Cricket 1885

APRIL 23, 1885. CRICKET; A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME, 67 TH E IN T E R -C O L O N IA L M ATCH . A F ew R ecollections . The following sketch of Inter-colonial cricket is reproduced from the Mtlbourne Arijus. As many of the cricketers whose names are therein mentioned as contributors to the successes of the contests between Victoria and New South Wales have proved their abilities on the grounds of the old country, the article will present many fea­ tures of interest to English cricketers. The inter-colonial match attained its majority in December, 1877, when, with the best men of either colony away in England, the Sydney second division won without the trouble of going to the wickets a second time. That was at a time when Sydney was omnipotent in the cricket field, and Vic­ torians despondently wondered whether away in the future, half a century hence, there was indeed a prospect of the acclima­ tised Oxford blue being again in the van. If fervent hopes could have worked the change, it would have come soon enough; but cricketing talent is the more active revolu­ tionary agent, and by this means alone Victoria once more gained the ascendancy. Midwinter shook the dust of Gloucester from his feet and arose and came to his father. Out at South'Melbourne, the execu­ tive of the club, always on the look-out for unconsidered trifles in the cricketing line, found Palmer luxuriating amongst a team of colts, and soon had him in the front rank. They have most conscientiously repeated this colts’ match every year since that time, but have concluded that Palmers are not numerous, even amongst junior cricketers. W. H. Cooper, too, who only tried cricket at a mature age as a game rather superior to bowls or billiards, learned to make a cricket ball do such mean things in the way of swerving from a straightforward course as bowlers before him had only dreamed about. These three men were largely instrumental in doing for Victoria what Spofforth and Evans had previously done for New South Wales. In the earlier inter-colonial matches the army and navy took a prominent part. Only occasional rumours of continental wars were wafted to Australia, so the soldiers became aggressive with a cricket bat instead of a sword. Captain Hotham set them a very bad example by manufacturing the first pair of spectacles ever made in an inter­ colonial match, but Lieutenant Gordon atoned for the failure of his brother-in-arms by an innings of 121 at Melbourne in 1870. In glancing over these old records, it is curious to note the debut of the men who are now the leading figures in Australia. Boyle played in the fifteenth match as a recruit from Sandhurst, and excelled with the bat rather than the ball, as he made the second highest score on the Victorian side, but never got a chance in the bowling depart­ ment, Allan and Cosstick were quite suffi­ cient for Victoria that year, and more;than sufficient for Sydney. Boyle was recognised as a bowler, however, when he clean bowled W. G. Grace, a feat not then considered within the power of any cricketer in Aus­ tralia. For years people were amazed at the reckless way in which the Sandhurst fields­ man in the black and yellow cap threw his legs about the ground, and occasionally threw down one of his opponents’ wickets just to vary the monotony. The match in which Horan first appeared was a disastrous one for Victoria, as it proved the opening match of a series of seven victories for the Sydney team. Some good cricketers date ‘heir success from that match, however, as Blackham and Slight were for the first time placed in a Victorian eleven. On the part of the New South Wales team Spofforth, too, gave his first exhibition of head-over-heels bowling. It was altogether such a remark­ ably novel style of bowling that the people could only sit and wonder which was going the fastest, the man or the ball. A couple of seasons later, however, the Victorian batsmen went faster than either of them. Their pace was shown in going to and from the wicket, while the Sydney men, as a rule, did their going between them. Midwinter came out as the interesting infant of the match played in Sydney in 1875, when as a bowler he took six wickets and made the highest score in the first innings of Victoria with a modest 15, not out. In the language of one of the inhabitants of Bret Harte’s mining camps, he was “ a man of no account ” until, as one of a Victorian 15, he met the professional team brought to the colonies by Lillywhite in 1876. Alfred Shaw, one of the leading members of that team, came to us with the reputation of being able to make a cricket ball do almost anything except to miss the wicket, and on the day of the match it was considered a very creditable thing when Alexander, the first man in'for Victoria, scored a dozen runs from the English bowling. Later on, however, Midwinter smote Shaw’s bowling gloriously, the ball pattering on the roof of the grand stand and knocking splinters from the M.O.O. flagstaff in a way that drove the spectators wild with delight. When Victoria won the match, Mid became so popular that, as we remarked at the time, had his inclinations run in the way of legislative honours, he could have got an unanimous vote of approval that night from any body of electors in Victoria. Horan in