James Lilllywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1880

T H E F I F T HE N G L I S HT E A MIN A U S T R A L I A. 1 5 determination , and several others showed capital form. Messrs . Lucas and Royle played brilliantly for us and were well backed up by others . Palmer is quite first -class as a bowler . The match unfortunately ended in a draw , whenin a most interesting condition . The wicket was still in such first -rate order that I think we should have probably got the 200 we wanted to win , but conjectures at cricket are futile . Left the evening of the third day for Colac , where our whole party had been invited by Mr. George Robertson and his brothers , a name that ought still to be remembered at Oxford by both boating -menand cricketers . A. splendid grazing country , and on it some fine herds of shorthorns . A lake in the neighbourhood was covered during our visit with wild duck and black swans , and as they are seldom if ever disturbed I presume they are generally to be found there . On NewYear's day we went to the races . The course is probably the best -arranged of the kind in the world . The steeple -chases are rather startling , every fence consisting of unbreakable timber from 4ft . 3in . to 4ft . 6in . high. The ground was as hard as a brick , and I wondered at any one caring to risk a good horse . The winner of the big chase carried 13st . 81b . - agrand performance . Jan. 2.-W o nthe toss against the Australian eleven , and unfortunately decided to go in, as a heavy shower of rain soon after the commencement made the ground difficult . If Shakspeare expected the invariable answer 'nothing ' to his query , What's in a name ? ' surely on this occasion the answer would be the exception that proved the rule , for I am sure it was as much Spofforth's reputation that caused our collapse as his bowling . Our mistakes in fielding spoilt our chance (if we ever had any after our poor innings ) of making a good fight . A. Bannerman played a careful but at the commence- ment lucky innings . In our second venture we were a little unlucky ; the light was simply execrable ; Mr. Lucas , when well set , was finely caught by Boyle at a nondescript short -leg , and the captain was caught by long -stop in hitting to leg, almost the last ball of the evening . On January 6 we were invited to a picnic in Fern -Tree Gully by Dr. and Mrs. FitzGerald . The Gully is in the Dandenong Ranges about twenty miles from Melbourne , and a most pleasant day was spent . Jan. 8. Started at 10.30 on board the s.s. Southern Cross for Tasmania. The vessel was so inconveniently crowded that manyslept on deck in prefer- ence to being semi -asphyxiated below . Luckily the night was fine , but how a colony that prides itself on its advanced ideas can put up with such discom- forts , arising solely from monopolisation , is a wonder to many. Landed at Launceston 12 noon on the 9th , and after being received and welcomed by the Mayor and enjoying a bathe , left for Hobart Town by train . Ajourney on this line is productive of many sensations , the chief being one of gratitude on arriving safely at yourjourney's end. The gradients and curves are terrifying . A story is current that one of our party having retired to the guard's van for a quiet smoke , and observing our rapid approach towards an exceptionally steep gradient ending in a curve that would have frightened a bicyclist , modestly suggested that it would perhaps be as well to put on the break ; the answer he got was, ' Youdon't often come this way, so we'll let her slide this time .' A large crowd awaited our arrival at Hobart Town. I was greeted with much fervour by TomStone (lately tennis -marker at Oxford ) gorgeously arrayed , and evidently a most important personage . I am sure every one whoused to play tennis at Oxford when he was there , will be glad to hear that he has been most successful at Hobart Town, and has no reason