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Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1687, 1 March 1913, Page 6

it behoves your publio, then, who here the game at heart, and also those who are proud of their countrymen's prowess in tlio world of Bport, to help the Cricket Council in bringing out players who will and can take their place in a world's team. New Zealanders are greatly respected in many branches of sport, viz., football, rowing, and athletics,' yet, in cricket, they have lagged behind. They have had indivdual crciketers who, perhaps, could have taken their-place in but, as an eleven, they have never been seriously considered. 'I'hiß, I believe, is going to be altered. More opportunity is to bo given to young players. They arc to be given the chance of playing against some of our best teams in Australia. Of course, this requires money, and I have no doubt that somo scheme will be formulated to bring tho. desired grist to the mill. On Visits to Australia. I am a great believer in an interchange of visits between New Zealand and Australia, and I think the best way in which tlicso visits can be brought about is for your council to arrange tho majority of matches wiTh tho Australian county districts, who have turf wickets. Such towns in New South Wales as Bathurst, Newcastle, and Albany, and in Victoria Bendi£o, Ballarat, and Stawell, would, I have no doubt, be willing to put up> guarantees for a match with your team. I should advise only one match each with Victoria and New South 'Wales,' as tho matches in the big centres do not pay. Tho Australian cricket public have D&en educated up to test match form, and, unless all tho "big guns" are playing, they are very sparse in their attendance. The pioneer visits are sure to result in a financial loss to your council, but the good resulting to your players, I feel sure, would more than compensate them for their outlay. Aro Your Plunket Shield Rules Right? Of course I do not wish to dictate to the Now Zealand cricket authorities,' but I fancy that the Plunket Shield matchcs are played under wrong conditions. Tho conditions under which Sheffield Shield matches are played in Australia scam to me a much better arrangement. Ench State—that is, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia—twice play' each other home and home matches, and the teams having tho greater number of wins at tho end of the season are holders of tho shield until the end of tho following season. It seems to me that another system would be better for New Zealand cricket, and also better as regards gate money. My idea is that Auckland and Wellington should play a home and home match, and Christchurch and Dunedin should do likewise. Tho winners of each island championship should then-play off for the shield. -In the event of a side winning a match each, a deciding match could l>a played, which would bo very interesting from a public point of view, and • would possibly swell the funds of the local association wherever tho venue would be. At tho beginning of these series (and so as to help, the weaker association's), money from the whole series could bo pooled and dividad at the end of the season, , Swat That Style. To improve tho play of yonr cricketers it- is necessary to givo them ds much first-class cricket as possible. I am conceitcd enough to think that I could select a New Zealand team, even now, which would niako a good fight with either of our Australian States, but, of course, the matches would bo required to bo played on your wickets. On our fast Australian wickets I feel certain those of your batsmen who insist on protecting their stumps with their legs would bo failures, as the ball would be upon them before they had time to get their bat there. This stylo of play, as I have said in a previous article, is not the Australian style, but quite English, and it is solely duo to the . coaching which your players have received by English professionals. I am quite prepared, however, to hear from Canterbury that W. Carlton, an Australian, is blamed for. this stylo of batting there. Well, the only thing that I can say is that he was not taught it in Australia. .Tust to bear out my argument that this kind of cricket would not pay in Australia, I might be permitted to inform your leaders that W. Carlton came ovcV from New Zealand to Melbourne last year, and is playing for North Melbourne. In tho match against our team he was adjudged l.b.w. in both innings, the pace of the wicket beating hint on both occasions. Sorely Wanted: A Few Express Bowlers. Cricket in New Zealand could bo much improved if you could unearth somo fast bowlera. They are a splendid asset to any team, but you want them of tho "express", order. They are dangerous nt times to tho batsman. In England, in 1890, I saw Mold, on a fiery wicket, take lvenny Burn's cap off and send it almost to tho wicket-keeper, who, of course, was standing back. But Britishers dearly lovo a game where there is a spic-e of danger, and the fast element adds this to tho game. What of Your Wednesday Men? One of the main suggestions for improvement in batting is good hard, fast wickets. Your pitches are too slow, and any amount of spin can be got on tho Vail by tho bowler. It seems to me that the proper soil is not used for top-dressing the wickets. Some soil of a more-binding nature should bo used, and experiments to that effect should bo made by your cricket authorities. Unless you have good hard, fast wickets, New Zealand will bo always in the background. Get tho fast wickets, and you will havo brighter cricket, faster scoring, and the players not playing tho ball so. much with tho legs. In general, I feel that cricket must go ahead in Now Zealand, especially when the Wednesday Associations aro taking such a keen interest in the game. I consider that the Saturday authorities should certainly take into consideration, when selecting representative teams, the claims of 6ome of tho best Wednesday, players.