CRICKET.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 April 1921, Page 4

CRICKET.

[by TELEGRAPH —PER PIiESS ASSOCIATION] THE GAME IN NEW ZEALAND. AUCKLAND, April M. Vernon Hansford, captain, and Edgar Waddv, vice-captain of the Australian cricket team, in an interview, stated that cricket in New Zealand had improved since their previous visit. The New Zenli-Jud team was not at all a bad side, containing some players, who in Australia, with the practice and coaching obtainable there, could get into State teams. In Australia the eric-| ket standard was based on two esseti- ] tials—good wickets and keen schoolboys. | The wickets their team bad experienced ' on the tour were not up to the Aus- : Indian standard for first-class cricket, j though there were two or three ex- , (.-options. “Your kids play football and our kids play cricket,” commented Waddy. Hansford said he saw plenty of promising material for cricket among young New Zealanders and had not the slightest doubt that relatively the material for cricket development here was as good as in Australia, and was duly j awaiting the proper methods of develop- j ment. i Hansford and Waddy expressed the thanks of the team to the people of Now Zealand from end to end for their hospitality throughout the tour. WARNER ON THE COMING TOUR LONDON, April 15. In an article in the “Morning Post” Pelham F. Warner, writing on the Test j matches says: "Armstrong's side posseses a variety of new bowling which we are anxious to see. The stiffness of Britain’s proposition is appreciated by everyone. The Australians naturally commence the tour full ol confidence, but I refuse to be pesimistic. With Hobbs, Hearne, Hendren, Woolley, we have as fine a nucleus and need not despair of finding a bowler of the highest class amongst 45,000,000 people. I wish it had been possible to play one trial game but County cricket dominates all interests. When the Australians next visit us I trust a wider view will prevail and the county programme will bo reduced. There will he little enough time to organise a representative team before May 28th.” Warner adds tho suggestion that the selectors of a team should search outsido first class counties for bowlers. He has heard of several first-class men among the minor counties, but one of the difficulties of tho selectors is the fact that our best bowlers and wicket keepers are not’ batsmen. This is very different from the days when the attack lay in the hands of Lockwood, Hirst, Brannd, Rhodes, Jackson, Lilley. One reason of the Australians superiority is that they have no tail while ours is as long as a kangaroo’s.