Cricket.

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 147, 25 April 1903, Page 19

Cricket.

On Wednesday of this week, Mr. C. A. Richardson, captain of the Wellington. Club team, and a Wellington, NewZealand, and 1 New South Wales representative cricketer, was married. lam sure I am but re-echoing the wish of all Wellington cricketers when I express the hope that he may have the best of erood times in the ranks of the Benedicts. A presentation was made Mr. Richardson by the members of the Wellington Club last Friday night, the present consisting of a liqueur stand and a handsome set of carvers, suitably inscribed. Mr. F. H. D. Bell, in a happy speech, made the presentation. He referred to the many pleasant times the members of the Wellington Club team had enjoyed together on the Basin Reserve, and. at the same time, conveyed to Mr. Richardson the team's keen appreciation of his services as captain of the team. On behalf of the club he wished Mr. Richardson cricketing weather in his married life — clear and bright sunshine, with a blue sky overhead, and fair weather always. Mr. Richardson, in, thanking the members of the club for their handsome present, said he hoped to haive< many more years of cricket — he did not expect married' life would make any difference to him in that respect. He had been five yeans connected with the Wellington, Cricket Club, and he had many pleasant experiences to look back upon in that connection. The gathering broke up with three cheers for Mr. Richardson and the future Mrs. Richardson. A friend sends me an account of the Albion Cricket Club's tour through the Manawatu and Horowhenua district® at Easter, but it is now m the condition of ancient history. lam ever ready to find room for contributed articles of this description, but they must be up to date to ensure insertion. My correspondent winds up with the following sentences — "The Albion Club were most hospitably treated throughout the tour. The Albion Club will very probably enter a team for the Third-class Championship next season."

Generally belie\ eel that actresses oi all ranks spend most of their salaiy on clress. Chorus gnls evidently get very poorly paad. * * * Miss Lulu Evans, who rather ehanned us in "Floradora," for Pollard's Company is now with D'Oyley Carte's Opera Company. D'Oyley Carte's used to be a first-class concern. * * * Miss Elsie Moore, lound here with the "Circus Girl," is the daughter of the Hon. George Moore, of Fiji. She is engaged to Mr. Bertram Jackson, lieutenant in the 3rd Derbyshire Regiment * * * Advertisement horn a the.vtiical paper — "Matrimonial — Lady, young, highly respectable musioa 1 , wishes to correspond with coloured gentleman, pugilist preferied." This would meet with the appioval of Piesident Roosevelt. * * * I madvertentlv affirmed last week that Les Wharton had introduced into Wellington the song "Why Don't You Get a Lady of Your Own," sung so suceessfullv bv Blutch Jones at Fuller's I am informed that the jovial Blutch was ahead of Les. Mr. Fred. C Parker ahead of FitzGerald Bros.' New Continental Cncus and Menagerie popped in on Friday last to say that he was bound for the wild West Coast to prepare the denizens for the 1 show Wires from the principals tell him that the good old show is doing record business. Mr. Chas. Sweet, who burgled melodiously in New Zealand, and sustained the loss of a finger on. the New Zealand railways, struck London for the first time recently He is worrying along with seven finders and a couple of thumbs, and the Big Smoke" knows nothing of the small defect. * ■* *■ The "Fortune Teller," at Melbourne "Princess," has been drawing big crowds, and two extremely gilded young men have turned up every night, in the same place, causing fluttering^ in the hearts of poor but lovely girls "in front" and "behind." The management is not interfering with them, as the fascinated millionaires bring a large squad of "society" with them every night. * * * A mild agitation is afoot in Dunedm to "kill the iniquitous custom" of "early doors" at the theatres. The light-fin-gered fraternity will protest. At an "early door" crowd in Wellington last week pockets were picked. A gentleman, on his return from the theatre, found a strange purs© in his pocket. It was empty. Thei postmen also get m a varied assortment of empty pur«es from the letter boxes. * * * Mr. William F. Grant who travelled from this end of the trlobe with Wilson Barrett, writes to a Melbourne friend that he had just been to a "vaccine spread" with "Marcus Superbus" as host. All the guests who turned up were duly vaccinated. It takes a week or two to pet over a dinner party of the kind. Reminds me of a recent dinner party given bv an American all the guests at which had recently recovered from operations for appendicitis. * * • Pagel, the erstwhile wharf -lumper, who now walks about with a live horse on his watch chain for money, and tosses lions about, is an eccentric strong man. When Pagel is "put out " he is alleged to get in the cage among his bong. Recently, after what is described as a "little trouble," Pagel went to bed in the lion's den. and was found peacefully sleeping among the denizens of the forest next morning. Seems to me the old idea that one must keep the human eye on the big felines all the time is burst up. * ♦ # Miss Mane Narelle, the Irish Australain soprano, had a chat with "Tay Pay" recently, and the writer of the "Phantom Millions" gets some jolly impressions out of the Australian singer. There, are references therem to the exquisite flavour of billy tea, the eucalyp-tus-scented air, and the brilliant sunshine. Awful to thiak of a real live celebrity gathering sticks and drinking out of a pannikin. Even Madame Melba is alleged to have imbibed smoking "post and rail" tea, but I expect the billy was silver, encrusted with diamonds. * * * ' Pasquin" has observed that a common trick w ith ladies who remove their headgear in the theatre is to draw a ferocious-looking 6in hat pin, and jab their straw to the seats in front. A smooth-faced with hair parted down the centre like the second son of the suburban butcher, and wearing a magpie" suit, cried aloud in his agony in the stalls of Dunedin Princess one evening recently when an innocent lady in thei seat behind jabbed a big black hat pin through a small "gem" hat into a broad back.

Callaghaii and Mack, those Ameiican Irishmen, who charmed Wellington audiences with 'The Old Neighbourhood," a semi-pathetic and humorous playlet, in November last, were at Boston recently. It is stated that some suip'risangly adept sneak thief stole the pair's "Irish bagpipes" from, their hotel, and that the pair had to apologise to a large audience for the a,bsenoe of their chief charm. Just, as the disappointment vas getting a bit overdone, the detective police handed in the music ait the w ings and "all w ent merry as a marnage> bell" once again.