THE CANTERBURY CRICKET TEAM.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11492, 27 January 1903, Page 4

THE CANTERBURY CRICKET TEAM.

The approaching match between Canterbury and Lord Hawke's team is the most important event in local cricket history lor a number of years—one may almost say since the visit of Shrewsbury and Lillywhite's team in 1889 —and unusual interest has been taken in the selection of the Canterbury eleven. The team, as finally chosen, in published in thie issue, and W© must congratulate Air Wheatley, the selector, on the excellence of hie work. There will, of course, be a number of critics of tlie team, who will object to the inclusion of this, that, or the other man, and who will urge, with the customary vehemence, that So-and-So should have been picked in his place. But we believe the general verdict of cricketers, past and present, will be f that the eleven, as a whole, is a thoroughly representative one. Neither alone a batting nor a bowling team, it is a good mixture of the strength of the local clubs in these two departments of tlie game, it includes the beet wicket-keeper, when in form, in the colony, and certainly the 'best fieldsman in the province. Several of the men chosen for their batting are useful change bowlers, and each of the principal bowlers can be depended upon, ac a rule, to make some runs, a consideration "which no doubt influenced the selector in rejecting the otherwise good claims of Howell to be included ac a bowler. The match will give an impetus to cricket in Christchurch, which should bew good fruit. We trust the first result of theselection of the team will be that the men chosen will be -diligent and earnest at practice, so that our visitors may have to play their best to win.