CRICKET.

Otago Witness, Issue 636, 6 February 1864, Page 7

CRICKET.

ARRIVAL OP TIIR ALL-ENGLAND ELEVEN. The peenle of Poifc Chn'mcis were not .t'o-.e sulfertrs from the non-n r rival of the Oiicketers early on Saturday morning. The Alhanibni was -anxiously watched ior, and it was kno.vn that Caplain ii'Leaii would do his bPfct to <• me to anchor at the time named a* most suitable for a triumphal proc?s s inn f''om the port to Dm eJin. But mail steamers on the Suez route will, as the wellers in these colonies know to their mhtow, det behind time ; and so it happened that, when -gong over-due, the st'a'i.er with tne November mail was telegraphed just when the Alinrabra should have left, and she was ditained to brins on the bass. The poit had never before looked so <jay a- i( did on /Saturday The wretched little jetty was so disguised with flags and wreaths of fern, with festoons and flowers, that it looked quite picturesque. Djbson's Port Chalmers Hotel was hidden in fringe; and -there was a spacious ti-nt in which 200 persons were to have welcome 1 the Cricketers at luncheon But that was not to be, as will be explained anon. 'Galbraith's Provinc'al Hotel was most tastefully "decorated, vith cubbage tree-!, ferns, and flags ; the Royal, although left on a hill, owing to the formation of George street, was well dressed out, and there were festoons hung acio s the stree', from which fl'gs and small banners bearing mottoes hung flauntirigly in the brefze. The B ink of Otago, the Custom Hou^p, and the Haibor Office, the store of Messrs Mallarh, Kenne ly and M'Lean, and the premises of Messis Thompson 'Brothers, Mr Lilburne and Mr Flint, we^e all •decorated. In fact, there was sea cclv n buil.ling in George street that did not, show at least a flag -or some evergreen?. The ships in the port clisplaved every v-o--i tjlc inch of hunting; th 1 watermen were trim in their white shirts a.d b'ue rosettes, anxious only to do their pa r t and tow ashore the biat containing the Kleven; and on every side there were evidences of determination to carry out most complptely the ' Welcome to Otago" which was proclaimed boldly on a banner at the landing stairs on the jetty. But the Alhambra did not arrive until after midnight on Saturday, and during Sunday, as there rould be no public demonstration if the Eleven had landed, they were taken by Mr Jones "to the Maori kaik near the Heads, where they ■fraternised extensivt-ly wi h the dusky and •'tattoed residents. Yesterday, wh<n the landintr did take piece, Port Chalmers looked well, but not so well as on Saturday, and the Eleven had to endure, during the lide to town, an infliction in the shape of wind and dust which they may rest assured was exceptionally severe, although "it rau^t be admitted that the Otagans know thoroughly what high windu and clout's of dust are.

It wassett'ed that th* 1 procession should not start Irom Dunedin until ir wa^ known, by tel- ■ gTaph, that the Alhamhra had arrived or was in eight. The coache3 were ready on Friday night, some of them being wondrous finely decorated, fout they had to be left during Satui day and Sunday in the yard r,f iheir owners, Messrs Cole, Hoyt and Co., Stafford-street. On Sunday «venins, it was fixed that (lie start should be made at half-p-'St eight yesterday morning, the "Provincial Hotel b^ina: the place of muster. The raoruinp was pleasant and the gathering was prompt. 'Ihe Match Committee was well represented, as wre th<* two Dunedin cluba and "that of Tokomairiro, while the Qneenstown club also put in an appearance by Mr Rees and 'ether memhera. Mr Grace, the only one of the Eleven who had come to Dunedin. on Sunday, ■wa« amonust the company, and was eagerly watched and criticised. Mr Hamilton had the marshalling of the procession. About a quarter before nine o'clock the start was effected ; the leading carriage of the six or seven being ocapieil by the Provincial Brass Band, under Mr Fleury, which played capitally. Th° carriage intended for the use ot the Eleven was drawn by six fine grey horse* ; and '• Cabbage Tree iVed " f(Wr Edward Devine) so famous a3 a whip in Victoria, held " the ribbons " It was not the first time he ha-t been selected for such an honor, <s ihe had roost to do with driving the first Eleven 'when gome up-country in Victoria. ,The other (carriages were each < rawn by four horses. The vehicles were trimmed with ferns, and each bore the name (or initials) as well as the colors of th» -club by whicii it vvaa orcupied. Mr Jones had hi* private " trap," and some others followed in the wake of the pvoces-ion, including a smart ■affair belouging to Messrs Cole, Hoyt and Co Only a few horsemen started wirh the procession, the depicture of which wvis witnessed by 200 or 300 pprsms who had assembled in ft-.fford -.Uvet.

