James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annnual 1881

T H EA U S T R A L I A NT E A M. 3 1 P A R T I I. C H A P T E R I. The Australian T e a mof 1880. THEEnglish cricket season of 1880 will be memorable , if for nothing else , for the presence of the second Australian team that has visited this country. Following so soon as it did on the invasion by Gregory's Eleven, this second trip was rather a hazardous experiment , and the risks were increased by a misunderstanding which delayed the message from the Colonies announcing the definite arrangements for the tour on the Australian side . Murdoch, Alexander , Boyle , Spofforth , and their nine comrades, indeed, found on their arrival in London, on M a y3rd, that the prospects of success were anything but brilliant . W h e nit was learned that the Australians were absolutely coming, all the counties andprincipal clubs hadcompleted their programmes, and the efforts of JamesLillywhite to secure first -class fixtures for the visitors had only been successful to the extent of two matches with Yorkshire , not sanctioned by the county club, andone each with Derbyshire, Gloucestershire , and Sussex . Under the circumstances , on their arrival the Australians offered to play a match against a representative eleven of England for the benefit of the ' Cricketers ' Fund.' The idea was a good, as it was certainly a politic one, for the Australians , but it was not taken up here , and what with the frequent rain during the earlier matches and the apparent coldness shown to them on this side , their chances of success were anything but en- couraging . A n attempt was madeby Mr. W. G. Grace to arrange a match at Lord's during July, but though the committee of the M.C.C. had promised the use of their ground the offer fell through , and it was not until the Surrey Club had secured the co-operation of Lord Harris in getting up a representative eleven of England, that the cloud which had darkened the prospect of the colonial teamwas lifted . That this one match converted their trip from a comparative failure into a financial success must be admitted , and despite sundry and very proper objections to the assumed amateurism of the team, everyone was pleased to find that their five months' stay in this country hadnot been a failure . A n dif their visit here was a financial success , too m u c hcannot be said in praise of the cricket they showed from first to last . There are many rabid Englishmen who maintain the excellent stand madebythe team against Englandto be an enormous ' fluke ,' but there remains the fact that against the very best