James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Companion 1884

V The first match, v. Mr. Murdoch's Eleven, was lost hv 9 wickets. The second was won by an innings and 27 runs. The third was won by 87 runs. The match v. United Australia was lost by 4 wickets. These results not only make Mr. Bligh’s team equal to any Australia can produce, but they wipe out the deteat at the Oval received in 1882 at the hands of Mr. Murdoch’s Eleven. AVe were unfortunate in some ways, lucky in others: sometimes the weather helped us, sometimes it helped our opponents; but we are bound to say that the clerk of that department distributed his lavish gifts with a fairly impartial hand. Our oTeat misfortune was the illness of Morley, who, owing to an accident, was a cripple throughout the tour; we were thus unable to attack the Australian batsmen in the weakest part of their defence with niuch effect. Messrs. Bligh, Steel, Leslie, and Barnes all suffered from the climate at different times, with the result that never in any match, perhaps, did we play our full strength. Besults, however, more than fulfilled the expectations formed of us before we departed from England, and we will make no further excuses for our.shortcomings. The question, “ What will be the future of Australian cricket?” has been asked by many, and we will attempt shortly to give our views of it. AVe presume that Messrs. Spofforth, Palmer, Murdoch, Bannerman, and Co. are not gifted with perennial youth, and that they will shortly require worthy successors ; but among Australian players of the present day they are not to be found. The twelve players who came over with Mr. Murdoch are almost in a class by themselves: they have monopolised too much room, and have prevented the younger players from coming to the fore; and we fear that, when this celebrated team again finds the level of mediocrity, Australian cricket will receive a severe check; in fact, they will scarcely be able to find an eleven fit to send to England. We hope these are pessimist views, but the absence of more than two or three first-class cricketers in Australia, other than Mr. Murdoch’s team, is so conspicuous, that we cannot think that the present high standard of colonial cricket will be maintained. The crowds which came to see the big matches were great and wonderful; and it has never been our fortune to play cricket before a public better tempered or better educated in every small detail of the game. We take this opportunity of thanking them for the kindly spirit which they showed towards us—a spirit which for its impartiality we have rarely seen equalled, never excelled, in any sport. The press, too, have our best thanks for tlieir complimentary criticisms on our efforts; and if we suggest that an umpire is in a better position to decide on any appeal made to him than the members of the press, who are at a distance from the wickets, we hope they will take it in good part, and forbear to criticise. One duty only now remains, and that is to thank our hosts, the members of the Melbourne Cricket Club, for tlieir courteous and considerate behaviour to us during our sojourn in Australia.