SPORTS AND SPORTSMEN

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20492, 7 May 1938, Page 22 (Supplement)

SPORTS AND SPORTSMEN

' ' -■ i - ■' {By “Spectator”) .. _ ■ V~= WHO WILL BE ENGLAND’S TEST CAPTAIN ?

0. 0 . Alien Hat Bright Prospects : England’s Probable Team Very Strong Batting Side : Many Promising Youngsters i Hammond and Bradnum are Great Cricketers : Australian Football Tour WITH the Australian cricket team’s tour of England now In Dull swing added Interest will be taken in the performances of both Australian and English players so that some adequate line as to the possibilities of the respective teams can be gauged by the time the first Test commences at Nottingham on June 10. Next Saturday the tourists will commence the strenuous part of their tour when they meet M.C.C. and a better chance of ascertaining the real strength of the tourists will be available then. The CTst four matches are, when all is said and done, against ordinary opposition and while It will enable the team to settle down and find their best form it will be the later matches that will show just how strong they really are. In writing about cricket reference must be made to Bradman's phenomenal opening. On his first tour of England in 1930 Bradman astounded the critics by compiling 236 against Worcestershire. He had an exceptional season but many Englishmen thought that he was a one-season wonder and that he was not likely to reach such remarkable figures again. In 1934 he again ▼isited England and in the first match against Worcestershire he again topped the double century, making 206. HTs batting on this occasion was even more Impressive than on his first tour and -he carried on to score many amazing innings on this tour. For his third tour the opening match was again against Worcestershire and he completed the hatfor th*» opening mat<*h by compiling 258 and the manner in which he compiled his runs leavps no doubt that he is indeed a master batsman. The psychological effect of his huge score is hard to ascertain at present. It cannot be as serious as previously as it was more or less expected of him. The slow bowling was also treated with scant respect by the better class of the English batsmen and this should give the home players added confidence. At the present time it still appears to me as If the issue is much more open than many people would have it to be. England are by no means beaten yet and they have some very promising * players who might regain the Ashes, even from Bradman’s well balanced side. One of the mosj interesting points of discussion at present is the choice of England's captain and to me it looks as If G. 0. Allen will be asked to take the position if he recovers his best bowling form.

G. 0. Allen has definitely been ap- j proached to act as captain of the c M.C.C. team that Is to tour So-uth Africa at the end of this year and that J conclusively shows that the M.C.C. ; authorities have every confidence In!' hJm. Although the M.C.C. chooses the * captain of the team to tour and the captain of an English team at home is chosen by the Board of Control actu- 1 ally there is not much difference as ; five of the members of the Board of! Control are M.C.C. men and the offer | shows that Allen is the favourite j ( among the authorities for the position. j 1 The other players in England with de- . 1 finite claims for the position are W. i R. Hammond, who is having his first ; 1 season as an amateur, R. W. V. Robins, ; Brian Sellers and. perhaps. D. R. Wil- J 1 cox of Essex. Hammond was men- j 1 tioned as a likely captain when he an- j nounced his changeover to the amateur j ranks but it is not favoured by him or , by the authorities as it is thought that I the responsibilities of the position 1 might handicap his batting and general j all round brilliance. There Is no doubt' whatever that he is the best all rounder i In England and although the worries ! of captaincy have not affected 'Bradman England cannot afford to handicap Hammond in the slightest degree. An i extraordinary thing about Hammond is that although he is only a mediocre i County bowler he is sometimes the' best bowler in Tests and there is a likelihood that he may not bowl him- ; self sufficiently if he is captain. • • • • The choice of Sellers. Yorkshire’s 1 very astute captain would be a popular one in the North of England as it is many years since the North have had a captain of an English Test team. Sellers would be a very good choice if ; tine captaincy alone was needed, but • although he is a sound batsman his figures do not give him .much chance, i Wilcox is the better choice of these ’ two as he is a better batsman and j nearly as shrewd a captain, very popu- ‘ lar with the players. However, I think I that the choice again lies between ! Robins and Allen. Robins has filled | the position before with credit and is j an outstanding spin bowler as well as a reliable at a pinch. Allen : is very popular with officials and play- | ers, is a good leader, a shrewd tactician and a fast bowler well up to j Test standard when in form. He won ' two Tests in Australia on the last tour , and made a great fight of the others ; but what I consider is against him is 1 that he will be 36 in July and that is too old for a really first-class fast bowler to try and work up his best form, particularly when it is realised that lie played \ery little last season. If his bowling form is good, however he will get the position. While I am on this question I may well give some indication as to what I think the likely First Test team will be although thi» season's averages may still affect the position. As openers L. Hutton and W. J. L'drieh appear to have little opposition. Hutton had a wonderful season last year, topping the 2000 mark in his first complete season and he is the type that is wanted.