A quod pace was maintained through Fiim-es street, George street, King s-treet, aud the gulley, to the foot of the hill. Then th-re | came a slow creep up that miracle of bad j rond making. Long before Al!ard>ct's Junction Hotel, at the top, was reached, the wind had freshened and came sweeping down in great gusts. The hotel being reached there was a halt, in the midst of some very heavy fqunlls, which partly •unroofed the stables, and sent some barrels Tolling merrily. There was soon a move downwards. _ Mr Jones had gone ahead, but ere the procession reached a point about a mile from the hotel, and which that gentleman had passed safely, a huge tree, which had been left; standing -close on thetdge of the inner bank, was blown •down, find it lay slantingly across the road and quite blocking it] A couple of cro«s-cut saws and •some nxes were soon got from a house near ; th're Trere plenty of willing and vigorous hands to ■work them ; and in a short time the branches were chopped off aud the tree was swn in thee piece*. One was toppled over tho cliff by means of levers and a score or two of shoulders ; and the •others were i oiled in agninst the bank. Hi«h over the heads of the workers, there btands n cottage close by, a tree had been blown down, and it fe'l upon the cottape, nearly demolishing the rorf, A woman stood beside the ruin, and seemed neither to participate in nor to understand the «nthusiaßm of the merry throng" beneath her. The road being e'eared, there was a bit of a apurt in the pace of the procession ; but soon it had to be checked, for there was another tree blown down and hanging dangerously over the road. This one had rtrnck the telegraph wire, pulled out Ihe insulator and left the wire so low that it swept «ff some of the flags from the leading carriages But Port Chalmers was at length reached ; and vhen a halt was made in front of the Dodson's fcotel, further evidences of the strength of the wind were p;ivea. The tent had disappeared. Luncheon had been laid — everything was compute—when the tent went down like a house of cards; aud everybody connected with the bou»»

had to ?et to work to srve the good things which loadfd the tables. Before the proctSMon arrived, the luncheon bad been spiead in the dining room find the billiard room— on the billiard table, in fact ; but all things considered, the result wa> v ay emlitabie,

The landing of the Eleven was successfully managed, despite the heavy squalls. A large boat was lent by Mr D unbar, one of the ddist w.iterraen. She was boweied with feins and decoiated with flags, one oi them Leing on a tail temporary mast. Captain George "Thomson, marine surveyor (ard a member of the Poit Chalmers Club) acted as coxswain. The bout or gondola of the Eleven was towed by eight twooaied boats, the rowers being old and experienced watermen, who yet had to rontend stouily lor the honor, whioh was covfted by every waterman at tin Port. The police boat and that of the Harbor department flanked tho pondola, and a swift whale bout, the Volante, led tiie way. In the Volante were Mr Jones and members ot the Match Committee ; and her crew consisted of P. fl. Roach, W. Southgate, W. Dunbar, and G. Lawrence. The flotilla made a sweep from the Alhambra, round some of ihe shipping; and all oars were raised ru the gondola approached the Jetty. Salute 3 were fired from the American ship Alice Tlnrndike, the barque St. Dunstan, the Alhambra and Queen steamers, and other vessels, as well as trom Mr Taylor's battery, and from a cannon in front of Dodson's Hotel. The ships couM not, owing- to the sqaalls, show so much bunting as they did on Satnrday ; but there was, nevertheless, a resp ctab'.e display. The jetty was crowded, and loud were the cheers as the Eleven stepped ashore. They were received by the Port Chalmers Club, and were preceded by the band in the walk to the hotel, which place was, of course, instantly crowded. Mr Mamford, SM, pr^sid^nt of the Port Chalmers Club, was c tiled to the chair (in the diningrootn). He said he very much regretted that an accident had prevented the Eleven being received aa was intended ; but he was sure they would take the will for the deed, A marquee, capable of accommodating 200 persons, had been blown down : and as other arrangements had to be hastily made, the best possible must be made cf them. It would be as well, perhaps, if gentlemen haviug addresses to present would present them at once.

