FINE PLAYERS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 134, 3 December 1929, Page 12

FINE PLAYERS

M.C.C. TOURISTS

ADVANCE PARTY ARRIVES

'NO SITTING ON THE BAT'

The advaiue party of the M.C.C. team for the New Zealand tour which arrived in Wellington to-day by the Marama from Sydney includes Frank Woolley, one of the greatest left-hand players 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 by their three-year-old daughter, indicated today that they had been keenly looking forward to the trip to New Zealand. Other members of the M.C.C. team to arrive to-day were E. H. Bowley and W. Cornford, the latter also visiting New Zealand for the first time. Bowley is well known here as a former coach to the Auckland Cricket Association, and he comes to the 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 ease 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. tourine 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 "Tieh " is a wicket-keeper of outstanding ability, end it has been said of him that on his day he hds no equal in England, lhe visitors were met by Mr P B Broad chairman of the Wellington Cricket Association, Mr. A. Varney (secretary), and others 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 or. the team in order to have a brief spell before the matches here. Bowlev 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 and he leaves by the Limited express to-morrow night. He will therefore not be available for the match with Wellington, commencing on Friday week. J

A TREAT IN STOKE. 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 the matter of injuries and sickness. In no match in Australia had the team been at full strength. "It was just bad luck " he said, "but if he 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 the players would be able to give of I their best in the New Zealand engaeements. s h

There was no doubt about the side being a good one all round, said Bowley. It was very strong in batting and it had four fast-medium bowlers jNiehols, in fact, being a fast bowler, and Allom, Barrett, and Worthington of the fast-medium type. Woolley Dulccpsmhji, Nichols, Turnbull, and Gilhgan were all showing form with the bat; and Dawson had indicated at bydney that he was striking form Bowley regretted that he had been able to bat in only one match in Australia—that against Western Australia. It was a great disappointment to h™ t° have to retire from the match at bydney, where the wicket was such a good one for the batsmen. Woolley in spite of the effects of a nasty smack on the chest during the match at Adelaide, had made a double-century in Sydney, and if he and Duleepsinhii got going m New Zealand there would be a rare treat for followers of the game here. Woolley and Duleepsinhji 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 the bat. They hoped to give a really goocl account of themselves in New Zealand it was unfortunate that in Australia the weather had upset them to a certain extent, the wickets being hard one day and slow the next.

AUSTRALIA'S PROBLEM. W. Cornford, who received a nasty gash over the eye in the Melbourne match, has recovered from his injury and looks to be fit and well for the -job which ho has on1 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 makincr useful scores. From what he had seen of cricket in Australia, he considered that the Australian selectors were faced with a problem in finding bowlers 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 Blaekie bowled as well as anybody against the M.C.C. team. j 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." With regard to the team of which he was a member, he said that it was a fairly solid side. "You will find that when they get a start they will all play bright cricket," he said. "They are a young side, and you will find that they arc a fine lot of fellows. While they [are anxious to see as much as they can ,of New Zealand, they are coming to do I the best they can to help your cricket here and also to play good sporting cricket." Duleepsinhji, he said, wai ! batting well and giving samples of his true form, and Turnbull played a very fine inn mgs at Sydney, as did Bowlev i Vll " WoUld be a &reat handicap _to the team in being without the isorviccs ot Bowley throughout the early part ol the New Zealand tour. Vtoolley expected that Legge would make a lot of runs out herff beTne: a very pretty player with plenty of g O ff shots Dawson was another young mem . her of the team who should get plent T ot runs. Both Barratt and Allorn hi.d has done, very well in Anstralv a _?£ it T a,"^ e reall-r an«cipato d "he added "With just a bit of "luck on i match" V° Sll°Uld nOt h3VO ]"»t a As to Australia's prospect/ 3 f or «.„ next v.s,t to England, Wo, that there were great possibilities in batting, but up to the present there ar, peared to bo nothing ou'tstandTn. L !bow], Bg The Australian,; should" be ;he considered, a brilliant fieidint' -ide Great confidence was b-sin" X C ed in | several of the young T o atsmen but it was just a question as 'to whether they would be as good on ?t3nglish wickets Woolley rather fancied, that they would ; have to alter their ,< jt yle a good deal, and that would I, e a handicap. He made special nienti O n of Jackson and ■Bradman as young, batsmen, and considered that Wall -would probably be

the fast bowler, while- it looked as though Elackie, although 49 years of age, would have to be the mediumpace bowler.