James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Companion 1885

t I I i. i* i t\ ^0uld be found in Australia able to worthily replace them. Ardent admirers of the hero of the hour, year, or generation, as the case may be, are, we know, as a rule, apt to conclude that their beau-ideal’s equal can never be found, but that crucial test, experience, in cricket, as in nearly all other matters, strengthens one’s belief in the well-worn adage, “There are just as good flsh in the sea as ever came out of it.” Respecting the skill and capability of Australian cricketers, I can see no cogent reason for anticipating any deterioration. I remember well the time when a worthy successor to F rank A llan , “ the bowler of a century,” was looked for in vain in the colonies (and, mind you, A llan was a long way better bowler than his one season’s record in England would indicate), but suddenly a far greater bowler appearedupon the scene in G eorge P almer , whose ultimate success it was my good fortune to predict long before he arrived at a l'ecognised first-class position. The most brilliant batsman whoever played for Australia, G harles B anner - nan , speedily found an able successor in the less dashing, but equally consistent M urdoch . G iffen , unknown in 1878, has more than replaced G eorge B ailey , and no judge of the game could for a moment argue that an Australian eleven is weakened by the substitution of S cott for the veteran H oran . / Such instances as the above tend to upset the theory that Australian cricket has risen too suddenly to maintain its position, and I myself am firmly satisfied that the standard of excellence set up by the representa­ tive teams of 1878, ’80, ’82, and ’84, will be well maintained in the future. Certain individuals may, and, indeed, probably will be hard to replace, and even, as in my time, I no more expect to see W. G. G race ’ s equal than I do to read another Shakespeare; so also in Australia am I prepared to look in vain for another B lackitam , whose ten successive years at the wickets stamp him as perhaps the most wonderful cricketer that Australia has yet produced. But so far as regards the leading batsmen, bowlers, and fieldsmen I have certainly no doubt that as they go off the next generation will be at least as good; indeed in such a lovely climate, with every inducement to discard indoor pleasures and pastimes in favour of the field, I cannot see how it can reasonably be expected to be otherwise, although the young Australian has, barring his glorious clear atmosphere and bright blue sky, none of the other numerous advantages enjoyed by his English cousin. I may here perhaps be excused for correcting a generally erroneous impression respecting the cricket played in Australia, most people supposing, it appears to me, that at the Antipodes we play the game all the year round, while, as a matter of fact, between the last day of April and the first of the follow­ ing October, not a wicket is to be seen pitched in any part of the Colonies, the Australian game of Football, which fills up the intermediate five months, being even more popular than cricket. And again, all our matches_excepting the International contests—are played on Saturday afternoons only, from about three o’clock to six, or occasionally half­ past. Thus a match between two of the leading clubs would probably last over three weeks, perhaps more, the only play on week days being limited to net practice from about four o’clock till half-past six or seven. Passing from this slight digression to the actual subject of this article, I mav say that there are already some likely youngsters on the scene, by whom we hope to find our present champions replaced so soon as