Mr KISBLING, honorary sfcretary of the Dunerlin Club, read the fallowing, and presented a handsomely ergro'sed and illuminated copy to George Parr, captain of the team. The address was " on behalf of the Cricketers in Otago :*' — " Gentlemen.— On the occißion of your landing in New Zealand, we the Cricketers of Otago assemble to welcome you with our most hearty congratulation.

" As humble imitators at these distant antipoles of your famous deeds in England, we gladly hail the opportunity of witnessing the excell' nee to which your prowess hai brought the manliest of English pastimes.

" We are happy to inform you of the interest whi'"h has been evinced throughout this province in the noble game of cricket, since your visit to the^e shores ha<j become a certainty, and we should fail to discharge a debt of gratitude were we to do otherwise than inform you of the very liberal encouragement afforded to us, by the Government of our province and the public generally. "To hook for anything like success in the forthcoming struggl', when pitted against the Champions of the World, would bs presumptuous on our part, but you will be glad to learn, that no exertion has been wanting to select the best twenty-two our Province can boa3t of, to take the fit Id against you-

'' In conclusion, we earnestly trust that the measures which have been taken to render our mpetiiig ' to do bat'le in the field of mimic war,' will be attended with universal satisfaction and (gratification, and that when duty calls you away, to finUh a voyage encircling the entire globe, you will have some cause to regret bidding adieu to the province, which, thousih one of the youngest in this colony, proudly and justly boasts owning the soil first trodden by an All England Eleven. "On behalf of the Cricketers in Otago, J. EISSIiINQ. Secretary to Dur.edin Cricket Club and All England Eleven Committee. Mr Lakeman, honorary secretary of the North Dunedin Club, read and presented the following: "Gentlf.mkk,~ The members of the North Dunedin Cricket Club feel it to be at once a great pleasure and a happy augury that their fitst appearance in pablic as a Club should be to j take part in the proceedings of to-dny, and to assist to welcome to the shorea of New Zeahnd the far-famed AH England Eleven. _ " We have marked with interest your rupees- , sive cutests in a sister colony, and admired the stand -cou have made in defence of the renown committed to your charge.

" We trust that the same harmony, good feeling, and enthusiasm whir-li greets your arrival to-day may continue, so that both we and you, in calling to remembrance this your visit to Otago may have alike ' sunny memories,' unclouded by a single shadow, unmingled with a single regret." Mr E. T. Gillon, honorary secretary of the Tokomairiro Club, presented the following address :— " Gkntlemen— lt is with no ordinary feelings ; of p'ensure that on behalf of one of the country Cricket Clubs of this Province we meet and bid you a hearty welcome on landing on our shores. Convinced of the many advantages which our players will derive irom your visit, and the immense impetus which it will give to the progress of the game amongst us, we cannot but regard I your arrival as a most important and fortunate era in the crirketing history of this colony. We trust that our local clubs will improve to the utmost the advantages to he derived from the presence of Ene land's champion cricketers, and that when you leave us to seek new victories or to return to England, your visit to Otago may not be among the least pleasing recolkctions of your tour in the Antipodes.

