Strong Cricket Team May Tour Dominion

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 687, 12 June 1929, Page 11

Strong Cricket Team May Tour Dominion

ENGLISH VIStT MANY BRILLIANT PLAYER* Press Association CHRISTCHURCH. Today. It is practically certain that next cricket season New Zealand will be visited by the strongest English team that has ever toured the Dominion. Included in the side will be the brilliant K. S. Duleepsinhji. nephew of the famous K. S. Ranjitsinhji, and F. E. Woolley, one of the greatest lefthanders in the game. It is probable the team will be captained by A. E. R. GilMgan. who led the English side Wmch toured Australia in the 1924-25 season. There may be eight professionals in the team. For some time past the New Zealand Cricket Council has been negotiating with the Marylebone Cricket Club for the sending of a team to tour the Dominion next season, and in these negotiations it has had highly appreciated assistance from Karl Jellicoe, a former Governor-General of New Zealand, who is keenly interested in cricket. This week an exchange of cablegrams has settled the question to all intents and purpose-, and Mr. A. T. Donnelly, chairman of the New Zealand Crick* T Council > Management Committee, was able 10 make an official statement to a “Sim” reporter. “It is practically settled.” said Mr, Donnelly, ‘‘that an English cricket team will visit New- Zealand next season. It. will play matches in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney before it reaches this country. The exact composition of the team is not certain yet. but K. S. Duleepsinhji and F. E. Woolley have accepted invitations to come, and A. E. R. Gilligan probably will captain the side. “The team will consist of 14 men, of whom eight, probably, will be firstclass professionals. It is not known yet who the professionals w-ill be, apart from Woolley, but the M.C-C. mentions the likelihood of their Including S. Worthington and L. Townsend, both of Derbyshire, W. H. Ashdown, Kent, T. F. Shepherd, Surrey, and P. Holmes, Yorkshire. Amateurs who possibly will come include some of the best at present playing cricket in England. “Besides Duleepsinhji, who has accepted, and Gilligan, there may be It. E. S. Wyatt, Warwickshire, E. W. Dawson, captain of Leicestershire. G. B. Legge, captain of Kent, and M. J. Turnbull, Glamorganshire. “Although we do not know exactly yet which players are coming apart from those I have mentioned as having accepted, it is plain that the team will be a very strong one, and will be a big draw-, both in Australia and in New' Zealand. Indeed, the side indicated unquestionably would be the strongest English team to visit New Zealand yet.” Mr. Donnelly added that it was practically certain that the New Zealand Cricket Council’s Management Committee would decide definitely to | accept such a team as was indicated. The team would probably arrive ill New- Zealand next December.