The Northern Advocate WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1912. THE ASHES.

Northern Advocate, 14 February 1912, Page 4

The Northern Advocate WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1912. THE ASHES.

YESTERDAY the fourth test match between the Fnglish and Australian

representative cricketers came to a sorry conclusion as viewed by colonial eyes, and ended in the overwhelming victory of the visitors by an innings and 225 runs. Of four test games) played out of the five appointed the M.C.C. team has now won three in succession, aft*d the mythical "ashes" go into the English urn. Australia won the first test match handsomely, but the reverses since then have been so emphatic that they cannot be accounted for by mere theories and side issues. It is impossible, of course, to suppose that the astonishing disproportion between the figures of the two sides shows the actual difference of merit, and it must be allowed that several outsids contributing causes have had a certain amount of influence on the Australian play; yet the victories have been so decisive that nothing can be found in the most ingenious theorising to argue away the fact, that the better side has won. It lias tc be remembered that the English side has been beaten only oner in Hitwhole tour, and it* adverse intlueurrs are allowed to have had .some effect in the test games, it cannot be sensibly argued that they have also had weight in England's favor in all the other matches as well The record of I he visitors is so good that. Io dispute their superiority would be ridiculous, and it is pretty certain that with a team of the present calibre the Englishmen would have bagged the "ashes" under any circumstances. l,>t us drop excuse.-- and childish attempts to mitigate Ausiralia's failure, and acknowledge the Home Country's triumph in a mo'.e becoming and sportsmanlike spirit. The argument that the Australian? were demoralised by wrangling and jangling in their cricket councils is about the worst that

could have been advanced to account for the defeats, since it would mean that the players are men of such poor spirit and heart that they threw up the sponge at the very moment when they should h-ive girded up their loins and gone into the fray with do-or-die determination. They have redeemed themselves many a time in the past when the odds were all against them, and we cannot accept the unworthy idea that the same men have deliberately sacrificed their reputations this time; they are not that sort. It may be that a leaf could have been taken out of the English book by introducing several younger players who have shown conspicuous ability, instead of sentimentally retaining men who, having battled valorously for their country's c rieketing honor in the past, have nevertheless seen their best days. That must happen to every cricketer and to all others engaged in any branch of athletics, and there is no room for sentiment where so. much is at stake. That seems to be the most feasible reason of the disaster. The younger, more vigorous, and more enthusiastic players have triumphed over stale veterans, and Noble hit the nail on the head when he declined to come out of his retirement shnll again and advised the selectors to give the younger men a go. It was wise advice, and if it is judiciously followed for the fifth test match we shall-probably realise very forcibly what might have been.