Cricket 1883

so CRICKET; A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. april 26 , isss. with the Hon. Ivo Bligh’s team, having had a fair amount ol success. As an all-round player Barlow has certainly no superior at the present time. He bowls left-handed and bats right. He bowls medium pace, is always on the sticks, and when the ground helps him at all is most dangerous. For Lancashire against Derbyshire at Derby in 1881 he, bowled forty-one balls for three runs and six wickets, and in the match against Cambridge University last year he took five wickets for thirteen runs. Enough has already been said of proof of his stolid defence, and his performances in this way have never been equalled. The Saturday Review wittily styled him the “ Fabius Cunctator of cricket,” and in point of patience Jupp at his best was hardly his equal. His caution is, it must be ad­ mitted, at times overdone, but of its utility there can be no question, and more counties would be glad of a batsman of his order. In addition to his ability both in batting and bowling, he is a very fine field particularly at point, where he is very sure and quick. Barlow is a teetotaler as well as a non-smoker, a combination very rarely found on a cricket field. Civil and unassuming in demeanour as well as earnest in his attach­ ment to the game Barlow has won deserving popularitywherever he has figured as a cricketer, and no professional player bears a higher repu­ tation. At the close of Shaw’s Australian tour in the spring of 1882, Barlow and Pilling were the recipients of a special presentation from the Lancashire Colonists, and the former parti­ cularly is a great favourite at the Antipodes. A carefully-written little treatise on cricket from his pen, which though not exactly published, has met with considerable success, shows that he is well versed in the theory as well as the mere practice of the game. F ob the Married against the Single of the Western Club, at Eccles on Saturday, Armitage scored 110 out of a total of 258. T h e Eleven of Ardwick, on Saturday last, were dismissed for sixteen, by Longsight High School. T h e Egremont Club (Liverpool; has arranged a tour in Yorkshire. Malton, Hemsley, Hoving- ham Hall, Sessay and Thirsk are to be met. A trip to the Isle of Man is also on the card. A m o n g the names of those called to the bar last week, was that of Mr. A . Haskett-Smith, B.A. Mr. Smith will be remembered as one of the Oxford Eleven of 1879. U n ited H ospitals C h al l e n g e C up .— The following are the arrangements for this Cup competition, Guy’s having drawn the bye in the first round. All the preliminary matches will he played on the Half Moon Ground, at Putney, and the final at Kennington Oval on July 5. May 28, London v. St. Bartholomew’s. May 29, St. Thomas’s v. St. Mary’s. May 31, King’s College v. University College. June 5, Middlesex v. Charing Cross. T h e Liverpool Club has just issued a lengthy card of over sixty fixtures. Among the forty to be decided at home on the ground at Aigburth are matches with M.C.C. and Ground, Yorkshire Gentlemen, Free Foresters,Incogniti, Revellers, Friars, Shropshire, and Mr. Sydney Platt’s Eleven from Llanfairfechan. Matches, Liverpool Club and Ground v. Fifteen Colts of Lancashire withMr.Rcperas Captain,Liverpool v. Manchester and District are also arranged, and on July 26 and two following days Lancashire is to play Gloucestershire on the Club ground. Among the out matches are—May 14, v. Marlborough College, 16, 17, v. Clifton College, 18, 19, v. Cheltenham College, 30, 31, v. Uppingham School, June 2, v. Rossall School, 8, 9,v.Grange Club and Ground at Edinburgh, July 9 v. Notts Castle at Nottingham. G. Ubsdell is ground man and W . Bowley, J. White, F. W. and A . Price, of Notts, and W. Hunt, of Leicestershire, are the professionals. THE ENGL ISH TEAM IN AUSTRAL IA . (Continued frompage 39 ■) ENGLAND v. VICTORIA. (From the Melbourne Argus and Melbourne Age.) As might have been anticipated from the state of the game at the conclusion of the first day (March 9) a large amount of public interest was centred in the continuation of this match on the following morning. The five rows of seats round the Melbourne Cricket Ground were fairly well filled when the play commenced shortly after twelve o’clock, and during the lun­ cheon interval the attendance increased rapidly. The ground presented a fine appearance on the resumption of play after lunch, and at four o’clock the number of spectators had reached about 10,000. The Victorian total it was ex­ pected might reach 250, Boyle, who was not out with Midwinter on the previous evening, having lately shown much improved batting form. Although Midwinter soon lost his partner, through a smart catch at the wicket by Tyle­ cote, the anticipations of the Victorian sup­ porters were more than realised owing to the excellent assistance rendered by M ‘Shane to his side. The East Melbourne player has lately gone quite out of favour with observers of the game so far as his batting is concerned, and it may safely be said that M'Shane’s innings surprised as much as it gratified even his most ardent admirers. Joining Midwinter with the total at 221, he assisted the latter in bringing it up to 283, and contributed 27 of the 62 runs made during their partnership. Sticklers for form would doubtless find fault with some of M'Shane’s strokes, but his runs were, neverthe­ less, made without a chance being given; and the consistent patience of a batsman whose penchant for lashing out is so well known can­ not be too highly commended. Although destined to play a most sensational part in the afternoon’s cricket, it was not with the bat that Cooper distinguished