Lives in Cricket No 36 - WE Astill

152 The Captain and Ground, for he invited him to act as scorer and baggageman for his forthcoming tour of New Zealand. One of Astill’s greatest ambitions was to play for England in Australia. That was never to be, but now at last, at the age of 50, he was on a tour to the Antipodes, albeit not as a player. The Cricketer foretold that the tour would allow[s] time to visit ‘beauty spots’ and to enjoy that kindly hospitality always forthcoming in New Zealand to visitors, particularly those from ‘home’ … in design and purpose [it] is really an admirable effort, one which deserves success and one which will have the good wishes of all who are aware that cricket tours are an important institution in the social life of the Empire, and which can and do establish enduring results other than those which are found in the records of the games. 272 Astill would have heartedly endorsed such beliefs, would have enjoyed the voyage on the luxuriously appointed cruise liner, would have been excited on the way out by visiting a new and exotic country in Fiji and would have made the most of touring New Zealand; but he would have missed playing himself and probably often looked wistfully towards the west where Australia lay ever out of sight over the Tasman Sea. Twice more in 1939 he was summoned to the county colours, both times as captain when neither the new leader, M.StJ.Packe, nor Dempster was available, and both matches were lost, as were most that season as Leicestershire had to look up to all sixteen counties above them. In May Leicestershire lost by three wickets to Somerset, despite a valiant recovery 272 Annual , 1938, p 16. The longevity and success of Astill’s career is summed up in this cartoon of his final game for Leicestershire, against Hampshire at Southampton on 12,14, and 15 August 1939.