Cricket 1908

C R I C K E T " A W EEK LY RECORD OF T H E GAME. N O V E M B E R 2 6 , 1 9 0 8 . A CHAT ABOUT Mr. J. DARLING. Seeing that he is now in his thirty- ninth year and that he played only once for his State last season, it can hardly come as a surprise to cricketers to learn that Darling has announced his retire­ ment from the game, and, see­ ing that he left Adelaide on September 29th with his family in order to settle on his sta­ tion in Tasmania, it may be taken for granted that he will not, like several famous singers, indulge in a series of farewell performances. He will carry with him into retirement many pleasant memories of per­ sonal triumph and, what to him will be even more acceptable, of successes gained by sides under his leadership, whilst he will leave behind him a name honoured the world over as that of a man who “ played the game” in the best sense of the word. He was a born captain and, although he had no easy or enviable task be­ fore him when he was elected to succeed (jr. H. S. Trott in that responsible role, he acquitted himself so well that during the time he filled the position the highest and best traditions of Australian leadership were well maintained. He invariably showed much skill in making his bowling changes, and the celerity with which he would notice that a batsman had a favourite stroke, and would make his arrange­ ments accordingly, must have saved his side hundreds of runs. Possessing a sound and most in­ timate knowledge of everything appertaining to cricket, he was always fully alive to every move in the game, and his masterly tactics infused an amount of con­ fidence into those under him which it would be difficult to over-estimate. Darling, in fact, was essen­ tially a player whose value to his side could not possibly be judged by a perusal of score- sheets. Many players have gained a larger average, but few occupy so honoured a posi­ tion iu the history of the game. Ia addition to rankiug as a most admirable captain, he must also be regarded as one of the best he then gave. Australia were set 275 to win against good bowlers, including Richard­ son, who had taken eight wickets for 94 runs in the first innings. Darling was in his very best form, and, hitting brilliantly, scored 10 0 out 'of 252 in two hours and three-quarters, pulling off the game for his side by six wickets. He hit thirty 4’s, and punished the truly great bowling of Richard- son with merciless severity. Many good judges who saw the innings did not hesitate to de­ scribe it as perhaps the best ever played in Australia, taking the circumstances into consideration. However that may be, certain it is that it must rank as the best display ever given by the subject of these remarks. When Darling was only ten months old his father, the Hon. John Darling, the senior member for West Adelaide, introduced into the House of Assembly a Bill consisting of one clause to give the Corporation power to lease a portion of the Park Lands for a “ Central Cricket Ground.” Only one person, Mr. Robert Cottrell, voted against the measure, and the ground which was thus in­ augurated has long been known to cricketers all over the world as the Adelaide Oval. (Mr. John Hill, father of the other crack South Australian left - hander, Clement Hill, is also prominently associated with the early history of the famous ground, for he was the first cricketer to play a three- figure innings there — 10 2 not out for North Adelaide against Kent on January 26th, 1878.) Joseph Darling showed considerable ap­ titude for the game whilst still quite a boy, it being, in fact, just before he completed his fifteenth year that he came prominently before the public through playing an innings of 252 for Prince Alfred College against St. Peter’s on the Adelaide Oval, and there­ by exceeding George Giffen’s score of 209 not out, which had up to that time ranked as the record for the State. Darling batted a little over six hours for his runs, and offered only two chances—when 109 and 230. In reporting the match Cricket stated, “ His hitting on the off aide was as good as one could wish to see, but on left-handed batsmen ever produced by Aus­ tralia, or, indeed, by any country. With plenty of strokes and defence, as well as hitting power, he was one of the very best types of a left handed bat. He could adapt himself to any game, and, with any amount of nerve, could always be relied upon at a crisis. At times he gave one the impression Photo by] [Ffiihling Studio , Adelaide. Mu. J. D a r lin g . of indulging in defensive play to an un­ necessary extent, and the idea would be strengthened when one remembered how brilliantly he could hit if he wished. His driving pow’er has seldom been surpassed, and those who witnessed his innings of 160 at Sydney in the final Test match of the tour of 1897-8 will not readily forget the display