James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1896

THE TWELFTH ENGLISH TEAM IN AUSTRALIA. 17 arrangement of five instead of three test matches as heretofore. As luck would have it everything favoured the promoters in respect of these five test matches, and that excitement was maintained to the finish will be understood when it is slated that the rubber wras not settled until the completion of the fifth and last contest. For ourselves we are of opinion that on the form of the tour the honours were pretty evenly divided between the English team and the picked eleven of Australia. As already stated, it was in batting rather than in bowling that Mr. Stoddart’s combination showed its capacity. The first of the test matches, indeed, proved what a run-getting side Mr. Stoddart captained. To go in against a total of 586 and win was sufficient to satisfy all doubts, not only as to the batting powers of the team, but also of their ability to play an up-hill game. This character, too, they maintained to the last, for they had at the finish of the deciding test match to go in against a big total, this time of 414, and again won. Altogether twelve eleven a-side matches were played, and of these eight were won, the other four lost. Of the five test matches the Englishmen won three and lost two. In the first fixture South Australia won by six wickets, and in the penultimate game Victoria was successful with seven wickets to spare. On the other hand, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, a combined eleven of Queensland and New’ South Wales, w’ere all defeated, as was South Australia in the last game of all. Though they opened badly at Adelaide, they finished there with a fine and somewhat sensational victory. That the all-round cricket of the team was of a high order the results prove conclusively. Mr. Stoddart proved himself not only a capable, but a singularly popular leader, as popular with the Australian public as with his own side. A thorough sportsman, and always working his hardest himself, he wTas bound to get the most out of his men. It would only be necessary to instance a few of their performances to prove how keen the whole team were and how hard they tried. The responsibilities of the captaincy fortunately did not seem to overweight Mr. Stoddart, as they frequently do other cricketers. Anyhow he was at the head of the batting table for eleven a-side writh a very creditable average of fifty-one. His 173 in the second of the test matches was a brilliant exposition of batting, quite up to his best form. Mr. A. C. McLaren’s batting was something of a revelation, even to those who knew what a sound and reliable player he wras. His 228 against Victoria in the first match was in every way a great performance. The score, moreover, has only been once beaten in a first-class match in Australia. Albert Ward proved even more successful than was expected. The fast wickets suited him down to the ground, and his aggregate of 946—the highest 011 the side, by the way—included two innings of over 200. Brown, too, more than upheld his English reputation. At times his cricket was exceptionally fine. His brilliant performance with Ward, which gave the Englishmen the victory in the last test match, was quite one of the most noteworthy features of the tour. Peel and Briggs were fairly successful as run-getters. Brockwell was very much out of luck, and never got really into form, though he played one or two good innings. Mr. Ford was showing his ability as a hitter when the tour was finishing. In the last two matches in particular his hitting was most vigorous, and, on the wThole, he was certainly not a disappointment. In bowling Mr. Stoddart was especially well favoured. Richardson and Lockwood were, on public form, two of the very best English fast bowlers of 1894. Brockwell, too, had been very successful for Surrey, and of slows there was plenty of variety in Briggs, Peel, and the lobs of Humphreys, not to mention three others of middle or less than middle pace in Browm and Messrs. Stoddart and Ford. Yet it was in the bowling that the team suffered, and considerably by comparison with most of its predecessors. Lockwood wfas never himself at all, certainly never anything like his English form, and of Humphreys evidently little was expected for the principal matches. Fast bowlers have rarely done anything on Australian wickets, so that Richardson’s success was the more noteworthy. But his wickets, as well as