DACRE’S CAPTAINCY

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 247, 9 January 1928, Page 7

DACRE’S CAPTAINCY

DROBABLY no subject has been more discussed during the progress of the present Plunket Shield match than Dacre’s captaincy of the Auckland XI. It will be time enough to express a definite opinion on this aspect of the game when the match is finished, especially as Dacrc is no slavish follower of accepted theory, but is essentially to be judged by the success or otherwise of his leadership. The biggest bone of contention so far has been the North Shore man’s action in bowling trundlers of similar type together, for instance, G. L. Weir and Matheson. This is certainly against all the accepted traditions of cricket tactics, and in the present case the criticism looked to be well founded, but this much must be placed to Dacre’s credit. He has succeeded in getting Canterbury dismissed for 244 and 251, scores which are more than reasonable for Plunket Shield cricket, and at the time of writing (the start of the third day’s play) the question of whether the match can be won for Auckland has passed beyond anything that Dacre can do as captain of the side. To-day is essentially a test of the individual merit of the Auckland batsmen.