THE RETURN OF THE ENGLISH TEAM TO THEIR NATIVE LAND.

(Compiled by " Forward " Prom Our Home Files.) The Athletic News states that Walter Bumby, the Swinton half back, has brought home quite a houseful of curiosities from Australia, and his residence now has the appearance of a miniature Peel Park Museum. Most of the players brought over little money, and if they are professionals they are very, very poor ones. The same paper says if there is money enough Jeft from the R. L. Seddon memorial subscription fund that has been raised in New South Wales, it is intended to 6end over to England a stained glass window to be placed in the church poor Bob attended in Manchester. Harry Eagles retired from footbnll on Saturday, December 13, but R Home writer Bays if the county committee were to ju^t put tho eveiprean down on their list against Yorkshire, he'll b*t Harry would turn up at Whalley Rango smiling like a c-.tt-iron angel. The Salford people gave their four members of the Australian fce.nm a grand reception on playing their first match, and it was just like Eagles that ho should go and 6core the first try. Harry is still the came old wa»horee as of old. and it's wonderful how he keepß up his form. Williams and Kent were very energetic, but Anderton was a bit oft colour.

The men came on attired in fcheir antipodean costumes arid were generally admired, but owing to the similarity in colour, &c, to that of BirkenheaS Fark jerseys, Anderton thought it advisable to corer his with Salford's cruel red, and when he had accomplished this feat of toilet he received the boisterous applause of the mighty-throated young- ! sters, who looked upon this as a signification that I Jack was proud of his old .colours. That evening the most popular song in Salford was " Our Jack't i come home to-day." [ Tom Kent had a rare reception when he I turned out for his old club at Eadcliffe. There are j those who Bay he has now sworn allegiance to the * old banner, while there are others who maintain that !he is still a fixture on the Salford team. The best solution would be for the secretaries to fight for him. It is not generally known that while Kent was away with the Anglo-Australian team he was disabled for over 12 weeks through injuries received in the matches, and when this fact is taken Into consideration his score of seven tries at the Rugby gartle and eight goals at the Victorian code is not to be disparaged in the least. In one mateh — that at Wanganul— he played full back with hiß arm in a sltag, and received general congratulations from the local press for his excellent play on that occasion. Tha " welcome home " dinner which the Salford Club gave in honour of the return of Messrs Eagles, Williams, Kent, and Anderton, was (says the News) a massive affair. The speeches were a feature. Harry Eagles jerked his out like links in a chain, and pulled a beautiful plant to pieces during the process. What bothered him most was where he had put that paper with those neatly turned sentences written on, which, for their exquisite flavour, would have flabbergaßledthe ordinary Salfordite. Kara Williams was the orator, and his few remarks flashed upon his entranced hearers like— well, like anything. Jack Andcrton had not much chance. The otners had dribbled the game away, and ag a back he could do nothing except corroborate. There was one thing they were unanimous about, and that was they had had a high old time, and were glad ts get back. c The Swlnton Football Club gave a banquet in honour of the return of Bumby, Banks, and Paul from Australia. It was a very pleasant affair. The Rev. Mr Topham, who was operating at half back for the Parkites in a match in which Anderton was his opponent, showed that, if he is rather bulky, he knows how to tackle, and Anderton found whenever the Church opposed him he had to cry "peccavi." But "whatever made his "riverence" put on Holden's county jersey, and thus deceive the multitude into believing he was a football canon, when he knows he is only a minor gun ?