CRICKET IN ENGLAND.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12646, 6 November 1905, Page 2

CRICKET IN ENGLAND.

MR. DARLING INTERVIEWED

THE AUSTRALIAN CAPTAIN'S VIEWS ON THE TOUR.

(From the '"N.Z. Times'" Special Correspondent.) # LONDON, September 15. " Oiptain " Darling is very partial to pressmen ; providing they are content to accept him in 'the role of appreciative listener. At times, however, Darling oan talk, and th© pressman who catches him on these rare occasions accounts himself lucky. A" Sportsman" scribe caught the Australian skipper in apparrently quite a, communicative mind at Hastings the other day, and succeeded in making a generous column and a quarter of "copy" ouib of th© cricketing "Silent One.'" Th© interviewer's first question natural /y hinged on Darling's opinion of th© results of the tour. Disappointment at th© outcome of tho test matches was, of course, frankly fonfess&d, for Darling had mad© no secret of the fact that these wer© th© matches on winning which, above all otihers, they 'had set their (hearts. They had been fairly ■beaten, and yet he .really thought, with a better distribution of luck, they might bay© placed a very different complexion on matters. Trumper's mishaps at Nottingham was, for instance, an. extremely unfortunate occurrence, and seemed to exercise a dzshearteing influence on several members of the team. Later on cam© the injuries to Hopkins at Derby and Gregory in Scotland. On the tour as a whole, Darling was, however, able to speak with greater satisfaction. Th© colonial skipper pointed with natural pleasure to the results attained outsid© th© test matches. They had drawn more games than in 1902, but had, as then, only lost on© fixture, that against Essex at Leyton. But, without wishing to make excuses, heernphasiised the fact that the players were fatigued after their journey from Dublin, whilst Trumpetr, Armstrong, and Kelly wer© staying behind in Ireland. Still, Essex had generally given them a tough game. Darling preserved, so far as remarks for publication were concerned, a " golden silenoa" regarding the personal triumphs and failures of the tour. The team's bowling, h© admitted, had not been co powerful as it might have been, though Cotter had, he thought, in the last few weeks, done enough to enhance (his fame. A smile shot over his face >at the reference to the manner in which Armstrong had proved master of the situation in the majority of cases. 'GMbrs had not been as successful as expected at the outset of the tour, though on the faster pitches he had shaped very well at times, and more recently Shad shown that he could keep wickets—in fact, he had don© reafly well with the gloves. Gregory had really badly injured himself at Edinburgh, an accident caused by twisting his leg in a "grave" made by a Scottish bowler. Concerning Layer's value to the team, Darling said:—" Th© experiences of 1902 were such as to convince me of the necessity for th© manager to be a cricketer, for, through the illness due to the bad weather, we were in sore straits at the beginning <>f June. . . . It* certainly taught us a lesson, and on the way home I strongly advocated a change. . . "Why, even this time we have, •with fifteen men, been hard pushed, and. with Armstrong and Gregory hors de combat and Duff and Newland "seedy," we only completed our side at Cheltenham by including Kelly, whose hand was really not fit for him to have played. A tour of nearly forty matches is no light undertaking, even for a party of fifteen, and there is little margin for mishap. This time too the programme has not fitted in so well as usual, and there has been a great deal more rushing from on© part of the country to another. ... As a manager 'Frank" has been admirable. ... he is one of the best." On the financial results of the tour Darling was discreetly reticent. All he would say was " We have no reasons to feel dissatisfied, though in a few instances th© receipts were small." Asked whether he still held to his opinion as to the test games being played out, h© remarked: " Yes; and I feel more strongly than ever on the point. •It-is not a fair test if it is not started with the knowledge that it is to be played through, the same as the games ar© -when your players visit us. I am sure matters could be very easily arranged." Would you play three or five? asked the interviewer. " " I do not see why there should not be the five, and I should think four days should be sufficient. County games need not begin until the Friday—the three days might be enough—or other arrangements could be made where their players •are engaged. A Test match should b© a real test, as it is in our country. I don't think the style of play would be adversely affected. As it is, what is the prospect before a side in a three-day match that has lost the rboss, and has had a big score made against it? Defeat or a draw; for the chance of victory in the time at disposal is then almost nil. Naturally, we go for the draw, hoping, as w© did at Leeds, for better luck in the toss next time; and then we get 'blamed 'by some, though I cannot see that it is deserved." And what about the toss? " Well, I could do nothing right against Jackson. The question of tossing for choice of innings in the first and last matches only, and having the option alternately, was never officially brought before us. Possibly the rejectio of the alteration by ih^ M.C.C. ■may have been tJhe- cause. Of course, it would be introducing a great change, but I should be disposed to give the idea careful consideration." Asked what he thought about the next English team for Australia, Darling replied:—" Well, that is rather a difficult matter to talk about, for next season—'assuming the side visits us in your winter of 1906-7 —might bring many changes in form. We should ail like to see Jackson as skipper. He is

a grand cricketer, a good sportsman, and would, I feel sure, make a lot of runs out there—^tihough this might not 'be ito our advantage. Spooner has greatly impressed us, and ihe seems to ■be aibie Ifco ecoire v?e>\b on ail kinds of pitches; he is not one of tjhoee who can 'only get runs under certain conditions. Several of your odd hands will doubtless still be wortih inclusion, whilst as lef t-)handers we 'have a great opinion of Blytlhe and Hargoreavee^tihe former being perflaaps the 'best in tihe country.' We could have done with a left-hander ourselves. Somehow our players never seem to shape too well against tihem." Finally, Darling, who returns to Australia with Howell, Kelly, and Sid Gregory iby tfae China, was tackled on a very personal matter. Was he likely to ibe seen in England again at the head of another combination'/ Darling smiled broadly iat this query, for it raised memories of Ihis negative assertions when bidding us fa<rewell three oyars ago. ;' I will not say," he replied, " and if I did, you possibly wouldn't believe me. Yet I can assure you that only last December I (had no idea of forming one of the present team." He added: " But I do not see why, pnoviided a man takes care of himself, ihe should not have plenty of cricket left in him after his thirty-fifth year." So fair as w© have been able to judge, the time for writing J. J. Darling down among the Australian cricketing " has beens" has certainly not yet arrived, and we shall not be in the least surprised to find (him leading yet another Australian team of aeh-Jhunters.