INSIDE STORY OF N.Z. CRICKET TOUR

NZ Truth, Issue 1148, 1 December 1927, Page 1

INSIDE STORY OF N.Z. CRICKET TOUR

High- Handed Treatment While Abroad

Some Pertinent Questioiis

HPHB team as a team 'has been paid * many .high compliments for its ex-

cellent showing, and several of the members have been sorted out for special mention.

"N.Z. Truth" has recognized the merit of the team's performance and — with a knowledge of certain facts which have so far not been dis-

closed to the general^ public — has good reason to repeat: "Well played, New Zealand!" Those facts. are due to the public, whose support mad© the tour possible, and now that the team has been disbanded and m the

absence of a report v from the

man age r—

w,.h o, by

the way,

did not

turn • w i t-h

the team —the mformation is* offered that all 'was nojt as 'well . , it has been made out to »c. , •; ■ It will no doubt come as, a big; surprise .to. .follow^ T ers ,br the game •m , New, Zealand that at .various times during the tour fines were inflicted upon some <Jf the members of the team.

This action would naturally give Vise to some dissatisfaction and that a disciplinary measure of such a nature should have been' necessary m the case of this body of cricketers — representing the Dominion for the first jtime on fields m the home of cricket and fully a^ive: to the responsibility resting upon their/ shoulder's of upholding: the Dominion's fine reputation for sportsmanship — is surprising indeed. . . • . j It ispeaks volumes for the team that under the burden of this method of. punishment for alleged breaches of .the conditions under which they were making the tour, the players came, through with a record of which tho] Dominion is justly proud. They kept this matter "under the rose" and did not jallow it to disturb that team spirit which counted so much towards success. Now that the tour is over, how- ' ever, it is up to the authorities to make full inquiry into the cases m which players were fined. "Truth" gathers that the total

amount of the fines would make quite a tidy sum. ; . In ,one case, at least, it seems that the fining business was 1 "over the fence," and from the facts, as stated by several members of., the team, it would appear that the player concerned has been 1 done an injustice. , On tlie opening day of the match with Surrey at the Oval, Mills was flned £5. .■, '■ ;■ ;' • That sum Is large enoug-h to suggest that the player had committed* a breach of a very serious nature. \ 'And what a big hit to. leg so far as his allowance" was concerned! The cause of such a heavy .penalty was that Mills was not on the ground at the appointed time, although, it is stated, he was there before the match actually commenced. . On this occasion, as. well as other times, the players had to find their own way to the ground on which the match was to be played.

I (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Commissioner.) ■: y | If ever the fuU story of the first visit by a team of New jj ft Zealand cricketers to England is jmblished, it will make vety || If interesting reading, far more so than the various reports of || If the team's splendid achievements might suggest. !' ||

In a place like London it would not be hard for a stranger to lose his way and this is, what happened m Mills' case. . ■ •■■■.-.■■■ :■;•;• : In company with Merritt, Mills set off for the Oval m plenty of time to reach ?the ground half an hour before the start of -the game. . "J. The pair travelled via one of the tubes, but unfortunately, lost their way m the maze of London's underground services. ' , . \ It was not long' before . the^wer© on the- right track and they, reached the Oval before the start of the match. The greeting" which awaited Mills was none too pleasant and was extended m something like the ' following terms: ■ • '

,■ "Mills, you were to open the innings; you are -fined £5 for being late I" ■Being- : a party to the "offence," Mer- '. j.-ritt-'; naturally expected that there ; : was a^^ penalty^ m ' •Store ;|.Qr, him. but- —^ydung sportsman .that he : is— he willingly offered to contribute his bit towards the sum docked' from Mills' account.

The decision of

those who sat m judgment upon

t li«e players who lost

their way m L.O ri do n

remained un - altered —Mills fined £5 and no fine, m Merritt's case This happening accounts'for one of those changes m the team's batting order which were a subject of comment from time to time during the tour.

