James Lilllywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1880

4 8 LILLYWHITE'S CRICKETERS' ANNUAL. victories andthree draws all muchin their favour formed the complement of twelve games , representing a record of which the Twelve maywell be proud. Alfred Shaw's bowling and Oscroft's batting were the chief features of the trip , and it is very pleasing to read the comments of the American and Canadian newspapers on the behaviour of the various members of the team, whose excellent conduct and manlydemeanour will leave a very agreeable impression of English professionals on the other side of the pond .' The tardy legislatiislation of the Committee of the Marylebone Club caused the season of 1879 to be memorable as the first in which the effects of the law pre- venting anyone taking more than his bare expenses for playing for the Gentlemen against the Players at Lord's were practically shown by the absence of more than one cricketer who had previously figured in the match . The urgent necessity of the reform precludes any doubt as to its universal accept- ance ; but there are still several important matters which demand immediate settlement at the hands of the Marylebone Club. It maybe heresy to dis- parage a code that has lived and flourished with few changes for so manyyears , butnone the less the laws themselves are ill -expressed , imperfect , and contra- dictory , and urgently require revision . The practice of throwing ,' too , is one that has of late been allowed to degenerate into an abuse , and last year com- plaints were frequently made in no measured terms about the absurdity of placing menin positions to enforce the laws , when they saw No. 10 of the code violated time after time without even a protest . ' Thrown out b y- -' was and is regarded by many as an innovation by no means worthy of support in substitution of the old term ' run out ; ' but it might well be applied with reason to the results of some of the dubious bowling of the present day. It maysay little for the independence of the umpires who allow the infringement of rules because the offence is tacitly condoned by their superiors ; but the publication of a strong intimation from the Committee of the M.C.C. , ordering a strict enforcement of a rule that has been allowed to fall into abeyance , would, with- out doubt , remedy a grievance , if only in strengthening the hands of the officials appointed to see the laws duly and properly administered . It is stated authoritatively that preparations are actually being made for the visit of a second Australian team to England next summer. The success of such a trip , after the experiences of 1878, depends solely on the travellers themselves , but with judicious management and with a due obser- vance of the proprieties of the game, there is no reason why the tour should not be an enjoyable as well as a prosperous one.