James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1885

1 0 L I L L YW H I T E ' SC R I C K E T E R S ' A N N U A L. cluded at anearlier date than that of 1882 ; and, it mustalso be concededthat the quality of the fixtures added a very great increase of responsibility to the players , as well as caused a muchmore severe strain on their energies . Ofthe thirty -two matches in which they took part eighteen were won, seven drawn, and seven lost . In analysing their performances it must be considered , too, that the prevalence of hard wickets and the long continuance of fine weather made their work heavier , and that they were seen under conditions supposed to be less favourable to their class of cricket than the wet grounds of 1878 , 1880, and 1882. On the question whether they were wise in undertaking so heavy a tour with only thirteen players , one of these a manager, another a bowler, w h oat the best was of little use on a slow wicket, and under any circumstances a dubious experiment , there can hardly be two opinions . The Australian press almost, if not without an exception , exposed the shortsighted- ness of this policy , and few could be found to justify it . As a matter of fact , the wholebrunt of the cricket was borne by eleven m e n, butthat does not prove the judgement of the promoters of the tour . One of the most surprising facts in connectionwiththe visit w a sthe success w h i c hattendedthe thirteen withone of the members altogether a failure , another a manager whocould not be expected to play as well as manage the financial affairs of the trip . It was lucky , indeed , that they managed to stand the heavy work so well ; but it might easily be argued that with Blackham, Spofforth , Midwinter , and Bonnor, all at one time or another out of sorts or injured , another good reserve would at times have been of immense advantage . W. H. Cooper, the slow bowler, who had proved so effective against English teams in the Colonies , was a failure , as already stated . A tthe same time it is fair to state that he injured his right hand on board the steamer bringing the team to this country, and as he never got the finger which principally helps towards the great workhe is able to get on the ball , he was really never seen in his proper light . Opinions will , no doubt, still differ on the question of the relative merits of the pick of English and Australian cricket . On the one hand it will be argued that Murdochcame over with the expressed object of defeating England, and was not successful . The victory of the English eleven at Lord's , onthecontrary , was unmistakeable , and if the two other games were drawn, some might go so far as to urge that the English eleven at Manchester was not quite the best that could be placed in the field . England has undoubtedly the best of the facts , but, on the other hand, the Australians have very strong arguments to show that they hadcertainly rather the best of the three representative matches . They can show, and with reason , that both at Manchester and the Ova the presumption was all in favour of their success had time admitted of a completion of the games . They can also point with justifiable pride to the brilliant show made by their eleven against the full strength of England on the Surrey ground, where for nearly two whole days they occupied the wickets against the pick of English bowling . Colonial cricketers , too, could argue that the team which visited us was not the very best that Australia could produce , with Evans, Massie , and Horan away. Mere argu- ments prove little , and it is, therefore , as before remarked, the more to be regretted that the matches were not played out. Atthe outset of their tour morethanone member of the team was obviously out of sorts , and certainly the form during the earlier matches was not of a kind to justify the belief that the team would show the fine all -round cricket they did towards the close of the tour. The Australian defeats were twice by the North of England, once by England, by the Gentlemen, by M.C.C. and Ground, by Oxford, andbyKent. In addition they had all the worst of the games at Huddersfield , whenrain only saved them from an actual defeat ; at Brighton , where Sussex would in all probability have defeated them; and at Nottinghamshire Notts had certainly not the worst of the return match. A team playing so much, and such a variety of, cricket , is sure to vary a little in its play, and no one would feel inclined to argue that on public form Oxford and Kent