THE ENGLISH ELEVEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 136, 20 April 1864, Page 4

THE ENGLISH ELEVEN.

TitK great crieicefiiig eoii((.\v!s are over, ; u:' I the English Eleven have returned to Melbourne. it bus been n great disappointment that the weather proved so nnpropitiuus at the beginning ol' tile matches, and in thi.s disappointment the people of the Ilunter Kiwr district have had to sympathise, for the intended at jUailiand was necessarily abandoned. It could not have been played il' the crickctere

had gone down, for the rain poured heavily and the turt' was sodden. It is understood tan I, the speculation 01 bringing tho cricketers up to Kew South Wales will be a losing one. It would not have been so had tho weather, been tine, and on one or two of the eurler days there was a very large attendance. But the uncertainly us to the state ot the weather, and the incessant disappointment, prevented people from coming ill 110111 tiiu country on the mere cluinco of seeing play. Moreover, tond as people are of a noiiday, there is a limit to the number of consecutive days that most people can spare, and the sport was too much drawn out lo keep up the enthusiasm, 'i'ne last gauie, however, was perhaps the best worth seeing or all, aiul it was the most closely contested, notwithstanding that the colonial team in that game v.-as inferior lo tlmt which lirat took the iield. The issue of the game was for some time doubtful, and led to some line display of obstin; ate and skilful batting 011 the part of the Kleveu. In neither innings wUs tho score large, and the bowling was too good lo allow the colonials to score largely and the tield was too lull and the holding generally too good 10 aliow the Kitten t-.i make many runs. The underhand bowling, too, proved very ditiicultto senre from. Though the Sydney men have not b»en able to snatch a rictory from I heir guests, it is to their credit that tiiey ran their victors closer tiiau ha» been then' experience elsewhere. The victory has been harder to win ill Syduey than in other places.— Sydney Midi, April 'J-