CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81899, 10 December 1906, Page 2

CRICKET.

THE ENGLISH TEAM INTERVIEWED. (By "Cover Point.") The English team of cricketers now on a visit to New Zealand were passengers by the mail train on Saturday night. As the Northern Association had made no arrangements for a deputation to welcome them at New Plymouth railway station, Messrs Hasell and Ambrklge acted on their own initiative and met the train. Asking for Mr P. K. Johnson, who was one of Lord Hawke's team which played at New Plymouth some few years ago, that gentleman came forward and affably renewed acquaintance with the two deputies. Mr Johnson at once introduced Captain Wynyard, and a very agreeable quarter of an hour's chat ensued. Captain Wynyard, whose first visit it is to New Zealand, expressed himself delighted with what he had seen of his visit so far, and was quite nonplussed at this colony, comparatively speaking, lagging so far behind in tho noble game. With such lovely green lields he cannot understand the scarcity of good turf wickets in NewZealand. He says the team under his command will prove to be a good one, though he sincerely hopes to have several close contests during- the tour. He had heard a lot of the beauties of Taranaki from the former team, and both lie and Mr Johnson were astonished when they were told they were not to play at all in Taranaki province. They had anticipated spending a week in Taranaki, and intended "doing" the mountain and easting the trout streams.

Mr P. It. Johnson enquired after several of the locajl players he met on his former visit, particularly mentioning McCarthy, Gudgeon, and Perham. He also said the visit to New Plymouth was one of the pleasantest they had, and was anxious to know why the prettiest ground in New eZaland was not now available for cricket. When told of the extensive alterations being made, he was pleased to know that a good turf wicket was to be one of the main features of the improvements to tho sports ground in the Recreation Grounds, Mr Johnson told the interviewers of a rather amusing incident which happened on the occasion of the visit of Lord Hawke's team, When playing in the Recreation Grounds, Mr Dowson, a member of the visiting team, had just been disposed of for 0, and the scoring board indicated the total number of wickets down, and at the bottom a large iigure of a duck, if 1 remember rightly belonging to the Carrington-road Club. A snapshot was taken of the board, and reproduced at Home, and appeared in a number of Fry's Magazine. It was also enlarged, and a framed copy now hangs in the committee room of the Marylebone Club at Lords. Mr Dowson is chaffed about the matter to this day. Captain Wynyard is the veteran of the visiting team, having been born in 1801. He looks full of life and energy, and is very proud of his three figure score in the last Gentlemen v. l'layei'3 match.

The Englishmen play an eleven of Auckland next Friday, Saturday and Monday, and purpose journeying down the Wnnganui River to Wunganui from Rotorua,

With the exception of Messrs Wynyard and de Trafford, the team bear tliu appearance of a healthy lot of schoolboys out for a trip. The visitors managed to escape the dread ordeal of vaccination on landing, the arms of one and all showing welldefined marks of comparatively recent inoculations.