Edrlch, who opens for Middlesex, also I has shown great promise and opened this year with a century in his first game against such redoubtable bowling as Yorkshire's. First wicket down would be Hardstaff, a brilliant batsman, who twice scored centuries in Tests against New Zealand last summer. Hammond would probably be the next batsman and in these four England have players of unlimited possibilities. Then I should put in C. J. Barnett, too dashing a batsman for an opener but a great scorer and one who should do well in this position. He would be preferable to either Wyatt or Worthington despite the fact that these two had really good seasons last year. George Pope, the Derbyshire all-rounder Is another player who would greatly strengthen the side but before him in the batting order I would place Ames—still a great batsman. Allen would be my eighth batsman and this would be a very strong batting side. Robins. Verity and Gover would complete a team that would make Australia fight every inch of the way. Failing Allen and Gover, Voce and Karnes would do just as well. One thing that has to be remembered about this team is that it would have the edge on Australia for batting on wet wickets and a wet summer «nav be expected. * • • • Last year's county averages of the *■% plavprs I have mentioned taken from th»- latest Wisdens Almanack should » Batting: Hutton. 2888 runs, average j 5*62; Edrich, 2154, 44.87: Hard staff, J BaVneft, 2489. 40.89; George Pope, j 13lfc, 33.62; Allen, 161, 26.85, Rob!o»,-j

1076, 29.08; Verity, 835, 14.66; Gover, 290, 11.60. Bowling: Verity, 202 wickets, average 15.68; Gover, 201, 18.98; Pope, 92. 20.84; Robins, 97, 20.41; Fames. 55, 21.95; Voce. 75, 23.74; Allen, 15, 31.73; Hammond, 33, 19.57. Of course there are other young players with good claims of selection \ and these include: N. \V. D. Yarndley | (Cambridge University), 11. Glmblett j Somerset), C. R. Max well* (Notts), D. Compton (Middlesex), R. C. M. Kknpton (Oxford University), D. H. Mac- ! Indoe (Oxford University), J. H. Parks | 'Sussex), T. W. Goddard (Gloucester), E. Paynter (Lancashire) and J. W. A. Stephenson (Essex). Much will | depend on the form of all these players : during the first month of the County ;season. I As is usual during Anglo-Australl&n j Tests the respective merits of Bradi man and Hammond as batsmen are sure : to be again discussed while the hlgh- : est scores made in Tests between these i two countries will also be of interest. ! The highest score is to the credit of Australia with 729 for six wickeis declared at Lord’s in 1930 and 70i at. t the Oval in 1934. England's highest] score is 636 at Sydney in 1928-29 and j i 627 for nine wickets declared at Man- 1 | Chester in 1934. The highest score ever made in Melbourne Is 600 by A. ■E. R. Gilligan’s team. Bradman, of I course, holds the highest Individual j score in a Test between the two counit ries with his 334 at Lord’s in 1934. The following innings of over 200 have been played by 'Bradman and Hammond up to the end of the 1936-37 season in Australia. Hammond, playing much more cricket by reason of the fact that. ' as a professional in England he plays ! nearly every day of the week, has ■ scored 26 since 1926 while Bradman | with much less chances has also ! scored 26 double centuries and over J vetween 1929 and the end of the 1937 I season. The scores are as follows: Hammond

j on., of England's best batsme j who should make many runs dur • ing the coming season.

Favourite for the position of England's Test leader if he can recover his bowling form.

Who Is now playing as an amateur but he is not favoured for the position as captain. A list of his big scores appears on this page.

Who has started off his third tour of England In great style. A list of his big scores is also published on this page.

Local Politics and Sport The sporting fraternity rarely takes any active interest in municipal or political affairs, mainly because the administration of their own affairs probably entails for those individuals who

devote their time to it, so much committee and active work that they rarely have time to interest themselves in other matters. There is no doubt that those serving on executives of sporting bodies receive excellent training for taking their part in wider fields. In Hamilton there are upwards of seven hundred players playing each week a game of rugby, and two hundred playing association football. In summer some three hundred cricketers, exclusive of schools, take the field. The provision of fields and the conduct of these games involves a considerable ! amount of time, organisation and de- ! tailed work. As Hamilton is the centre |of the Waikato Rugby Union, South

Whose lefl-lianded slow bowling was very effective in Australia's first mate’ll iu England.