In the first innings of the match with Surrey, Page figured as an opening batsman with Dempster, this change being made m view of Mills' arrival at the Oval after the appointed time of assembly. \

MjHs went m at the fall of th« first wicket and — despite the weight of 'his & 5 fine— he pfayed one of his best innings of the tour, compiling 103 runs before being dismissed. ; The other fines imposed during the tour were, not so heavy, but "Truth" gathers that the total amount would make quite a respectable sum. x The question arises : Who' gave the authority for. dealing with the players m this manner? ' v . It is known that various instructions were handed out to those m charge of the team before their departure for'; England, but surely the controlling authorities m the Dominion had sufficient confidence m the. selected players to feel that thpre was no need of making an order about fining the. players.

iniiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiitiiiiiiiiinitiMiiiiMiiiiiiuiinninHiinhiiiiiiHii'lHmHiiiiiipittiiHiiiiiiititiiti ft 1lltHIIUlHIIIIH1IIHniltlHlllllllt1Mllllllllt1ll1IIIHIIH)HIIIIIII1l(lllll*tlllHUIlllllll*IIHI1Ultl1llt11linilK Another Question \ which arises ia: Vhat happens to the money obtained y way of fines? . ■ 'If the intention' was to have it lnluded among the receipts m conriec-r ibrt with" the tour, it is possible that harehpiders : in' the company :Tv7iich inanced the tour would not feel dis>osed to accept the money from* that ource unless it was established be-, orid all doubt that the' penalties imlosed upon the players were deserved, And surely/ the players contributed well enough towards the big ', venture without having to m«k© these additional donations. The players themselves were not m- 1 . ;lined to let the matter rest on their •eturn to the Dominion and it is inderstood that representations were nade to the New Zealand Cricket IJounccil authorities, with the result hat for, some ; of ■'the .penaHzed^^ajrerj?, , ias llfeeh raffae;*' ! -^ :^S : ' ' If the cases were on k par with that f Mills, then the Council has done he right thing by the players. Among other matters ' calling for omment is the action of the New iealand Council m sending- a represenative to Australia to meet the team i Sydney and manage it until the tourists disbanded m Christchurch last week.

JjDouglas Hay, who was formerly a prominent figure m cricket, but who, had not been m very close touch with the game and its control for some ,years prior, to his appointment 'as manager of the teajn to England, did not .return with the team and

on the

voy -

a g »

to Aus-

t r al l a Cyril Allcott, one of the players, acted as team manager. In view of the fact that a heavy loss on the tour was possible, the Council might well have left Allcott m charge until the. team reached Zealand, instead bf going to the extra expense of sending a Council representative to Sydney.

"Truth" would also like to know for the benefit of followers, of the game — m particular, /those who contributed towards the r cost of the tour — why it was necessary for the manager of the team to remain m England. Although on matters connected with

i ; '. ./ ... : .. . ' ■'•',',■' ■ the management of the tour the members of the .team preferred to remain fairly silent, it was ascertained that not a few of. the duties on the managerial side fell 1 to the captain, T. C. Lowry and that on quite a number of occasions when matches were being played the manager was not m Attendance. A hint about the lot of the captain was thrown , out by R. C. Blunt m making the following remarks: ''Tom . Lowr^ had to. do everything; at the start. He had to interview- all the reporters and I can assure, you that was a very hefty task indeed." This raises another point concerning' & .prominent' Australian 'critic to . say — the lack of

If the interviews meant a hefty taskV they certainly did not show it m the amount, of information that was published as coming from the captain of the team. . ■■• ;

This ' is' what the Australian critic had to say: "A golden opportunity of giving publicity to the match between New Zealand' and New South Wales and assisting it to make a 'financial success was missed when the New Zealand captain deter* mined not to be interviewed on arrival at Fremantle. ....'. '"A team that .performed with so much credit on , its pioneering campaign m England deserves to have the public know all about it. ' ' "And vrho'is fitter than the captain to say a few words on exploits, that have become of historic importance, m the game?" . - I. . It. is to be said of Lowiy that—according to the men under his command 1 — he 'captained the side with credit k at times. . :

There were occasions, however, when the ( handling of the team could have been much better:

liowry himself has admitted that 1 th-e team's fielding- performances were very bad. What steps w ( ere taken to h a 1 v c

them im-

It is

said; J

also that

the bowling

might have been handles to better advantage at times, but .so .Jar. as the batting was concerned Lowry certainly rendered valuable service The experience of the tour should be of great value to the N.Z. Council and to the. players "Truth" commends the players foi the manner m which they pulled together as a team and did not allow any differences to upset them m their «n- | deavors to make the tour a success.