Cricket 1884

mae . 27* 1884. CEICKET; A WEEKLY EECOED OF THE GAME. 41 T he two new members of the team, Scott and Cooper, are, it may be of interest to many to know, neither of them very young players. Cooper, who by the way, I believe to be English by birth, is well over thirty, and Scott, if my informant (one of the best judges of cricket in the Colonies) is correct, is in his twenty-sixth year. C o o p e r , it will be remembered, played havoc with some of the best batsmen of the Hon. Ivo Bligh’steam in their last match at Melbourne, and on a fast wicket he has usually been very effective, having a great break from the leg. He is a splendid field at point, and that he is an excellent judge of the game can be proved by his election to choose the Victorian teams for the two last years. Those who remember Mr. A. H. Stratford’s peculiar delivery will have a good idea of Cooper’s style of bowling. Scott, as many will recollect, played a very fine innings of 114, not out, for Vic­ toria v. New South Wales last December, and he was in while 272 runs were scored. He is a good fast bowler, getting up very quickly from the pitch, and in addition is a splen­ did field. As I was the first to announce, the team are now well on their way here onboard theP.&O. steamer1 Sutlej,” and if all goes well they should reach London on the 27th of next month. The“ Sutlej” leftKingGeorge’sSound yesterday week, and according to the time tables her resting places will be at Colombo, on April 1, Aden, April 10,and Suez on the 16th ofthat month. It may interest some C eic k e t readers to know that letters posted up to April 4, and addressed to care of the P. & 0 . agent, will reach them at Suez. In all probability the team will, I understand, be the guests of the committee of the Surrey County Cricket Club at the annual dinner of that society, which is to be held under the presidency of Lord Monson, in the Club House at Kennington Oval, on Tuesday, May 6. B y the way the Australians will hardly, I should fancy, relish the team they will have to meet in what is now the opening match of their programme. I believe there was a tacit understanding that the Earl of Sheffield’s Eleven, to meet them at Sheffield Park on May 12, would not be a carefully assorted one. “ Events are stronger than men,” though, if I may be allowed to quote a recent expression of Lord Derby on Egypt­ ian matters, and Lord Sheffield’s team will be about as strong as the Colonials will like. Mr. W. G. Grace, Shaw, Shrewsbury, Barnes, Ulyett, Harri­ son, Barlow, and Jesse Hide, I believe are all certainties, and I understand that possibly the Rev. F. J. Greenfield, and H. Phillips will also be included in the eleven. U n til this year Murdoch’s memor­ able total of 321 for New South Wales against Victoria in the Inter­ national match at Sydney on Feb 10, 1882, was the highest innings ever made in Australia. On Jan 12 last, though this big score was eclipsed by the 328 not out of W. Bruce—a young Victorian, whommany thought on bis form of last season would probably be a member of the Fourth Australian team—for Melbourne v. Hotliam on the Melbourne Ground. T h e score will be found in another part of the paper, but such an excep­ tional feat deserves more than a mere tabular record, and the following comments of “ Felix ” in the Austra­ lasian will be found interesting:— In alluding to Bruce’s achievement, one must not be imbued with the idea that his runs were made against weak or inferior bowling. The Hotham bowlers are very fair indeed, especially Munro and O'Brien ; and though the large total of 635 for eight wickets was made against them in this match, they caused Bruce and his comrades to play the game right through. Hence all the more credit is due to Bruce for his really great performance. His strokes were executed with all his characteristic vigour and neatness, and at no time during his long innings, which lasted two Saturdays, did he display any reckless or haphazard hitting. Playing a fine, clean, resolute, and wristy game, he punished all the loose ones and maintained such a splendid defence that the Hotham bowlers grew almost dis­ heartened. When Bruce had got well on towards the 300, it was clear his intention if possible was to beat the highest score on record in the colonies, and that he has suc­ ceeded in doing so must be eminently satis­ factory to himself and all his friends. I heartily congratulate him on his grand score and on the high order of the play he showed in composing it. Of the Hotham bowlers Greenwood deserves special mention, his figures of 186 balls, 62 runs, 9 maidens, and 4 wickets being first-rate, when one con­ siders the enormous total realised by the M.O.C. I t was hardly likely that such a splendid performance would go unre­ warded by such keen sportsmen as Australia can boast. It is no surprise therefore to find that there was a large gathering in the Pavilion of the Mel­ bourne Club onFeb 2 ,to witness apre- sentation by the Melbourne Club in appreciation of this feat. The gift was made by Mr. F. G. Smith, one of the vice - presidents of the Melbourne Club. It consisted of a prettily designed and neatly executed epergne, which bore the following inscrip­ tion :— Presented by the M.C.C. to W. Bruce, Esq., to commemorate his having made the highest Bcore on record in the Australian colonies—328, not out—M.C.C. v. Hotham C.C., 19th and 26th January, 1884. S. J o n es , who will be remembered as one of theAustralian Team of 1882, was credited with a tall performance in run-getting on Feb. 6. for Sydney University against the Belvidere Club. He made 120 runs in less than an hour. His score included no less than 21 fours. Jones was one of the most popular members of the Third Australian Team. H. B ss, well-known in connection with Incogniti, M.C.C., and Somer­ setshire, has apparently been having a pleasant winter on the cricket fields of Australia. His name appeared recently as one of the eleven which represented the Stage against East Melbourne Club at Melbourne, when he helped the actors with a useful score of 23. A little later he was doing good service for the Kew Club against South Melbourne, and in this match, which resulted in the defeat of the latter by 61 runs on the first inn­ ings, at the second attempt he was credited with a very well got 37 not out. T h e Sydney Mail of Jan. 26 is responsible for the following :— “ In a match played at Parramatta on Saturday last, between the second eleven of the Alfreds and Coates and Harper’s team, a wonderful bowling feat was accomplished by Smith, of the former club, who opened the match by bowling five wickets in five consecutive balls. The first, however, teas a trial, and he consequently bowled thefirst man twice. At the close of the innings he had taken seven wickets for nine runs. On the same day Ryder, of the Britannia (Parramatta) Club, took nine wickets (four in one over) for three runs.” Next Issue of CRICKET will be published Thursday, April 17.