Auckland Football Abß °' Waikato Auckland Cricket Associat on. Tennis Association and V, aikato »o Association and member, °I .cal committees have to c o nd J l larger the administration of these areas, the work entailed is considerable. , « *

In most centres, and this P articular ’". applies to Hamilton, practically al games are played on municipal or domain ground. Sport is therefore vi much a matter of municipal int.ie , and as on big fixture days large numbers from surrounding districts come to the town to see the matches, business is interested, and this provides another reason why the civic author ities should take an interest in sport ing' activities. New Plymouth, Napier and Palmerston North are towns that have realised the potentialities of fostering sport, but it cannot be said that the public of Hamilton ever have been very helpful or alive to its possibilities. The local sporting bodies have never been wholly satisfied with the treatment they have received from the authorities, and some years ago a joint meeting of sports bodies was held, but little came of it. Some six months ago another meeting was held and one of the outcomes of this is that an endeavour is being made to one seat on the local council in order that the voice of a large, but young section of the community may be heard.

Mr A. E. Gibbons, who has been actively associated with many branches of sport in Hamilton for the past twenty years, both as a player and as an administrator has consented to stand in the sporting interests. With political tickets and, the Garden Place Hill issue so much to the fore this election, it is refreshing to see that at last the sporting section is taking an active interest in the affairs of the town. There is no doubt that from a civic standpoint as well as numerically sporting bodies have every right to representation. With iiie lessening of working hours and the modern trend of paying more attention to physical development it is pleasing to see that not only is the Government alive to

the position by recently appointing a body to nurture and assist the physical welibeing of youth but that in local politics at last some notice is being taken of the requirements for ratepayers' sons and daughters to obtain

healthy sport at a reasonable cost to themselves. .

1850 Empire Games for N.Z. Dealing with matters discussed at the conference of the British Empire Games Federation in Sydney, -'lr h. McCormick, manager of the New Zealand team, in his report to the annual meeting of the New Zealand Olvmpic and British Empire Games Association at Wellington, said that it was suggested, but not decided, that the 1946 Games should be held in the British Isles, probably in Scotland, and the 1950 Games in New Zealand. The 1942 Games were allotted to Canada, subject to certain conditions. N.S.W. a Solid Combination

The All Blacks will find New South Wales a very solid combination this season, says Mr Harold Baker, a p.ast Australian selector. The plavers are all on their toes anticipating a trip to England next year, and on this season's play the touring team, will be chosen. The All Blacks will meet players who are harder and better, and Mr Baker is quite prepared to see the All Blacks beaten.

1 Year Score ! England v. New Zealand 1933 336* i Gloucester v. Notts 1936 317 ! Gloucester v. Glamorgan 1934 302* Gloucester v. Kent 1934 290 i M.C.C. v. Barbadoes 1935 281 Gloucester v. Worcester 1934 256* | Gloucester v. West Indies 1933 264 j Gloucester v. Lancashire 1932 264 | Gloucester v. Leicester 1935 252 i England v. Australia 1928 251 Gloucester v. Lancashire 1925 250* | Gloucester v. Essex 1928 244 l Gloucester v. Glamorgan 1933 239 'M.C.C. v. West Indies 1926 238* | Gloucester v. Warwick 1929 238* 1 England v. Australia 1936 231* Gloucester v. Derbyshire 1933 231 ! Encland v. New Zealand 1933 227 Gloucester v. Glamorgan 1928 218* England v. All India 1936 217 : Gloucester v. Nottingham 1934 217 i Gloucester v. Oxford Uni. 1930 211* , ; Gloucester v. Leicester 1938 206 t ! Gloucester v. Surrey 1928 205* . 1 M.C.C. v. Victoria 1933 203* [ ' England v. Australia 1929 200

Bradman Yean Score N.S.W. v. Queensland 1930 452“ S*\. v. Tasmania 1936 369 " A. v. Victoria 1935 357 N.S.W. v. Victoria 1929 340 .\Ublralia v. England 1934 334 Australia v. England 1930 304 Australia v. South .^frica 1932 258 N.S.W. v. Australia 1930 258 Australia v. England 1930 254 N.S.W. v. Queensland 1933 253 | N.S.W. v. Queensland 1934 253 ! Australia v. Surrey 1930 252 ! Australia v. England 1937 248* | N.S.W. v. Victoria 1931 238 Australia v. Worcest’shire 1930 236* S.A. v. Queensland 1935 233 Australia v. England 1930 2 32 Australia v. South Africa 1932 236 Woodfull's XI. v. Ryder’s 1929 225 Australia v. England 1934 224 Australia v. \A'est Indies 1931 223 N.S.W. v. Victoria 1931 220 N.S.W. v. South Africa 1931 219 i Bradman's XI. v. Richardson’s XI. 1936 212 i Australia v. Wnrcest’shire 1 934 206 i Australia v. Kent 1930 205 •Not Out