James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1889

2 0 LILLYWHITE'S CRICKETERS ' ANNUAL. and has done yeomanservice , and how the school will get on without him re- mains to be seen . In our introduction we spoke very highly of his cricketing ability , and his friends rank him as perhaps the best all -round m a nthe school has ever possessed . He is nowat Cambridge , and the authorities are sure to give hima good trial , and we cordially wish him success . T w o or three others of last year's eleven are deserving of mention, and of these we think D u nought to have first place . As a bat he fell far short of expectations , but his lobs , though they maynot be really good , were wonderfully useful , as he took almost as many wickets as all the other bowlers combined , and, what is more to the point , he was not expensive . One of his performances with the ball was positively astonishing ; against a team of M.C.C. , which included J. G. Walker, Vernon, Philipson , and other well-known men, he secured 9 wickets for about 7 runs each ! Suchsuccess as this does not often fall to the lot of a boy bowler, and whenwebear in mindthat his comrades did not support him as they should, his triumph was all the more remarkable . In fielding , Gedge was far in advance of any of the rest of the team, and was conspicuous for safety as well as brilliancy ; while Evans , by a combination of luck and pluck , often made runs , and further , was always to be trusted to do the best for his side . A n dwhat about the team ? Well, they were better than all other Scotch schools , Fettes only excepted , but they were not really strong . There was not much bowling , the fielding was not always trustworthy , and their scoring powers were not large . Still w emustnot condemnthem as incompetent this they were not ; they were a very fair average lot , with one really excellent cricketer amongthem. Thecricketing powers of the other Scotch schools during the past season w eknowlittle about , but, so far as performances go, Merchiston would probably rank third in point of merit . They were beaten easily by Fettes , and comfort- ably by Loretto , so we cannot think they were a very wonderful side ; still , there weresome few good m e nin the team, of w h o mDunlop and Graywere probably the best . Gray's bowling analysis is well worthy of reproduction , as during the season he took 65 wickets at a cost of 8 runs each, and this , even in a bowler's year, must be considered a really good record . C H A P T E R I V. T H ES I X T HA U S T R A L I A NT E A M. B YT H EE D I T O R. NEVERassuredly did a party of cricketers set out on an extensive tour under circumstances so thoroughly calculated to discourage as the Sixth Australian Teamwhich has visited England. Leaving Adelaide on March 24 of last year, they sailed to a general accompaniment of the most gloomy forecasts . That a prophet is not believed in his owncountry , Mr. C. W. Beal and the cricketers under his charge hadfound to be a truism in their particular case long before their departure . There were some patriotic critics confident enough to express an opinion that Mr. McDonnell and his trusty followers wouldmakea goodshow; but they were few, so few that they could be counted on the fingers of one's hands . With one consent , indeed , the Australian journalists who touch on cricket hadbegun to makeexcuse in anticipation of the complete failure they predicted for the trip . With this chorus of ill -omen from their own augurs- notthe most cheerful parting for a long absence-still ringing in their ears , the Sixth Australian Teamlanded in England. H o wfallacious these prophecies of continuous ill -fortune proved will be found by a reference to the results of the matches. Thatthe team was thoroughly representative of the full strength of Australian cricket no one had ever pretended , and certainly those who were most interested in its success would have been the last to claim for it any such