MISREPORTED.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 March 1923, Page 1

MISREPORTED.

A. C. Al ACL AREN’S LETTER. Cl IRIKTCH ITRCH, Alarei. 15 Air J. S. Barrett, chairman of the ALinageineuf Committee of the New Zealand Cricket Council, writes as follows to the “Press”.:- —“I enclose a copy of it letter which J have received to-day from Air A. -C. AlaeLaren. and which, I think, confirms the idea that we had here that he was not capable of showing the discourtesy that the Press attributed ,to him. As a furtiici example of the inaccuracy of the reporting, I can only say that I have never made use of the statement which is contained in the first sentence of Alr AlacLaren’s letter. ATr AlaeLaren’s letter to Barrett reads as follows: The pajiors say you ‘consul- :• it .poor taste on my part to rental k Hud in must of the secondary game. players hr e no time for real praethe and w. ve out for a good holiday not, metaphorically speaking, minding which end of the bat they took bold of.’ Knowing how often sentences are unwillingly slightly twisted, i give you the credit for being mistiuotocl. •In all my interviews 1 expressly asked the reporters to say nothing lo In :*t anyone; that there were soni" real g id batsmen in New Zealand; that y i were unlucky in finding two very i) ,t wickets at Wellington, most suited to our bowlers and hatsmeii: that v. had met many real 'toed .spi.rl-im ii harking cricket; that the players themselves played good., clean cricket; that a tour in England would give them ' 1

experience they wanted ; and that I felt sme thov would beat quite a fair number of counties.

“1 most certainly do think that you people made an. error of judgment in curtailing our Australian programme. You were out in your reckoning m i he value '9 the gates in tie lest matches, and in ia\ opinion we must have got you in much more money in Australia, as 1 told vou before the first test.

“I have said everything possible to assist you cricket people in New Zealand on all occasions. You must not blame mo if the reporters don': quote all I say in your favour. I will alwrvs remember you good fellows who did so murh for us. Tf 1 ran help your boys in England it will he vtli the greatest pleasure, if ever (hey ■■ me along, as T hope thev will, ft has worried me a

lot not lo I;o able t.i ::ke rv pi' >' cm side since AA'ellington. and I a u very sorry, from your point of view, that tnv knee lias pi'-vvuted my playing more. 1 have sc ‘lr Man MaeC rmiek hero, and. had X-ray p’ie J 'os of the knee. He says T should not ole v, as fluid is sur tv ir on a y strain keiii": nut on Ika