the same match scored splendidly, and although, as already stated, his inclusion in the Victorian team marked a redical change in the fortunes of the game, no player claims a greater number of three- figure scores in the records of inter-oolonial cricket. It is significant evidence of the longevity of cricketers, and ample proof of their love for the game, that in a recent inter-colonial match played in Melbourne there were among the spectators in the M.C.C. pavilion two men who had taken part in the first match. These were T. F. Morres, a member of the Victorian team, and F. Hilliard, who played for New South Wales. Long after his retirement from the first division Morres was a prominent figure in provincial cricket, and has played quite recently for East Melbourne. How many good cricketers have, like the “ Village Hampden,” or “ mute inglorious Milton,” of Gray’s poem, been lost for want of one more chance? C. Bannerman, who played so brilliantly a few years ago, was a distinct failure at the outset, and at last it was suggested that he should be rejected for a supposed better man. The Sydney cricket­ ing authorities leniently gave him one more chance, however, and he used it to the very best advantage. Those who thought Ban­ nerman had disappeared entirely from cricket will have been rather surprised at the brilliant form he has been showing of late. Other reminiscences of past inter-colonial contests cropped up on the same occasion. Among several volunteer bowlers who were doing their best to bring out the powers of the Sydney batsmen was one whose peculiar round-arm delivery, although not seen in an important match in Melbourne for some time past, could not easily be mistaken. The energetic amateur “ coach” was Coates, who a few seasons back treated Victorian wickets like nine-pins. Cricketing talent,like many other virtues— and some evils—seems hereditary. In Eng­ land the name of Grace is a heritage of good fortune to anyone with inclinations in the way of cricket, and over in Sydney the name of Gregory is always supposed to indicate talent in the same direction. The names of the three Gregorys were as familiar on colonial cricket grounds as were those of the three Graces in the old country. After the first- named trio had beaten three picked Victorian players in a challenge single-wioket matoh, their prowess was so highly esteemed in New South Wales that the idea of sending them home to play the three Graces a simi­ lar match was seriously considered. This proposal was more patriotic,but less practical, than some other projects in the same way that have since been carried into effect. The old saying that a bad beginning means a good ending was exemplified with both M’Donnell and Scott, who came out in the match played at Sydney in 1878. M’Donnell made as poor a start as a cricketer can make, his achievement being a pair of those objec­ tionable spectacles, while Scott came back with a modest average of one run per innings. The latter, however, made up for his failure with the bat by a fine bowling performance, as he won the trophy from all comers, his figures being six wickets for 33 runs in an innings for 120. One of the best of the latter-day batsmen in New South Wales, A. Bannerman, actually found a place in the first Australian Eleven without passing through the ordeal of a single inter­ colonial match, and is the only batsman in either who made such a remarkable stride in the direction of progress. Murdoch showed very poor ability as a batsman before his inclusion in the first Australian Eleven, and in three innings played in inter-colonial matches never once reached a double figure score. This fact leads one to conjecture how many other good men might develope the same remarkable powers if Australian Elevens were so managed that players of promise could have the benefit of that great educational influence in cricket—an English tour. In each colony there is at least one player who has retained his batting form in a remarkable degree. T. J. D. Kellyplayed his first match for Victoria at the Redfern ground, Sydney, in 1865, when the visitors won, with an innings to spare, Kelly making 46, the highest score for his side. Nearly ten years later, when Bannerman made his first big score of 81, Kelly went 5better, and won a handsome silver cup by his skill with the bat, and only the other day he heljJed to win another match for Victoria by a fine innings of 50 on the Association ground, In the records of matches played during the last 15 years the words “ c Kelly” figure frequently, and old cricketers seeing this will remember the cat-like activity with which he sprang about and snapped up the ball at point. Just as no other Australian has rivalled Murdoch with the bat, Spofforth with the ball, or Blackham at the wickets, so in the cricket history of the colony Kelly stands above all others as the finest fields­ man at point ever seen ’ in Australia. His prototype on the Sydney side is D, Gregory, who came out in quite modern times com­ pared with Kelly, and made a less promising start, as he failed to score a run in his first two innings. In later years he atoned for those mistakes, however, by some fine scores, and has not quite finished yet, as he would have been chosen in the present New South Wales eleven but for the fact that business