Cricket 1889

i?EB. 21, 1889. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE' GAME. 23 reached Montague Pass at 11.30, a fine piece of engineering, very pretty and thickly wooded. We saw no life, however, though baboons and buck are said to be plentiful there. On nearing the top we find our­ selves literally “ in the clouds,” which were discharging their contents in volumes, which, aided by a wind, penetrated every­ where, and very soon drenched us through and through. Belief came in the shape of a quaint little Dutch shanty called the North Station Hotel, where those who were worst off got a change—some of us having bags with us. General scramble for ducks, fowls, and “ whiskey nate ”—hoorooh! “ Where is the sixth cart with Abel and Fothergill ? ” “ Many a mile behind ” it appeared, and half au hour later they arrived wet to the skin. They had done the last two miles on foot, their horses having broken down, and to make the best of things had been blackberrying on the way. North of the range we found the roads very heavy from the rains—but whiled away the time by stalking hawks, inspecting ostriches from a wise distance. When about a mile from the Oliphants River the two first carts, with Smith, Bowden, Coventry, and Read in them, are met by a Cape cart and three or four horsemen—genuine Dutch Boers —to announce the awful news, “ The river has come down,” and we should be unable to cross, as there is no bridge. The idea of having to outspan for the night on the beldt was not pleasant. Reaching the river we find a regu­ lar torrent rushing by. Some more horsemen have just crossed, and say we may be able to cross if we do so at once ; others advise us not, as there are many dangerous quicksands in the bed of the river, and if our horses should stick in them they would not answer for the result. However, our jarveys are reliable, and, preceded by a couple of horse­ men, in we plunge. The first stream is crossed easily, but the main stream is deeper and more difficult; the water is soon above the floor of the ca rt; for a moment we stick fa st; an exciting moment, in which we clutch our coats ready to strip and jump ; the horses, however, are game, and struggle desperately on, and, amid intense excitement, we find ourselves reaching terra fcrma , greeted by shouts and cheers from a crowd ready to receive us on the ground. The rest of the journey was quickly got over, and we reach Oudtshoorn ready and anxious for a good dinner, and not much the worse for our drive. FOURTH MATCH— v. TWENTY-TWO OF SOUTH-WEST DISTRICT OF CAPE COLONY. The recent rains had made the air fairly fresh at Oudtshoorn, so that cricket was more pleasant than it would have been a week pre­ viously, when the thermometer stood at 110 degrees in the shade. On first entering the cricket field our boys were a bit alarmed, for never a blade of grass was there, the ground itself being light brick- coloured clay, sprinkled with white sand to absorb some of the water which had fallen on Saturday. The broi ing sun beating down on this made at first an insupportable glare. The match itself, played on January 7,8, and 9, proved a walk-over for the Englishmen, the Twenty-two being weaker than any team they have yet had to meet. The wicket itself— matting, of course—was excellent, and played beautifully, and once accustomed to the glare there was but little excuse for getting out, for the local bowling was not very dangerous. Their batting, two, was more of the standard we expected to have to meet in a general way when leaving England : in fact, more oil a par with the majority of “ twenty-twos” to be met with up country in Australia. Van Reeven won the toss, and elected to bat. Smith and Briggs did the trundling, and the batsmen made a very sorry show against them, forming a funeral procession ’twixttent and wickets. Not a single man of the local side reached double figures, and the grand total amounted in all to 53, Briggs getting the majority, twelve wickets for 32 runs, and Smith eight wickets for 12 runs. The English­ men in their turn with the willow did not commence very grandly, as Read was bowled off his pads for 4, and Bowden clean bowled for 3. This was followed by a magnificent ruuning catch in the deep-field by Anderson (a local blacksmith) which dismissed Frank Hearne—this being the third time in four consecutive innings that that batsman has been got rid of by a gallery catch. Abel totted up a slow and steady eighteen. But when Briggs and Smith got together the bowling was collared, both playing steady cricket, the former to the tune of 37, and the latter 50. And on their dismissal the next day a great contrast was shown by Wood, who played a dashing innings of 85, somewhat luckily, being four times missed. However, it was a fine display of smart cricket, lifting the ball three times clean over the bamboo fencing. He found assistance in the shape of an excellent 34 not outfrom M’Master. The two remaining batsmen stayed a very short time, and the innings closed for 268. The whole of one day being left for the local team to bat through, the result was a certain win for the Englishmen, as it proved, though the Twenty- two made a much more creditable show, five men attaining the proud distinction of double figures, "Van aer Spey’s 26 standing out promi­ nently. Grieve and Fothergill were the trundlers up to lunch, when the former had obtained four wickets for 33 and the latter three for 27. After the interval Briggs took Grieve’s end, and obtained six wickets for 44, and Smith at the other end got six for 23 runs, the local total’reaching the decent score of 135. The Englishmen, however, having an appar­ ently “ soft thing,” on, were not on their mettle, and at four o’clock were left victors in an innings and 80 runs to spare. Their score of 268 should prove of immense advantage to them as a practice for the forthcoming Kim ­ berley match, where I am told the grounds are also innocent of grass, and the glare very trying, and where they will have to meet the best sides pitted against them in their tour. S outh -W est D istrict . First Innings. Second InniDgs. C. Anderson, c Abel, b Briggs............................ 