himself, an appeal by Barnes to the Victoria umpire resulting in his being given out leg before wicket after scoring a single. The correctness of Mr. Hope’s decision was generally regarded as questionable, both Cooper and Midwinter being decidedly of opinion that the ball was played before striking the former’s leg; the innings, however, closed for 284, leaving Midwinter with a not out record of 92. Taking into consideration the quality of the opposing bowling and fielding, the performance was one which must be ranked in the very first class list. From start to finish Midwinter was never once tempted to take an unwarrantable liberty, hut, nevertheless, while presenting an impregnable front to the bowlers, treated every loose ball with unerring severity. Seldom has so big an innings been seen here in a first class match wherein nearly every ball has been treated with the full face of the bat, and so few runs made by those accidental strokes which are so worrying to a bo ifler. Those who witnessed the performance oeased to wonderhow Midwinter had compiled the colossal scores which in England placed him at the head of the lists of averages for both Gloucester County and the Marylebone Club, and admitted that his innings was worthy to be bracketed with those of Bannerman and Blackham compiled in previous matches against the English Eleven. Of the seven bowlers tried, Barnes did the best, seeuring five wickets for 70 runs, a good perform­ ance on so excellent a wicket. Owing to the strength of the opposing batting the others proved expensive, but C. T. Studd, as on many previous occasions, bowled an extraordinary proportion of maidens. The Englishmen fieldea well all round, and in some cases with marked brilliancy. Foremost in this respect were Bligh at point, Tylecote behind the wickets, G. B. Studd at mid-off, and Read and Vernon in the long field, each one of whom, at frequent intervals, brought forth ringing chcers from the spectators by their fine efforts. By no means appalled by the Victorians’ score, the Englishmen, knowing their great batting strength, started their first innings with perfect confidence, but the solitary hour during which the play lasted turned out to be the most disas­ trous they have experienced during their tour. During the squabbles which have recently oc­ curred in respect to the final match of the Englishmen, it is well known that many of the leading players expressed the decided opinion that on a good hard wicket W. H. Cooper would prove more fatal to the English batsmen than any bowlerin Australia, and therefore considered that the best Eleven of Victoria would have quite as good a show as a combined team in which Cooper would probably not have been selected. The result of the play between three and four o’clock proved conclusively the correctness of this opinion, for Cooper, unassisted by luck, per­ formed as no other Australian bowler has done against the splendid batsmen opposed. To dis­ pose of four such bats as C. T. Studd, Tylecote, Steel and Read within an hour, and at such trifling cost, is a feat which few bowlers could hope to accomplish ; and the fact that the first three mentioned were fairly beaten and clean howled msterially streng­ thens the belief that Cooper is on fast wickets the best slow bowler we have, or have had, in Australia. Without undue laudation of Cooper’s achievement, it may be fairly said that the bowling beat the batting. The rain which ultimately stopped the game was no assistance ; in fact the little which fell up to the final ad­ journment was decidedly against the bowlers, being just enough to make the ball “ greasy.” Palmer supported his captain ably, bowling Bates with one of those dreaded yorkers which have so often caused the downfall of the best batsmen. The complete collapse of the English batting surprised players and spectators alike. The necessity to “ follow on ” at present appears to be little short of certain. The strength of the English batting however has become quite a proverb amongst those who have seen them play, and their second innings may yet result in the Victorians having to fight for the viciory, which at present seems nearly assured. The wretchedly inclement weather of yesterday is to be regretted, and must of necessity severely handicap the visitors, for a good wicket under the circumstances cannot be expected, if indeed the ground this morning is fit to play on at all. The Victorians fielded well, Cooper at point beiDg especially noticeable ; but the Victorian captain exhibited some lack of judgment in dispensing with a point to his own bowling, in consequence of which several runs were actually given to the batsmen. The following particulars describe the details of T h e P l a y . The Englishmen took the field at ten minutes past noon, followed immediately by Midwinter and Boyle, the not out batsmen. Barnes bowled from the railway end to Midwinter, who snicked his fourth to leg for a single. Steel went on at the pavilion end, and Midwinter secured another single for a straight drive. Barnes’ next over was a maiden to Midwinter, and ditto Steel to Boyle. Another maiden from Barnes, and Boyle then drove Steel to long-off for a couple. In Barnes’ next Midwinter added 4 to the score for a capital log hit, but immediately lost Boyle, who was well caught at the wickets by Tylecote in Steel’s next over after having scored 4. 8 —i —221 went up, and M’Shane came in. Three byes were run off Steel’s next ball, aud M’Shane played a maiden from Barnes, Steel ditto to Midwinter, and M’Shane cut Barnes back through the slips for 4, which Read made a good attempt to save. Single to Midwinter off Steel for a drive along the turf, and four successive