion of the Taranaki colt, M. P. Donnelly, she said, had been a surprise to the Dominion, but he had made good. Though she did not presume to know a great deal about the game, she said that the inclusion of the 19-year-old lad had shown the wisdom of taking a young team away. Donnelly, she said, had justified his choice, both in his batting and his fielding—it was his fielding that had helped to put him in the team in the first place—and New Zealand would reap years of benefit. Comment on Cowie. As for Cowie, she said that doubtless the cables had told New Zealand cricketers practically as much as she knew of the Auckland bowler's success. He certainly had leapt into the limelight and had stayed there. His physique had been a thing to marvel at. It was nothing lor him to bowl most of the afternoon, and yet his deliveries were as accurate at the finish of the day as they had been at the beginning. Those who remembered Cowie by his performances on Eden Park, she said, would have been amazed to have seen him in England. Though she was from Wellington, she knew that Eden Park was not a good wicket for med-ium-fast bowlers. They did not seem to be able to get any pace off the wicket. Cowie had been no exception to this; and yet in England one of the features of his bowling had been the speed from the pitch. He was difficult to attack, she said, and for that "reason hard to score off. Thus his value had been two-fold. Not only had he been successful in getting wickets, but he had also succeeded in keeping the batsmen quiet. The Team Generally. Speaking generally of the team, she said that their form had been, if anything, better than expected. The English authorities had stated that it was one of the best teams the Dominion had sent away. The general standard of play had improved with the progress of the tour. Another factor, too, was that the team had been fortunate with the weather. The summer had been a fine one, and, taking everything into consideration, not many matches had had to be abandoned on account of rain. * In other ways the team members had made themselves popular. They had been a credit to the Dominion, she said, both on and off the field, and they would leave a great many friends behind them.