CRICKET

Hokitika Guardian, 24 May 1932, Page 2

CRICKET

MARYLEBONE C.C. TOUR. SLIGHT TO NEW ZEALAND. (Australian Press Association) MELBOURNE, May 22. Dr Robertson, chairman of the Australian Board of Cricket Control, declares the London “News-Chronicle’s” report of Mnrylebone Club’s negotiations witii the Australian Board regarding, the extension of the English team’s tour to New Zealand, is so full ol inaccuracies tiiat it would take a."week to explain, and lie is too busy to spend that time. lie declined to give an outline of what happened on the occasion of the visit of the New Zealand representative or to indicate whether there was any likelihood of an alteration in the itinerary. Dr Robertson said lie had not heard of a suggestion that the return match at Perth should be omitted.

THE HISTORY OF. THE TROUBLE

NO COMMENT FORTHCOMING

CHRISTCHURCH, May 23. Tho; Now Zealand cricket officials decline to comment concerning the controversy over the M.C.C. tour. Their attitude, it is believed, is to avoid adding fuel to the lire. Tile TifStory of the trouble dates back to the Now Zealand team’s tony of England last winter. Mr A. T. Donnelly, who was then chairman of the management committee of tlio New Zealand Cricket Council, accompanied the team on part ol its tour, and took the opportunity to make representations to the Mav.vlebone Cricket Club that English teams visiting Australia should have their programmes extended to include a visit to New Zealand. The Marylebone Cricket Cub, impressed with the representations, passed these on to the Australian Boa/rd of Control suggesting that the tour of the English team this summer should be extended to New Zealand.

Early in January, Mr Winsor, representing the New Zealand Cricket Council, waited on the Australian Board of Control in Melbourne, arid placed a request along these lines before the Board. “The -“News-Chronicle” says that at that meeting Mir Winsor was given only a few minutes to state his case, being “most rudely received.” This is the first published statement of the nature of the proceedings at that conference. The only other statement relating to the inside story of the meeting published was one in the “Christchurch Sun” a. few days after the meeting, but it related to another subject that was discussed at the same meeting—the question of making arrangements for tbe South African team to finish its programme in Australia jn time to leave Sydney for New Zealand op February 10. Mr Winsor is ilie only man in Christchurch who knows what really happened there, but; he ha s made no pyblie statement since his return, and declined to discuss tho questhvp today.

it is known, however, that the Australian Board of Control Was certainly pot pacifionly disposed toward the request for an extension of the Engish tour, in fact, subsequently refused to agree to it, though the M.C.C. has •since insisted that the tour should be extended to include New Zealand. Whether, however, Mr Winsor was just formally received by the Australian Board of Control, allowed to state his case, and then told that a decision would be communicated to him in the way that deputations are often received or whether the Australian Board of Control entered into a full and sympathetic discussion of the subject with

him in a spirit of wilingness to co-op-erate, or whether the Australian Board of Control told him off-hand that a decision had already been made and that he could read it in the newspapers, as the cabled story suggests, is a point on which it is impossible to get, anything like definite and authentic information.