Cricket 1911

578 RUGBY FOOTBALL AND CRICKET. November 18, 1911. An Interes ting Jubilee. During our non-cricket season of 1861-2 an English team, under the captaincy of H. H. Stephenson, of Surrey, visited Australia for the first time. The side sailed from Liverpool on October 19th in the Great Britain and con­ sisted of H. H. Stephenson, Cr. Bennett, W. Caffyn, G. Griffith, T. Hearne, R. Iddison, C. Lawrence, W. Mort- lock, W. Mudie, T. Sewell, jun., E. Stephenson and G. Wells. Of those twelve players only two—Caffyn (born February 2nd, 1828) and Lawrence (born December 16th, 1828)—survive. A dozen matches were arranged, all against odds, and, of the eight finished, six were won by the tourists : their two defeats were sustained at the hands of X X II. of New South Wales and Victoria and X X II. of Castlemaine, the former winning by twelve wickets and the latter by three. The team was taken out by Messrs. Spiers and Pond, who laid out seven or eight thousand pounds and are said to have made fully ten thousand by their enterprise. Bach man received £150 and had all his expenses paid, but although the terms were generous enough for those times they were unable to induce Caesar, Daft, Parr, Jackson, Willsher, Lockyer, Hayward, Carpenter, Grundy, Anderson and others to make the trip. The promoters, as already stated, made a handsome profit: in fact the takings on the first day-— when XVIII. of Victoria were met, and half-a-crown was charged for admission—covered the expenses of the whole tour. It is not generally known that a journal was kept of the Great Britain’s voyage by Alexander Reid, who was accidentally drowned in Cook’s Straits, N.Z., on March 5th, 1878, and that it was published at Nelson in 1880, under the title of “ The Cabinet,” by a few of his shipmates. A few quotations from the volume may prove of in terest— “ When the English Eleven returned from America after compelling the twenty-twos of their transatlantic friends to succumb to them in every match a feeling arose amongst the cricketing community in Australia that they should like a representative eleven to proceed to their country, as had been done in the case of America. Several meetings were held both in Sydney and in Melbourne, and committees appointed to carry out the project, but so many obstacles presented themselves that the attempt was eventually relinquished. It was then proposed by some influential men in Melbourne that the arrangement should be a public one, and, a provisional committee having been appointed, a prospectus was issued, inviting the purchase of shares at £5 each and promising a good interest for the money. A large number were sold, but the affair was so badly managed that it also failed in coming to a satisfactory termination.” “ The matter was then undertaken by the enterprising firm of Messrs. Spiers and Pond, who are now bringing the eleven out at their own expense, trusting to the generosity of the public to repay the necessary outlay, and it will undoubtedly prove a very advantageous speculation. Mr. Mallam, their agent, proceeded to England, entered into negotiations with the best eleven that could be selected, and with them concluded the following arrangement:— On the one hand, a saloon passage be provided for them in the Great Britain to Australia, a first-class passage per overland route to England,' and first-class board and lodging, and all expenses paid whilst in the colony. On the other hand, that the English Eleven play not more than 13 matches against twenty-twos in any of the Australian colonies, so that they shall be completed by the time the English mail leaves Melbourne on the 26th March, 1862.” Of the vessel by which they travelled the journal says : “ The Great Britain was designed by Mr. Brunei, and built at Bristol by Messrs. Paterson and Son in July, 1843. Her fh'st trips were to London (where she was visitecl by the Queen), Dublin, and Liverpool, from whence she took two trips to New York. She was at first rigged as a six masted schooner, then it was altered to five masts ; but on'her next passage she ran aground at Duhdrum Bay, Ireland, and did not go to sea for five years after, when she was purchased by Gibbs, Bright, and Co., refitted, new engines provided, and rig altered to four square-rigged masts. After voyages to New York and Australia her rig was altered to three masts of large dimensions, and she made another trip to Australia. She was subsequently employed to convey not fewer than 44,000 men to and from the Crimea. After another voyage to Australia she conveyed several regi­ ments to India during the mutiny. Two trips to New York, another to Melbourne brings her history up to 1858, since which time she has been regularly employed in the Austra­ lian trade.” “ Officers were : Captain, Grey; 1st officer, B. Peterson; 2nd, A. Hudson ; 3rd, J. Hodgson ; 4th, G. Peterson ; Dr. Hocken ; Mr. Meadon, chief engineer ; Mr. A. Ainsworth, chief steward.” “ On her voyage out she had as passengers 456 adults, 80 children, 8 infants ; total 544 souls. Ship’s company, 143 ; total, 687. There were 216 females.” “ There was one cow, 140 sheep, 36 pigs, 528 fowls, 444 ducks, 96 geese, 48 turkeys.” “ The masts were 207 feet, 200 feet, and 160 fe e t; longest yard, 105 feet. The cordage equalled 50 miles, and the sails cut in strips two yards wide would extend ten miles. The best day’s run was 354 miles, then followed 333, 298, etc. She left Liverpool on October 19 and arrived at Melbourne on December 23.” THE AUSTRALIAN BOARD OF CONTBOL. Melbourne, October 13. The annual meeting of the Board of Control was held to-day at the Victorian Cricket Association Rooms, Mr. C. J. Eady (Tasmania) presiding. The following Cricket Associations were represented ;—New South Wales (Messrs. W. P. McElhone, Colin Sinclair and Sydney Sm*th, jun.); Victoria (Messrs. A. A. Atkin, E. E. Bean and H. B. Rush); South Australia (Messrs. Mostyn Evan, H. Blinman and C. Hill) ; Queensland (Messrs. W. T. Ahern (as proxy for Mr. J. Allan) and Colonel J. F. G. Foxton) ; Tasmania (Mr. C. J. Eady). Mr. W. P. McElhone (N.S.W.) was elected chairman for the year, and Mr. Sydney Smith, jun. (N.S.W.) hon. secretary. C. Hill was unanimously chosen as captain of the Australian team in the Test matches, but there was an election for the position of three selectors. C. Hill, P. A. McAlister and F. A. Iredale, who were the selectors last year in the matches against South Africa, and V. Trumper (N.S.W.) and II. Trumble (Vic.) were nominated. As Trumper was elected on the selection committee of the New South Wales Association instead of Iredale, it was thought that he would have been appointed, but the Board, instead of following its pfecedent of last year, when Trumble, then sole selector for Victoria, was elected m favour of McAlister, ignored the voting of the New South Wales Association, and Iredale was re-elected with Hill and Mc­ Alister. The three New South Wales delegates, two Vic­ torians, both Queensland and the Tasmanian delegates voted for the rejection of Trumper, who will in all proba­ bility be vice-captain of the Australian Eleven. Hill, Blinman and Evan (S.A.), and A. A. Atkin (Vic.) formed the minority. It was decided that the allowance to players in Test matches (£25 per match and 12s. 6 d. per day expenses) and to umpires should be the same as last year. The New South Wales Association recently rejected an application by the Western Australian Association for representation on the Board. The New South Wales delegates opposed the application again to-day, but it was. decided to recommend the various Associations that Western Australia should be admitted. Hill, Bush and Smith were appointed a sub-com­ mittee to deal with the list of umpires as settled by State Associations for submission to the English captain. It was further decided that any questions not settled by rules or as to the rolling of wickets should be decided by the two captains, P. F. Warner (England) and C. Hill (Australia). THE AMER ICAN CRICKETER. F o u n d ed 1877. Published by H< H. Cornish on behalf of The A ssociated Cricket Clubs of P hiladelphia. An Illustrated Journal of Cricket, Association Football, Tennis, Golf, and Kindred Pastimes. No. 608, Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.A.