AUSTRALIAN CRICKET TOUR

Taranaki Daily News, 10 April 1928, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN CRICKET TOUR

VISITORS EXPRESS APPRECIATION, By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch, Last Night. Before leaving New Zealand this evening Mr. W. C. Bull, manager of the Australian cricket team which concluded its tour of the Dominion last week, handed to the Press the following statement:— “Thanks to the New Zealand Council we have had a truly wonderful tour and have all enjoyed ourselves immensely. The tour has certainly been a strenuous one as far as travelling is concerned, but an Australian team is always willing to do ita fair diare of travelling providing it is going to be beneficial to New. Zealand cricket. We are all perfectly happy and delighted with our stay in New Zealand. “In an interview given to the Press in Dunedin after the final test match I stated that I thought the programme wm badly planned, but in doing so I did not mean in any way to discredit the New Zea* land Cricket Council, as I now realise th« difficulties placed in its way to try tfli please everybody, and its difficult task in arranging programmes which will not clash with different local events. Taking everything into consideration I believe the council has done the best possible.

“As for my statement that I thought the minor associations should be eliminated in future tours, this suggestion WM made that two or three stronger niatcheg could be inserted in the programme, butt as pointed out by Mr. Reese in a Press interview the minor associations provide one third of the games necessary foi financing the tours throughout New Zealand, and are the only associations which' will take mid-week matches. The Aus.tralian team would always be willing to play a certain number of matches with minor associations and woultr take pleasure in doing so if the playing of such matches were assisting the New Zealand Chicket Council materially to finance the tour. “In conclusion I wish sincerely to thank the council, which is a body of men doing wonderful work for the grand old game in New Zealand, for the most enjoyable and excellent -time we have had in New Zealand during the past two months.”