Cricket 1882

“ Toge ther joined in cricket’s m an ly toil.”— Byron. Registered for Transmission Abroad. T H U R S D A Y , J U N E 2 2 , 1 8 8 2 . p r ic e 2d. MR. H. H. M A SS IE . H ugh H a M on M assie , whose portrait, through the kindness of the proprietors of the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic Newt, we are able to re­ produce here, has been for some years now one of the most prominent figures in Australian cricket. He was born on the 11th of April, 1854, in Belfast, Victoria, and has consequently just entered on his twenty-eighth year. Though by the accident of birth a Victorian, Massie soon became associated with the rival colony of New South Wales. When he was only three years old his parents moved there, and New South Wales can fairly claim the honour of teaching and training one of the very best cricketers the Australian Colonies have ever produced. Massie was educated in the school of Mr. Belcher, at Goulburn, N.S.W. Mr. Belcher had come to Australia with the advantage of an English cricket reputation, and, if we mistake not, he himself took part in the Inter-Colonial match of 1866. His estab­ lishment, as was only to be expected, has turned out many excellent cricketers, and there Massie received the education which has subsequently served him on the oricket-fields of the new as well as now of the old country. After the com­ pletion of his scholastic career, Massie joined the East Sydney Club, and his style soon attracted favourable notice. It was not long before his scores began to command public attention, and even at this early period many good judges ventured to predict that he would become one of the best batsmen in the Colonies. After playing for two seasons with East Sydney Massie left its ranks to join the Albert Club in the same city, and ever since he has been one of the most active members of that society. His first appearance in an Inter­ colonial match was at Sydney in February, W78, and on that occasion, when New South Wales managed to pull through after a most exciting fiiiish by one wicket, he scored 17 and 1, being the second highest scorer in the first innings. He was not selected as one of the first combined team to oppose Lord Harris’s English eleven at the commencement of 1879, but the fine scores he made against the English bowling for New South Wales (30 and 78 not out, 38 and 8), thoroughly established his reputation, and placed him in the very front rank of Australian batsmen. In consequence he was one of the first invited to join Murdoch when the preliminaries were in progress for the collection of a second Australian eleven for England. To the general disappointment of those who had heard glowing accounts of his batting from the various members of Lord Harris’s Eleven, business engage­ ments prevented him taking the trip. What a loss he was then may be judged from the fact that in the two matches played between a combined team and the Australian Eleven for England, just before the departure of the latter, in four innings he scored 150 runs, making in the second two big scores of 80 and 50, besides one of 70 in the Inter­ colonial match about the same time. In the Inter­ average for the season just finished was 64. In addition to his abilities as a batsman, he is one of the very best fields, even in such a good fielding side as that now visiting England, and he has won several trophies in Australia for efficiency in this department. He holds a good position in the Bank of New South Wales, in Sydney, and before leaving that city for England was entertained at a banquet by his colleagues in that establishment. His popularity as a cricketer in Australia is very great, particularly in Sydney, where it is said that the grounds thin as if by magic when his innings is over. The dry hard wickets out there are calculated to show his dashing play to greater advantage than the slow English grounds, but considering the differences of climate and the exceeding difficulties there must be iu timing the ball here to a batsman of his style, and entirely strange to the pace of our wickets, some of his performances in England have been most extraordinary. Some critics have tried to depreciate his first score of 206 against Oxford on the plea of the weak University bowling, but no English batsman has, as far as we know, ever scored 100 in 59 minutes in an important match, and lucky or not, it is an unparalleled performance. Against Derbyshire last week, on a slow wicket, too, he made 66 out of 85 runs in five minutes under the hour, and this of itself would fairly stamp him as a batsman much above the ordinary run. His hitting is almost all on the off side, and, when he does get set his stroke on this side is extremely clean. His reach is very great, and his hits, be it said, are never high; on the contrary they are mostly, to use the slang of the cricket field, ‘ ‘ on the carpet. ” Without any pretence, and un-assuming in demeanour, Massie is likely to be as popular in the old as he is in the new country. Colonial at Melbourne in 1881, he failed to score in either innings, but more than once he punished Peate, Bates, and the other bowlers of Shaw’s Eleven severely, and among his performances were 56 and 76 for New South Wales, and 49 and for the Australian Eleven, both at Sydney. For the Albert Club in 1880-81 Massie’s average was over 50 runs, and up to his leaving Australia his club E ton C ollege v. F ree F oresters . —Played at Eton on Saturday. Eton, 225 (W. F . Cave 71); Foresters, 95. W estm in ster S chool v . L ords and C ommons - __played at Vincent Square on June 17. School, 303 (F. T. Higgins 107); Lords and Commons, 81. C rick et . —A song, written and composed by J. H. Smith, and dedicated to A N. Hornby. Esq. “ It will be welcomed heartily by all lovers f t manly and truly national iiritis i ■ P ost free, 18stamps, o f the author, 22, Clifton-street, W o lv e rh a m p to n .— [A d v t .]