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Lyttelton Times, Volume LI, Issue 5598, 3 February 1879, Page 4

C; , vs.?4rrr~ = ~ == —j Just twelve mouths ago the sporting portion of our community was stirred to its depths by a visit from the now

famous Australian.; Eleven. 01 their encounter with our local cricketers and of the brilliant victory gained by the latter, it is hardly necessary to remind our readers, forfew in Canterbury have forgotten or will forget it. The victory was, however, hardly well received outside >ottv v borders j ExCUses'ahd feiplanations, some true, more false, were made concerning it, and a general wish arose amongst ua- that some further trial of strength should take place between our champions and their cricketing, : friends over, thp.water.- To bring this about it 1 was' .necessary that we should seek our antagonists in their own stronghold, and it was resolved, a littteAAstily perhSpS, l Wat this should be done. The public were called upon for the sinews of war, and they to the call. , Unfortunately, more than one of *bur leading players were unavoidably unable to join in the enterprise, .and thus £ho team sent forth, though fairly* strong, could not in any sense be called representative. Some, nevertheless* still hoped for a brilliant series of successes, while on the other hand many expected an utte* included, without exception, cricketers from all other parts of the Events took a middlAOtfurtfe, and the trip resulted in a progress pretty evenly with triumph and disaster. While we have no cause - boastings we* ashame d of plenty of good .nrioltet , rioo verse circumstances climatic anAo&erf wise, and on that account, and still more by their cHeerM -flequießC&ioe' id defeat and; victory, they hnye gHsn. cause to aU who met them to reapecfc the name of Canterbury. , And now, with alt deference for a word or two to our cricketers, we shall be much surprised if' this ‘ trip does not teach them some valuable lessons. . The complete collapse of our bowling, which cannot he altogether attributed to heat, must show that the continual -superiority .of that arm in our local contests is due not so much to its excellence as to the inferior turf on which our games are played. The remedy for this is plain. Water your ground well and roll your wickets more—much more. , .. Again, if the trip paves the way to a series , of mutual visits, we shall bn brought face to face with continual difficulties in procuring really good teams*. Good people are proverbially scarce, and good cricketers are no exception to the rule ; but that is no reason why a vicious system : . should increase the scarcity. That system consists in the utter and complete neglect of coaching as a means of raising yearly some half-a-dozen capital young players to fill the vacancies that time makes in the cricketing ranks. Till that is done, and till first-class matches are no longer ruined by the presence of men who, however good they may once have been, would not {now make their mark in second elevens—tail then secretaries will be eternally met with the question, where are the men to come from P