[4] On a damp pitch, "He kept a splendid length, turning the ball sharply from the off, and at times making it get up very awkwardly ... at one stage he took five wickets without a run being scored off him.

"[5] At the end of the season he played for The Rest against an Australian XI, taking five wickets.

The Argus noted that on a perfect pitch, McNamee bowled with both "an out swing and an in turn" and that his performance "marks him as the most promising bowler in Australia, and the importance to Australian cricket is very great".

He more than most bowlers today resembles the old type of medium paced trundler, who gained their successes by accuracy of length, spin, and a direct attack on the batsmen's defences.

The New Zealand Herald described his performance against Auckland, when he took 5 for 12 off 21 six-ball overs, as "one of the finest bowling performances ever seen in New Zealand", describing his bowling thus: "a peculiar run up to the wickets, with rather a low delivery ... a little faster than medium pace ... it is the manner in which he makes the ball fizz off the pitch that upsets the calculations of the batsmen".