The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast limes. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1927. ON THE CRICKET MAT.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 September 1927, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast limes. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1927. ON THE CRICKET MAT.

Thi: success ul the first New Zealand jy.oven at Homo lias succeeded in placing the Dominion on the world map of cricket. The tour in Cireat Britain was a remarkable success. Of 3y matches played 14 were won, 5 were lost ami 20 were drawn or abandoned In matches against first-class counties, New Zealand won five matches, lost four, while seven were drawn or abandoned. Jt has been computed that New Zealand scored 15,120 runs in the tour for 404 wickets, while the score against the All Blacks was 14,296 runs for 597 wickets. The New Zealanders made an average of 32.59 runs per wicket, while their opponents scored 23.94 per wicket. In first-class County matches New Zealand scored 718 runs for 225 wickets, while the score against them was 6490 runs for 251 wickets. Here again New Zealanders scored an average of 31.94 runs per wicket, while the opponents notched 25.85 runs per wicket. This synopsis of the tour indicates the very excellent position attained in. the matches, and at once makes plain the justice of the praise being accorded the New Zealand players All round their debut has won praise, and they Ir.ive been credited with providing sparkling cricket, and setting a new standard of play in firstclas.s matches Fast scoring has been a feature of the tour, and this style of play has greatly enlivened the game at Home Colonel Trevor, one of the best-known journalistic authorities on cricket at Home, in writing on the opening match of the tour singled out for special praise the vigorous batting of the New Zealanders and their rapid

! scoring; and Lord Hawke, still one of ! the most notable figures in the cricket world, has gone out of his way to compliment our team on the energy and enterprise of its batsmen. He predicts that if future teams from this country can arrange for Test matches at Home a great many people will come to watch and applaud them. This suggestion is a high compliment and richly deserved. Handicapped by lack of experience, and playing under strange conditions through an abnormally wet

summer, our cricketers have done well to convince so good a judge as Colonel Trevor, that with the exception of elevens from Australia, they are the strongest all-round hatting side that has ever toured England. Not only have they nut up large totals and scored a great number of centuries between them, but by the rapidity of their scoring and the “verve and vim” that they have thrown into the game they have done a great deal to redeem the game in the public eye from the reproach of .slowness that has fallen upon it of late at Home. Members of the team are to be heartily congratulated on tlieir success. As men and athletes they have done credit to our country on and off the field, and throughout the tour they have played cricket as it should be played, in the best sporting spirit and for sheer love of the grand old national game. Cricket will receive much impetus in this country ns a result of the tour. The trip brought out a special surprise in feats performed by young Merritt, and it will not be surprising to find others of his promising ability among the rising generation who will be attracted to the game and the pastime now that it has had such a special advertisement. There will be regrets that the tour has not panned out successfully from a financial point of view. The weather at Home was a special contributing factor to that untoward result, but the shortage in cash has been more than made good ip the enhanced reputation

gained. The team upheld the name of New Zealand so well that it would not be unreasonable if the Government did something practical to appreciate tiie advertisement the country gained by the tour. Special congratulations have been conveyed to the team, and the Prime Minister might well be moved to go further in his expressions of appreciation when the final figures of the tour are disclosed. Meanwhile, there will lie expressions on all sides that New Zealand has done well, and fresh credit and renown have been brought to the Dominion by the noble bearing of her sons in the broad field of sport, at Home.