Cricket 1886

“ Together joined in cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron, Registere^°or1T r a n s S o i Abroad. THURSDAY, MAY 6, 1866. PR ICE 2d. M R . W I L L I A M BRUCE . T he Fifth Australian—or, rather, “ The Mel­ bourne Club Australian Team,” as those who have the management of their affairs prefer to have them officially styled—will commence their heavy programme this day week on Lord Sheffield’s picturesque ground at Sheffield Park under very favourable circum­ stances. They cau boast at leastcreden­ tials in some respects superior to those of their predecessors. The fact that they come “ home ” under the auspices and direct control of the premier cricket body of the Colonies—the M.C.C. of Australia, whose hospitality to our own representatives has been frequently and most liberally shown, many a time and oft, would be suffi­ cient to ensure for Mr. Scott and the twelve cricketers under his command a hearty welcome. But beyond this they can boast another and important at­ traction which will invest tneir doings with exceptional interest. Several of those composing this Fifth Australian team are new to English grounds although well-known by reputation. S. P. Jones was here in 1882, but as on that occasion he was rather an emergency than a regular member of the team, and had not then won the name he now so deservedly owns—ho has yet to earn his English laurels. E. Evans, the veteran of the party, though English cricketers have been prepared to a certain extent to re­ ceive him with former teams, has also to make his first appearance before the British public. W. Bruce and J. Mcllwraith, too, are as yet strangers, and the appearance of the quartette last named will most cer­ tainly endow the present visit with unusualinterest. Though the youngest in years, W. Bruce’s cricket form is familiar to most of us in the old country by reason of his many good performances against our English players who have visited the Colonies. The Colt of The Fifth—beg pardon, The Melbourne Club Australian Team-—W. Bruce has only just reached his majority. Born in 1864 at South Yarra, a suburb of Melbourne,he is a native of Australia, as, indeed, are all the thirteen over here this year. Mr. Bruce—a good Scotch name— matriculated at the Scotch College, Melbourne, the training school of so many Victorian cricketers of renown. It is an excellent custom Club,whenhe had just completed his eighteenth year, he had already begun to make his mark. The statistics of the Australian season of 1882-83 proved his capabilities, beyond a doubt, as an all-round cricketer, for in addition to an excellent batting average of over twenty-two runs for sixteen completed innings, he did more bowling than any other Victorian, de­ livering 2,231 balls for 705runs and 66 wickets, each of which cost under eleven runs. The season of 1883-84 found him even more successful, and one of his achievements stands out prominently as the best of its kind in the Colonies. Up to that time the highest innings on an Australian ground had been Murdoch’s score of 321 for New South Wales against Victoria in the memor­ able match at Sydney on Feb. 10,1882, when the Victorians had to field out for 775 runs. This feat, great as it was, though, was beaten by Mr.Bruce, then in his twentieth year, on Jan. 12, 1884, on the Melbourne Ground. The Melbourne Club on that occasion made a big score of 635 for eight wickets, against the Hotham Club, to which Mr. Bruce contributed no less than 328, not out, the best on record by an Australian batsman at the present time. His play throughout this innings, which lasted two Satur­ day afternoons, was of the best order, and his runs, it may be added, were not got against weak or inferior bowl­ ing. “ Felix" in the Australasian , indeed, spoke in the highest terms of his display. “ His strokes were executed,” wrote “ Felix,” “ with all his characteristic vigour and neatness, and at no time during his long innings did he display any reckless or hap­ hazard hitting.” He had, meanwhile, figured in the Inter-Colonial match for Victoria against New SouthWales, as well aswith no small success against the Hon. Ivo Bligh’s English team which visited the Colonies in the winter of 1882-83. Though in his first Intercolonial, begun at Melbourne on Dec. 24, 1882, he was only able to score one notch in his two innings, he had just previously shown to distinct advantage for Eleven of Victoria against the English players on the same ground,that of the Melbourne Club. His second score of 40 was indeed the highest on the Victorian side, and his innings was the more praiseworthy as the runs were got at a time when they were really much wanted. Mr. Bruce’s name was men­ tioned in connection with the visit of the of the Melbourne Club to present a compli­ mentary ticket of membership to the best cricketer of the year in each of the Public Schools in the Metropolitan District. This distinction fell to Mr. Bruce in 1881, and in this way commenced a connection with the premier Club of Australia, which has remained uninterrupted to the present day. The next year (1882) found him a member of the first eleven of the Melbourne Club, so that his reputation, one of the very best in the Colonies, as an all-round cricketer has been built up during the short space of five years. During the whole of this period Mr. Bruce’s perform­ ances both with bat and ball have been singularly consistent. Even at the commence­ ment of his connection with the Melbourne