Coney hits the spot with documentary series

The Mantis and the Cricket - Tales on Tour. Previewed by Lynn McConnell.

Jeremy Coney and SKY Television have combined to do a great service to New Zealand cricket history.

Starting on Tuesday is a documentary series, that will screen throughout the summer, backgrounding some of the early tours undertaken by New Zealand teams and bringing out many of the incidents and memories of the participants.

There have been documentaries before, more in the line of chronological presentations packaged into an hour or 90-minute presentations.

But these programmes are different.

CricInfo has had a preview of some of the material to be screened and it is certain to delight anyone with an interest in the history of the game.

Many of the older players are interviewed and they provide a fascinating record of their matches and the times.

Central in this regard are the moments with the late Bert Sutcliffe, taken from earlier interviews, but never before seen on television. His great ability on the field is matched by his power of reminiscence. His description of New Zealander Fen Cresswell bowling to the great Len Hutton, and Hutton coping with the variety of bowling, is outstanding.

The 1949 team, for so long the standard bearers of the country's reputation until Geoff Howarth's side emerged in the 1980s, and more recently Stephen Fleming's side, are the centre of much attention.

Sutcliffe, captain Walter Hadlee, vice captain Merv Wallace. John Reid and Johnny Hayes are all interviewed to provide a great insight into their opponents and some of the problems New Zealand had to put up with, including the allocation of four three-day Tests on the tour.

Wallace made the point: "We went to show England they could not beat us in three-day Tests."

Hadlee followed up with: "They weren't going to bowl us out twice in three days and we weren't going to bowl them out."

By the time the last Test was played England were keen to play a fourth day, but New Zealand declined the invitation, as Wallace said, because it could have undone all the good that had emerged on the tour and weakened New Zealand's case for longer Test matches.

And for those who understand a little rugby history, there is a wonderful shot of the 1949 All Blacks returning from South Africa, around the same time as the cricket side. Team manager Jim Parker, who had not been a welcome choice as manager by the players is sounding off while captain Fred Allen has a knowing smile on his face. Is it too much to suggest it is a wonderful summation of the faults in the administration of that side which failed to win a test?

There are some wonderful shots also from the 1955/56 tour of Pakistan and India, the first tour undertaken of the subcontinent by New Zealand side, and the problems that befell the side are wonderfully told.

Matt Poore joins some of the other players with his own view of some of the doings on the tour and it is doubtful the problems have ever been so well explained as in the programme that will be devoted to that tour.

This series will be one of immense value to the history of New Zealand cricket. Opinions of the participants deserve to be recorded for posterity and they have been done in a fine way by Coney.

It is intended New Zealand's full history will be covered over the years in this way. It promises to be a richly-rewarding exercise for the cricket lover.