Cricket 1882

a u g u s t 31, 1882. CBICKET; A WEEKLY BECORD OF THE GAME. 261 - M c P ^ Y I M 0 N : G 0 ^ I P ^ They are *he abstraots and brief chronicles of our time.— Hamlet. T i I e slang of the cricket field is at times tather mysterious, even to those who ought to be fairly well versed in its peculiarities. I have read in my time— a long one un­ happily— some remarkable descriptions of a hit. The brightest of them though fades before one that met my eye in a well-known Yorkshire paper of Tuesday in last week. I wonder how Peate felt when “ Mr. Webbe clinked him to leg in magnificent fashion for a quartette.” The ball I presume was a “ clinker.” Reporters as a rule go in for the superlative in their criticism. A Sunday journal describes Mr. Webbe’s second score in the same match as “ a most magnificent dis­ play." M orley ’s description of the ball which bowled him in the Australian match at Not­ tingham was unique. I gave it some weeks ago,as perhaps a few of my constant readers will remember. “ It beat me in the pace, it beat me in the pitch, and it beat me in the flight.” Morley, I fear, is taken too literally. Some irreverent person tells a story of him in connection with the match between the Marylebone Club and Ground v. the Aus­ tralians at Lord’s, which is not bad in its way. He had been unable to play for a few matches owing to a bad foot, and had then even hardly quite recovered. In reply to a question about his ability to play in the match he is said to.have answered, “ I shall be very glad to play, butl can’t bowl.” . T h e match between the Australians and the North of England, owing to the courtesy of the executive of the West of Scotland Club in changing their dates, is definitely fixed for September 14 and two following days, at Manchester. The Australians will play a two days’ match against the West of Scotland Club on the 21st and 22nd, and there are the dates of the fixture between the Australians and Shaw’s Australian Eleven at the Oval still to be settled. These will be either September 18, 19, and 20, or 23, 25, and 26, and the last three days would be perhaps the best. A match on Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday would be rather a novelty in England. A ccordin g to present arrangements the Australian Eleven will leave Liverpool in the Alaska for America on September 80. They will only have time to hurry through fixtures in New York (October 9, 10) and Philadelphia on their way across the Ameri­ can continent, as they are due to leave San Francisco on the 21st of October. They expect to reach Sydney on November 16, and their opening match at home will be atAdelaide in the first week of December. Afterdisbanding to allow the various 'members of the team to take part in the Inter-Colonial match, they will re-unite to play the English eleven commanded by the Hon. Ivo Bligh three matches, at Melbourne on January 12, Sydney on the 26th, and later on at Adelaide. T h e Hon. Ivo Bligh’s Eleven will make their first appearance on an Australian ground at Adelaide, on November 9. I see the only sporting daily, in a gusher on Australia v. England, refers to Mr. F. Burbidgeas “ Surrey’s quondam secretary.” The expression is nice enough, but I did not know that Mr. Burbidge had ever occupied the onerous position of Secretary to the Surrey Club. Nor was I aware that Mr. Hornby bowled “ lobs.” “ Grubs,” I fancy, are more in his line. I h a v e , unhappily for my peace of mind, by my remarks last week anent Crossland, brought down a very hornet’s nest about my ears. Letters, irate as well as ex- postulatory, have reached me from Lanca­ shire cricketers and supporters of cricket in the county. “ Why is it thus ?” to use one of Artemus Ward’s quaint phrases. “ Whence this thusness?” I have been audacious enough to hint that Crossland’s delivery is open to suspicion. One correspondent accuses me of bias because I have not named Messrs. Tuke and Evans in the same category. I was particular to say that I only regarded Crossland as the type of a fast increasing school, quite as popular in the South as in the North. I am reasonable, I think, in assuming that Crossland would have played for England had his bowling been considered quite fair. I have no bias in the matter, and I say distinctly that there are several cricketers in the South whose delivery is quite as questionable as Crosslaud’s. I hope that this positive assertion will allay the anger I have caused. If not I shall try to carry out into effect Longfellow’s precept of “ Knowing how sublime a thing it is to suffer and be strong.” L ancashire — I must be very cautious as I go over the stones— has again asserted its claim to be considered the champion county of the year. The eleven did not begin the season very well, as their defeats by Notts, the Australians, M.C.C., and Cambridge show, but at the finish, unlike Yorkshire, who were quite out of form, they were playing quite the same brilliant cricket as last year, and everyone will congratulate Mr. Hornby and his team on the champion­ ship honours they have so worthily gained for the second year in succession. Such a record is difficult to obtain, and it is one of which the county has reason to be proud. I incurred displeasure by saying last week that “ the weak eleven Kent sent in to the field” at Maidstone against Lancashire had n chance. A correspondent, “ Quidnunc,; very very angrily writes that he has “ puzzle what few brains he possesses ” (I quote liin self) to know how I would strengthen tl team. I could name at least three, if n< four in the eleven, whom Kent could lia\ replaced with advantage. ‘ ‘ But no matter. My inference was meant to be complimentai to Lancashire, in that Kent wanted ii? full strength, which it did not have, to lia\ a look in with Lancashire. On their presei form any county in the South wants luck t have a chance with Lancashire, Notts, c • Yorkshire. A story has reached me of a remarl! able bowling feat of the captain of ( suburban eleven. He went on to bowl wit the in-side wanting twenty runs to win, an bowled eighteen wides! ! ! More anon. A ll the details of the great match betwee England and Australia will have been rea over and over again by the thousands wb read this paper. Artemus Ward it was, . think, who said, “ I am saddest when sing.” If the grief of the majority o English cricketers takes the same eccentri course, there has been plenty of singirn In truth, the result has deadened the sky < English cricket. The Australians won bj brilliant all-round play, andno one, certainl not I, will have the slightest desire fi minimise their victory. They had what litt luck there was in batting on Tuesda morning, when the wicket was wet and eas;1 but, on the other hand, their eleven was cei tainly not their very best, with Palmei; their most reliable slow bowler, still incap.'i citated. In batting,neither side showed its rer, form, that will generally be admitted. Thu important issues at stake made the play a1 round nervous and consequently untrue, an it was the influence of the title of the matcl’ England against Australia, I believe, thii produced the very evident general ovei anxiety. The English team ought to ha\ got the 85 they wanted to win, of thattheii can be no question. Spofforth bowled al he has rarely, if ever, bowled before i1 England, and it was he who won the matcl: The wicket helped him, it is true, bvj he fairly reasserted his title to be the best e the Australian bowlers still at a pinch. C. the batting of the last few batsmen on tl) English side, the less said the better. Tht! five wickets should only have been able t add eleven runs, no matter what the bow1 ing or the wicket, is a very painful reflei tion, one that will take us some time to gi, over. At the same time, let every honou be given to the Australians for their victory No match has ever been better won, an what is more, except for the one little dis agreement about Jones’ run out in the secon innings, which was quite justifiable by th laws of cricket, no game so important eve passed so thoroughly without a hitch.