M.C.C. 1940-41 TOUR

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 131, 19 June 1937, Page 17

M.C.C. 1940-41 TOUR

BRISBANE MAY LOSE ITS TEST MELBGURNE'S BIG GATES BQARD OF CO.NTROL MATTEB Ther.e is a danger of Queensland losing' its cricket' Test ip tlie next Eriglish tour jn 1940-41, WF&P? J* Dayis in the Sydney Referee. ' It is no idle phantasy. ff it happeris it will be a hard hipw tp Queensland. The matter was definitely outlined as a probability sonie m°nths ago and was discussed §t the lylelbourne Test fipai. whcre ^icketing people of all shades fr.om ali parts pf . the Commonwealth ass.embled. England is deeply interested in tlie financial gide. Qth^r .States, foo, besrdes Queensland, haye their financiai interest. ft is no>v mentioned in London that the bmission pf Brisbane ass a Test centre will he d.etermined wken 3England and Australia confer iii i9oS wbile the Anstralians are over there. With every respect to England, and the Views Of their financial magriates in thp game, this oiighf not to be determinefl hy Engli^h opinion. The Brisbane playing field is perfe.ct. Fngland's share of the gates on the lasf tour w^s £42t00p oJd. Rnglish offlcial vigws vvill receive yery 'careful and cpurtepus consideration, as those of Australia received when a suggestion \vas made from this pnd relative to a change, in Engfish Test grounds. The matter should bo decided by the B.oard of Control, and I befieve will be. so decided. jQther-angles besides that of finance have tq be examincd, They are, at least, as vital as the money side. On tfie next tour, if the usual arrangements be car ried out, and Brisbane has a Tpst, Melbpurne, ' in its 'turn will lpgp pnp. At Brigbafie last sea.spn ff 0,?23 was taken in fivp days. In thve fwo l^elb.ourne- Tpsts the amount taken was f51,0tjQ! When %lbourne .had two Tegtg pight ysFs ago, "439,00.0* wag tak.en, wfipfea? the Brisbane Test pfpduced £7495. Wfiere Loiss is 'Felt The^p figtftes sbpw a d.efimtp loss tp the States pnd to England by playing th.e match in Brigbarie. It gly.es an argumentative for.ce dynamic and hard to sliake. It is almost 10 years since Queensland gsked for an occasjonal Test in Brigbane, instead of the custqmary Australian VI match. Wh.en the reque§t was met and the first T.est was played ag.ainst A. P. E. Chapman's team pn tlie Exhibition Ground, it was plear that pnless the Queensland As* Spci.atiqn madg up its mljid rigifiiy to buii'd iip its owh ground, ifistead of depenfling on a geheral sports ground oyer which it had no jurisdicfipn or infiuence, the main object of playing U Test in Brisbane would be frustrated. Queensland needed a home for cricket. / Tbe Queensland Assocjation came to a similar conclusion. Hence the secpnd Test there against D. R. Jardine's team was played on the Brisbane Cricket Grpund at Woolleongabba. in the meantirne, Tests were played on that area against Sopth Africa and the West Indies. Eqpals ln World The immediate outcome was that the ground gaiped prestige it had never before held. It was graduaily improved by the trustees and the association. Thp playing field and wichet are as fit fpr Tegt cricket as any in the world. But accommodation for the public, though vastly improved, is still far short of Test necessities. Howeyer, tfie autfiorities in Brisbane, headed by Mr". J. S. Hutcheon, presifient, have done a lot in this direction. They prpmise to do much more. They have, perhaps, been slow to grasp the bigger ideas, and to sense the need fpr fifiancing irpprpvements without waitipg for the years to pass. They have also been hampered by a too-localised feeling or outlook. This has led to pin-pricks. The result is that many who travel from the south to Brisbane come away feeling that Brisbane capnot yet provide the true setting for. a Test against England. In placing these aspects and facts before the publip repders are left to form their pwn convictions. It is to be hoped the settlement will hOt be determmed solely on hard finance, There is more in it than that. International, intercolonial, and in-: terstate cricket flourished very many years with magnificent players ' afleld, long before the era of five-figure gates. When Andrew Stoddart's wonderful teams were out here 40 years ago, £3000 wgs gopd mopey for a Test, Queensland's cricket authorities have something to fighf for, They have to make their State in the cricketing sense, worthy pf the Test. If the writer were a Queenslander, living in Brisbane, he weuld mge keen, unceasing effort to build up their internal cricket to a high standard, to create a hearty sporting feeling between the ofiicials and the players, and to huild an expansive doubledeqked stand, providing fitting accommodation for members, players and the public. These thlngs would very shortly radiate tfieir benefits, and enhance the prestige of the State in the game.

Bradman's Other Sport. An effort was made to get Don Bradman interested in baseball in Adelaide this season. With his eye and accurate throwing it was contended that he could have been an Australian champion as batter and baseman. But Bradman is. satisfied with golf, and he plays regularly at Wount Osmond in the Adelaide hills. Mrs. Bradman plays, too. Recently in Ihe Mount Osmond mixod Canadian 1 Dursomes Bradman and his wife put up a good performance with a 7iet 71.