SHOULD DO WELL.

North Otago Times, Volume CVII, Issue 17166, 24 March 1927, Page 2

SHOULD DO WELL.

NEW ZEALAND TEAM. j I VISITING CRIKETERS' RlliH 5TIGII PRAISE. The test match confirmed my opinion that New Zealand: will do wonderfully well in England," said Mr Warwick Armstrong, the famous Australian cricketer, who is tcaptaining the Melbourne side on their present tour, to a reporter. "They fought a great uphill fight,, and turned an almost certain defqat into a moral victory. The team will win many more matches than they will lose. "I have not yet had a proper chance to sum up the whole strength of the team, especially the howling strength, but I should say that there is the nucleus of a good attack, The stock bowlers were very steady in the test, and Merritt and Blunt were first-class as changes. I was very amused with the crowd to-night. They are a good sporting crowd, and I would have liked to stay in (longer and had some more fun ,with them. It was impossible to give them an exhibh tion of hatting at that stage of the game, when there was no chance of getting the runs and a fair chance of being all out with a big dcficiency. The Melbourne second' in nings was disappointing, but the men had a hig spell of fielding, and the fourth innings is not the best of the match for putting up a big total. One or two of us were not fe-eling too fit, and it was unfortunate that Jewell, usually an opening batsman and a good scores, was unable to bat owing to the state of his hands after keeping wickets. In Wellington we will meet the true New Zealand team, and I will be able to make a better estimate of their form."

Mr Hugh Trumble, the team's manager, was also very confident that tlie New Zealanders would do well in their English tour. Blunt, he said, was a star bat and would score any amount of runs. He was much impressed with the batting of Mills, though he had not stayed iii long in the test, "He has a beautiful style," said Mr Tumble, "and will do very well at Home. He has not come off against us, but the condtions in England, when the men will be playing more criclcet than they would for a season here, will be such that a man will be able to get on to his game, and a poor score to stat with will not mstke any differance to his tour. "The trip will put New Zealand 'on the cricket map, and, with the men that are going, will do the country an immense amount of good in other ways as well. I see that some of the men are prominent footballers as well as cricketers, and1 that is a good thing, as it shows that they have the temp»erament for games. - "You have good sound batsmen in Page;, James, Oliver, Dacre and, of course. Blunt, and the tail showed that they can be depended on for runs. Cunningham is a good stock bowler, and Merrit showed great fbrm,- though in the second innings, when the batsmen were refusing to hit- it was hafd for him to get wickets. Blunt is another great slow bowder, but it would be as well to keep him a little in the ,dark as a bowler, and spring him as a'surprise change. "The great thing is that the team are all young, and their cricket is yet in tiae making; Some of them will come home great players, and they will be an immense help to the game in New Zealand."