CRICKET NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 7658, 7 July 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

CRICKET NOTES.

The cricket writer in the Melbourne ' Sportsman' has the following remarks on F. R. Spofforth, who has left Melbourne to reside permanently in England :—" Of late years particularly there are two players whose deeds in the cricket field have fairl/ electrified all who have taken the slightest interest in our national game. I refer to W. G. Grace and F. R. Spofforth. The former has been, for the last twenty years, the acknowledged champion batsman, not only of England, but of the world, while on the other hand Spoff, as he is familiarly known, has for nearly as long a time been almost without a rival as a bowler. Certain it is I will be correct if I state that during fourteen years he has heen in the foremost rank of trundlers both in Australia and England, and for the last ten few, if any, batsmen he has opposed have been anything like at home to his deliveries. . . • During the whole of the tours of the Elevens, which took place in the years 1880, 1882, 1884, and 1886, Spofforth was the mainstay of his side, with one exception, and that was during the 1886 trip, when an injury to one of his fingers seriously interfered with his powers. Up to the time of his accident, however, ho had obtained thirty wickets at a cost of only 5 runs a wicket, so that he might reasonably have been expected to have kept up to the high standard his bowling had reached during previous tours. ' You should just have had to keep wickets to him as I have,' said J. Blackham to me one day: 'You would then see what a wonder he is with the ball. I have seen him break a clear yard on some wickets.' " How far Spofforth has been the mainstay of the first five Australian Elevens that visited England may be judged from the annexed .table: — Team. Balls. Ruup. Mdns. Wkts, Ar. 1878 .. 0820 2675 644 357 7.176 18S0 .. 6239 2018 669 891 6AS 1882 .. 6379 2582 699 188 12.26 1884 0344 2042 656 216 12.50 1886 .. i>7l9 1527 371 89 17.14 Total .29,601 11,144 3,080 1,241 8.1216 The number of members who paid subscriptions to the Marylebone Club in 1887 was 3,018 ; life members, 20; abroad, 178 ; —total, 3,216. After protracted negotiations the club have acquired a freehold, for which LI 8,500 has to be paid. The committee appointed last February to consider whether any undue advantage rests with the batsman or bowler under the existing laws, presented the following resolution : " That the practice of deliberately defending the wicket with the person instead of tho bat is contrary to tho spirit of the game and inconsistent with strict fairness, and the M.C.C. will discountenance and prevent this practice by every means in their power." The Committee recommended that instructions be given to all umpires the club might employ that should any batsman deliberately, in their (pinion, defend his wicket with any part of his person, they should report tho same, and they hope that, with the cooperation of cricketers generally, this step will be found adequate to preve it the evil complained of. If not, stronger measures may be necessary. Mr C. W. Beal, the manager of the Sixth Australian Eleven, in answer to a representative of the 'Pall Mall Gazette,' saidj I am quite certain tho team is a representative one. Of course, you can pick out a few men who might justly be added to the Eleven. The same remark, though, applies to every team that has left Australian shores from the very first. For instance, the last time, 1886, M'Donnell, Murdoch, Moses, Bannerman, Horan, and Turner should have been included. lam quite satisfied with my team. They will play together with thorough esprit de corps, and adverse criticism will only spur them the more. No eleven has left the Antipodes so strong in the bowling department as ours is. We have a magnificent bowling eleven. _ In batting we are not so strong as in bowling, it is true ; but if the men play up to their Australian averages we shall be well satisfied. Wo have some uncommonly good hitters in tho team, and on your sticky wickets they will be very useful. Our fielding will be very good. Worrall is a speudid field. A plucky fellow—ho will play in-field to a man like Ulyett without the least fear, and is a brillant catcher, close in. Turner hit nineteen fours in hi'; score of 103 against Surrey. The balance-sheet presented at the annual meeting of the Surrey County Club showed a sum of L 6,011 13s in the hands of the treasurer.