Cricket 1882

MAY 10, 1882. CRICKET; A WEEKLY RECORD OE THE GAME. 7 W h a t they call Murdoch now iu Australia —the Vampire batsman. I f what I hear is correct Bonnor, the infant prodigy of the Australian team, has no reason to be dissatisfied with his first days experience on English soil on this his second visit. Iu a weak moment one of his fellow passengers on board the Assam was venturesome enough to wager a considerable sum that theThornton, of the Colonial team, would not throw a cricket ball 115 yards on reaching shore. No sooner was Plymouth reached than Bonn or was at work,, and with a fairly strong wind behind he covered 119 yards the only throw he had. His last heave, I am told, was two years ago when he won a small wager from the “ demon bowler” by throwing 124 yards. His best performance in this way is three yards beyond that mark. C h a r l e s B a n n e r m a n has not as yet reached England. His passage was taken and he intended to sail in the Assam which brought the Austrlaians home, but he did not join the steamer after all. It was then thought that he was on board the Orient liner Chimborazo which brought Shaw and his men, but still there are no tidings o f him. He has been in bad health since he was in England in 1878 and believes Ithat the voyage and change of climate will bring him round. He was born at Woolwich, and iii anything like his form of four years ago ■would be a decided acquisition to the Kentish Eleven. E v e r y b o d y will be truly sorry to hear that Mr. W . G. Grace is laid up with that extreme unsatisfactory complaint, the mumps. He has been kept up in the house for some days, but it is to be hoped that he will soon be in the field again and iu his form. We cannot afford to lose his help, particularly just now. In all likelihood we shall want another 152 when the Aus­ tralians are to be met, aud cricketers every­ where will heartily join in the wish for his speedy recovery. I l e a r n from good authority that in all probability Sussex will be able to count on the help of most of its best amateurs during the greater part, if not the whole, of the season. At any rate the County will be as well represented as it can be in its opening match against the Australians on the 18th. -Che Eleven, barring accidents,will be Messrs. • J- Lucas (who will be Captain on this occasion), M. P. Lucas, A. H. Trevor, H. Whitfeld, R. T. Ellis, Rev. F. J. Greeu- nr Rl&ckman, S. H. Betteswortli, Uiarlwood, H. Phillips, and Lillywhite. T h e Surrey Colts are certainly im prov ing m quality. A few years ago the young players were little more than young in name, at times almost as mottley a lot as I Falstaff’s recruits. Now at least they shape j like cricketers, and more than one of those being tried,will this yearwith care develop into useful men for the County. Dible of Gui'd- ford, is a very fair bowler (fast round), though rather inclined to be short, and Jackson and Haden, besides being likely to train on as bats, would pass F .G .’s standard of fielding, especially the former who is a really good long field, and a sure catch. T h is is the disrespectful way in which the leading sporting paper of the Colonies speaks of the Australian bowling in the last match of the combined team, against Shaw’s Eleven. “ In the second innings the bowl­ ing with the solitary exception of Boyle’s was simple “ rubbish.” Garrett seemed to have hardly strength enough to send down a decent ba ll; and Palmer, if that were possible, was worse than in the first innings. Boyle did fairly well, but Spofforth and Giffen were without length, break, or variety of pace,” Take comfort, oh my children. T h e good folk of Sussex are still rankling under their grievance with respect to the dates originally given them at the conference for their second match with the Australians. As the matter stands Somersetshire is able to claim the days (August 21, 22, & 23,) first announced for the return between Sussex and the Australians at Brighton and London Super Mare will have to be content with only one visit of Murdoch and his merry men. If you have not read the published correspondence on this subject take Punch’s adyice to those about to marry; don’t. Life is too short for such a colosals task. Seriously speaking what j a pity it is that some mutual arrange­ ment could not have been discovered to prevent so such a disagreement. It recalls to my mind the quotation from the Rivals, “ The quarrel is a very pretty quarrel as it stands, we should only spoil it by trying to explain it.” “ Success it is that makes the man— the want of it the villian.” The bowling of the Australians got so terribly punished in the last match before their departure that the sporting press was bound to be severe. But it is a little strange to those who remember how Gregory was lauded over here in 1878 for his tact in placing his field to find that the generalship of the Colonial captain was called to account. Listen to the captious critic of the “ Australasian.” “ I never saw a field worse placed than it wras to Spofforth and Garrett. There were men in the slips who were not wanted, and no men on the off side to save the fourers which were hit there so often that one grew tired of counting them. Of all the Australian bowlers Boyle was the only one who placed his field properly, and thus it is that he ! invariably succeeds in keeping the runs down, even if he bo not otherwise successful. ;Murdoch andhis astute lieutenant, Blackham should without delay consult with the various bowlers, and see if they cannot devise a sound system of stationing the field. At present, simply through the glar­ ing defect in this respect, they are heavily handicapped, and any observant looker-on might have noticed as much in the present match. It was principally owing to this that the Englishmen scored at a much more rapid rate than the Australians.” “ W a it till we get Spofforth,” was the general remark out at the Antipodes, when Shawls men in the first match with the combined team knocked their bowling about all over the place. And when Spofforth did come, what a falling o ff! His one wicket in the last match cost 128 runs. T he reports of some of the matches of Shaw’s Eleven told of an arrangement a little curious according to our notions of cricket. Some of the games it may be remembered were said to have been played on fibre matting, and from what the Australians say it is the custom in up country places where the ground is very uneven, to bat on material of this descrip­ tion. At Cootamundra, where Murdoch resides, he has prepared a regular cricket pitch on this principle ; on a solid founda­ tion is placed concrete and over a covering of felt, the matting is stretched by means of iron pegs, as taut as it can be drawn. This comes up to the front of each wicket, just escaping the batsman who is clear of the matting, the object being merely to affect the pitch. In some places the covering is dyed green, so as to resemble the grass and[ there is little reason to doubt that the wickets! formed of this material are exceedingly fast and true. In some of the Australian districts where grounds are rough and uncared for it is probably necessary in the interests of the public safety, where batting would be really dangerous to prepare these artificial wickets. In one respect there is a real advantage anywhere, in that a bats­ man can irrespective of wTeatlier count on a true pitch for practice. On the other hand to bat always on a perfect wicket unfits any one for any other condition of ground, and in England the weather is so uncertain, that it is the cricketer who can accommodate himself the best to different circumstances who succeeds. W h a t an eye the captain of the Surrey Colts has for colours. In the match against Malden and District, at the Oval on Wednesday, the Surrey bowling was begun by Pink and Green. Toujours perdrix. Again the Australians. It would be well for those who have the selection of the English Elevens to consider