Cricket 1886

“ Together joined in cricket’s man ly toil.”— Byron. P^SIstered°for^Transmission Abroad. THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 1886. PR ICE 2d. MAJOR W A R D I L L . W hen it was announced that the Melbourne Club had definitely resolved to send a team of Australian cricketers home, the Colonial press, with one consent, voted the Secretary of that great cricket institution to be the person best of all fitted to have the control of its affairs. The principal object of M.C.C. in undertaking the tour, it cannot be too often pointed out, was to remove a feeling of irritation said to exist in the minds of English cricketers with regard to the treatment of the profes­ sionals who visited the Colonies in the winter of 1884, by the leaders of the last Australian team. Under the circumstances, it was felt, and rightly, that the management of this Fifth Australian team would require certain essentials which, it must be admitted, had not been conspicuous in the ad­ ministrations of some of the previous trips. The position of a manager of such an undertakingdemands no small amount of tact as well as business aptitude. His marked success in the onerous position of Secretary of the first cricket club of Australia had proved conclusively, too, that Major Wardill possessed both these attri­ butes in a marked degree, and it therefore gave great satisfaction to Australian cricketers, when it was learned that he had been able to make arrangements for the trip. A Vic­ torian by virtue of a quarter of a century’s residence, the Secretary of the Melbourne Club is the only one of the fourteen members of the party now here whom England can claim on the score of birthright. Benjamin Johnson Wardill is in fact a Lanca­ shire lad. Born at Everton, Liverpool, in Oct., 1842, he received, as became a native of that city, a business edu­ cation at the Liverpool Collegiate Institution. His fancy, though, soon turned in the direction of the cricket field. As early as 1859, indeed, he had his first experience of Secretarial duties, acting during that and the following year as Secretary and Treasurer of the Breckfield Club, Liverpool. His con­ nection, though, with English cricket was only of short duration. His removal to Victoria in 1861 caused him to seek fresh woods, as well as pastures new, and since that time he has been solely identified with colo­ nial sport. His first appearance in a match of with success, getting four batsmen in the second innings, at the wickets, two stumped and two caught. As a wicket-keeper he con­ tinued for several years to do good service in Inter-colonial matches, as well as for the Mel­ bourne Club, until he took to rifle shooting, in whichewas destined to play a still more con­ spicuous part. His interest in the Volunteer movement, first actively shown in Liverpool in 1859, has never flagged. He has, in­ deed, gone through all the grades from Gunner to Major, and the Harbor Trust Battery, now under his com­ mand, is one of the finest Artillery Corps in Australia. Rifle shooting in Victoria was practically resuscitated by his energy. In addition to other important offices he occupied the Secretaryship of the Victorian Rifle Association, and was for many years on the council of that institution. His record of successes as a shot, too, was no mean one. In the first match between Victoria and New South Wales, he was the top scorer of the latter, and in addition he won the Sar­ good trophy, and several other prizes besides, ^securing in two successive years the special prize given to the winner of the greatest number of prizes at.theRifle Association meetings at Melbourne. He was, too, one of the Victorians who visited Wimbledon in 1876 on their way to compete at the first Rifle Competition at Creedmoor (U.S.A.) during the Philadelphian Exhibition. Though the Americans proved to be the winners of this Com­ petition, with Ireland second, the Victorians did well to come in third, and it was said, indeed, to be a tie between Scotland and Australia for the third place. Actively connected with the Melbourne Cricket Club since 1862, Major Wardill was elected to occupy the responsible position of Secretary to that important society in 1878. The eight years during which he has held office have proved his fitness beyond all doubt. No better proof of his adminstrative capacity can be given*than that the muster roll of members, which at the time of his election only showed 400, now amounts to 2,000. During his Secretaryship, too, as much as £25,000 has been spent in various im­ provements to the ground, in new pavilion, grand stand, embankments, and other accom­ modation for the public, combining to make the enclosure of the Melbourne Club one of the most complete and best arranged in the any importance in Australia was during the visit of the second English team, that under the captaincy of George Parr. He was one of the Twenty-two of Victoria which opposed the Englishmen in their first match on New Year’s Day, 1864, and singularly, J. Conway, the manager of the first Australian team, was one of his mates on that ocoasion. His cricket about this time musthave been much abovethe average, and several of his'performances were distinctly creditable. There was no Inter­ colonial match in 1864-65, but the match between Melbourne and Sydney Albert, at Sydney, early in 1865, in which Mr. Wardill took part, was practically an Inter-colonial contest. He represented Victoria, though, against Sixteen of Tasmania early in 1866,and