James Lilllywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1880

1 6 LILLYWHITE'SCRICKETERS' ANNUAL.307 to regret leaving Oxford . Areception by the Mayor, though it was 9.15 P.M. , had to be gone through -rather a wearisome ceremony perhaps when one is fainting with hunger , but only done in our honour , and therefore appreciated . Jan. 9. Fourth match : v. Eighteen of South Tasmania .-Emmett's bowling was rather too puzzling for the colonists , and our fielding being more up to the mark, they were disposed of for 82. W ehad the assistance in this match of Mr. FrankPenn, whohad arrived with Mr. R. D. Walker at Melbourne on the second dayof our match with the Australians . Bailey is one of the few fast bowlers to be met with in the colonies ; he bowled very steadily in this match . Mr. Hornby hit well for his 61, and Mr. Lucas played with his customary patience . In the second innings of the eighteen our bowling was 'collared ' by several ; among others Mr. Walker played a capital innings . It looked at one time like their getting a very big score , but in the afternoon Ulyett , fortified by luncheon , knocked the pins down in the most merciless way. Mr. Lucas played another fine innings for us. The Hobart Towncricket- ground is beautifully situated , but a most extraordinary one to play on. I can only liken it to a hog's back. A very tall long -leg might be able to see a gigantic mid-off, but even that is doubtful . Three balls took place during our visit here. The beauty of the fair inhabitants of Tasmania is world- famed, and I have been given to understand that , but for their devotion to the noble game, manyof the team would have left their hearts behind them. A one-day match having been arranged at Launceston , we were compelled , much to our regret , to leave Hobart Townon the 12th. W ewonour matchv. the Northern Tasmanian eighteen easily enough , as it was decided on the first innings , according to the rule for one -day matches . Mr. Penn played a fine innings . W e were not allowed to leave Tasmania without being honoured with another ball . The next day, five or six of our party , who had stayed at Hobart Town for the purpose of visiting the NewNorfolk salmon ponds , re- joined us, and we left in the afternoon per s.s. Mangana for Melbourne . Our party during this trip to Tasmania consisted of twenty -three persons all told . Landedat Melbourne on the 16th after a beautiful passage . Jan. 17. Our party divided in its route to Sydney ; the bolder 'voyageurs ' braving the perils of the sea , the more timid risking the discomforts of the land transit . About ninety miles of railroad between Albany and Wagga Wagga have still to be finished , this part of the journey being done by coach . Thirteen hours are consumed in doing these ninety miles , so the pace , anyone can see, is not break -neck ; the roads , however , make up for this undesirable quality . The delay that takes place at each change of horses would drive an old English stage -coachman mad. Jan. 20. A terribly wet morning greeted our arrival in Sydney , and the rain continuing most of the day prevented our practising . Those who had come by sea were in raptures with the beauty of the harbour , fully en- dorsed by the rest of us afterwards . It would be manifestly absurd for my feeble pen to endeavour to describe it, besides which its features have been fitly portrayed in Mr. Trollope's book on NewSouth Wales . W ewere able to get some practice on the 21st , but the ground was very dead . The Sydney cricket ground is a splendid expanse of turf , with terraced banks on two sides , giving excellent points of view for large crowds of spectators . The playing ground is , as on nearly every ground in Australia , surrounded by posts and chains , inside which is a running path . The turf , however , is so loose on this otherwise perfect ground , that an innings of two hundred utterly ruins the pitch , and consequently has arisen the custom of allowing a fresh wicket , if