3 b Smith ......... 0 D. Hainsworth, c Hearne, b Smith ...................... 1 b Briggs ......... 4 F. H.Prince, b Briggs 3 b Grieve ......... 4 A. Vintcent. b Briggs 0 b Briggs ......... 11 F. Wrensch, c Read, b Briggs............................ 3 lbw, b Smith ... 9 S Pilkington, b Briggs ... J. B. Van Beenen, lbw b Briggs............... ......... 0 b Briggs ......... 0 6 c Read, b Briggs 12 A. Mortimer, c Briggs, b Sm ith............................ 0 b Briggs ......... 9 H. Innes, c Bowden, b Sm ith............................ 3 b Smith ......... 7 C. B. Black, c Wood, b Briggs...................... 1 st Bowden, b D. Crozier, lbw, b Briggs... 4 Smith ......... b Grieve ......... 12 7 D. van Niekerk, b Smith... 0 c Hearne, b H. van der Spuy, b Smith 0 Smith ......... c Wood, b Foth­ 1 R. Hudson, b Smith......... 7 ergill ......... st Grieve, b 26 T. Searle, b Briggs ......... 0 Fothergill b Grieve ......... 1 4 E. Puckle. b Briggs ......... 0 run out ......... 5 G. Simes, b Smith ......... 0 run out ......... 0 H. W. Parsons, c Abel, b Brigrgs........................... H. Fullerton, c Fothergill, b Smith ... ............. 4 b Smith ......... 0 0 lbw, b Smith ... 10 F. Anderson, run out 5 b Fothergill ... 0 G. Boulton, st Hearne, b Briggs......... ................ 3 not out ......... 1 G. Wallis, not out ......... 1 b Grieve ......... 4 B 7, lb 2...................... 9 B 5, lb 2, nb 1 8 Total ... ......... 53 Total ...135 E nglish T eam Atel, c VanKeenen, b Mr. B. H. Grieve, c Mortimer......... ... 18 Puckle,bMortimer 7 Read, b Searle ......... 4 Mr.E.M’Master, not Mr. M. P. Bowden, b out ...................... 34 Mortimer............... 3 Fothergill, c Ander­ Hearne, c Anderson, son, b Mortimer... 6 b Searle ............... 11 Mr. A. C. Skinner, b t"riggs, c Van Beenen, Searle ................ 0 b Mortimer ......... 37 B l, lb l,w lO.nbl 13 Mr. C. A. Smith, b — Vincent ............... 50 Total ......... 68 Wood, c Wallace, b Innes...................... 85 BOWLING ANALYSIS. S outh -W est D istrict . First Innings. Second Innings. O. M. R. W . O. M. R. W . Briggs......... 24 12 32 12 ............21 7 44 5 Smith......... 23 16 12 8 .......... 21 13 23 7 Fothergill 17 5 27 3 Grieve ... 17 6 33 4 The inhabitants of Oudtshoorn were anxious for us to pay a visit to the great Cango Cave, and for that purpose a large party was gathered together to give us a farewell picnic, and last Thursday morning at sunrise a long string of carts, coaches, and horsemen left the Dutch village amid much blowing of horns. Having been very late at a smoking concert the pre­ vious night, it was sometime before any of our boys showed signs of life. The scenery at first was not striking, and nothing but tobacco plant and prickly pear gave us any interest. However, after a couple of hours we came to the Zwartberg Pass of which we had heard so much, but save for a pretty drift we were somewhat disappointed with the pass, till we arrived at what we thought must almost be the top of the mountains (we were afterwards told we had some 1,800 feet more to get u p ); here we outspanned, and after a rapid break­ fast, the whole party in correct rig, began the ascent of the hill to the caves. We looked a quaint sight, too, in all kinds of garbs, pyjamas, flannels tucked up to the knees, handkerchiefs for caps—it is beyond me to describe the dresses of the ladies, of whom there were many. Well, a quarter of an hour brought us to the mouth of the caves, and, each one lighting bis candle, we proceeded into the bowels of the earth, the ladies being guided first, and, of course, making the pace slow. Oh, that I had the pen of a poet to describe the beauties of these huge caves. Sights far beyond the imagination. The first passage brought us to a ledge overlooking a vast hall almost 200ft. in length, half that in breadth, and fully 60 or 70 feet high. It was a beautiful sight from the ledge to see the candle lights—fully 150 in number—moving here and there in strings and groups. A magnesian light was set going, producing a weird effect as it lit up the figures moving away down a long gallery in the distance. Ih is gallery led into another huge chamber, whose dimensions it was quite impossible to calculate, being in three parts, with many pillars formed by the junction of stalactite and stalaqucite had joined—appar­ ently supported the roof some 50ft. above. One of these chambers is termed the cathedral, and indeed one could imagine oneself to be in the m ins of a great cathedral, for one side was a large mass of stalactite from roof to floor, showing a frontage, for all the world like the pipes of a great organ, and at one end a pulpit, which from its formation might have been made by hand, shone out clear and white—when strong lights were produced, over­ looking the great chamber which stretched to darkness, which it was impossible to penetrate. The “ Boss ” somewhat spoilt the effect on our minds by insisting on delivering a stump speech from this elevati n, until seized and dragged down. Then came a series of galleries and chambers,which it is beyond my pen to describe, but whose roofs were a mass of shining eryst.il, as yet unbroken by the ruthless tourist, sup­ ported by many great pillars, from which, when tapped, rang out a deep note of music which resounded and re-echoed through these won­ derful halls. Of course the floors were not quite (Continued on page 27.) NEXT ISSUE, MARCH 21.