Clem Hill's Reminiscences

Jones never played in Tests after this season. He was a great reader, especially of history. When we were travelling through England he knew more about the historic places we came to than all the members of the team. 40 To contrast this summer of 1902 with 1899, I will recall a match against Kent. It was a warm day and a cloudless sky in 1899. The heat brought out a swarm of bees and they came among the players. The only one who did not mind their attentions was Howell, who, being a beekeeper in New South Wales, had lived among them all his life. He was much amused at the antics of Jim Kelly, our wicket-keeper, in trying to keep them away. But in 1902 we looked out on a leaden sky and a wicket under water. The mention of Howell and bees recalls an argument he had in a London restaurant with a waiter on whether the dish served to him was chicken or rabbit. Howell reckoned it was rabbit; the waiter was just as certain that it was chicken. Howell ended the argument with the statement that he had killed and eaten more rabbits than there were in the whole of England, and he ought to know the bone of one when he saw it. At some of the London restaurants where foreigners were employed as waiters we used to get some amusement by ordering possum soup, roast bustard, kangaroo tails, emu wings with lizard sauce, or some other ridiculous dish. The waiter would return and say, ‘Sorry sir, there’s no more; it’s just off.’ Champions fail with bat (sometimes) No batsmen likes making a duck, and all have a dread of getting a pair. Playing during this tour against an England Eleven, Darling got them. In the next game, which was against Scotland – he scored one. He followed by getting a pair of spectacles in the next – a Test at Sheffield. His figures were 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0. Kelly also got a pair at Sheffield. He had plenty of opportunities to get off the mark in the second innings. He was in for about 20 minutes, and making beautiful shots, but the ball went straight to a fieldsman. If he had hit it more gently he would have opened his score easily. Noble sandwiched in the middle of one of his most successful tours a string of seven innings for 11 runs. Even Victor Trumper was debited with 4 and 0 in Adelaide, and followed with a pair in a Test in Melbourne. He made amends with 166 in the next Test in Sydney. I have had many close calls. In a Test at Kennington in 1896, I went for 1 and 0. In 1902 when playing against Derby, Bestwick bowled me with a no-ball. Off the next I was caught at the wicket, but not given out, and was bowled head over heels by the fourth. It was the worst two minutes I ever had. The poorest innings I ever played was at Harrogate. Trumper was in at the other end, and he was placing the ball anywhere and everywhere whereas I was scratching and flicking and snicking it just out of harm’s way. I did not make many. Playing in Sydney against New South Wales I was out without scoring in the first innings. Noble practically bowled me as soon as I went in in the second His Third English Tour 61 40 Hill is probably writing ironically here.