"Once more we bid you a hearty and cricketer's welcome, both individually and as the representatives of the national game of our native land.

" For the Tokomairiro Club, " Edwakd Thos. Gilloh, "Hon. Sec." Mr Toms came next, with the address from the Port Chalmers Olub, as follows:-—

"On behalf of tho members of the Port Chalmers Cricket Club, we congratulate you on your safe arrival in Otago, and hope that during your stay in this Province, the cricketers will derive both instruction and pleasure from the display of skill which has conferred on you the renown of being matters cf the gamo of cricket. Trusting

that during your stay among- r us, \ou may derive equal satisfaction, we lenimn," &c! Mr fIEEi said th it be ha-J not b-'en enhusted wi:h any fonml address, but as tho humble repiesentntive of the Wakatipu. which ilipfict, had contributed fivp towar is the 22 uhyers of Otago he wished to siv that if the Woven could p<K«iblv have rome up into his pnitofth" country, he would do hi* ]jtfc>t to continue the welcome just given them. Ho hoped they would, at any rate, spend a happy time in New Zealand, and have a pleasant voja^e back to England. -(Applause.)

Mr Paru s.^id : Gentlemen, I feel just at present su'h a responsibility resting on me as I never felt before. I am only sorry that I am not capable of replying as I wish to the addresses you have so handsomely pre-ented to us. We have come a long nay to meet you, not in untoward strife, I trust, but in trun friendship. We are all brothers. We are all of the same old stock ; and I believe that we are all l>roiheis in loyalty, iv language, in religion, and in our love for the fine oU hnglish game.— (Oheeis.) This is really, gentlemen, the proudest day I ever had in my life. Time and cricket bring distant parts of the world together ; and now our colonies seem to be like only so many counties one to the other. — (Applause. ) lam sure our forefathers never would have believed that an hnalish Eleven would have ome hereto Otago to meet 22 fellow players. - Hear, hear ) lam sorry to say I have been sufferi' g from erysipelas, and that" I am still very nervous. I hope, therefore, that you will etcuse any little failure on my part to express myself as fully or as well as I should. Believe me, however, that I heartily thank you for the reception you have given to us.— (applause.)

The Eleven and some other gpntlemen sat down to luncheon, Mr Jones being in the vicechair. The billiard room was also crowded ; and the meal was merrily partaken of. It iieing emled, ani the uaual lo^al toasts having b-en drunk,

The Chairman begged to propose " The AllEngland Eleven," and to couple with the toast the name of their renowned captain, George Parr.- -(Loud cheers.) The toast was drunk with "honors."

Mr Parr said : I rise to thank you for drinking the health of the English cricketers. I am very happy to say they are all here, and I believe in very good health; and I have no fear as regards their fielding of the New Zealand cricketers,— ( Applause.) I have no doubt that the game will be so conducted that we shall part as good friends, no matter whether we win or lose.— (Hear, hear.) lam only sorry that lam •not in very good form myself. 1 have much pleasure in proposing to you " The health of the Twenty-two of Otago," and I couple with it tiie name of Mr Ki> sling. The toast was drunk heartily, and amidst applause.

Mr Kissling, in responding, said he felt he should hardly be doing his duty, if he neglected to state the course which events had taken in regard to the visit of the Eleven to Otago. Eight months back, four gentlemen— two of whom were in the present company— sat smoking together when a suggestion was made as to ths possibility of bringing over the Eleven. The most arduous endeavours were madeto complete preliminary arrangements ; but those who worked together foiled to see their way clearly. They were much in the case of a sick man for whose recovery a talisman was needed. But there was a talismau in this instance ; and in Shadrach Jones was found the man to bring to our shores the first cricketing team of the world.— (Applause.) Since the match was arranged, they had worked night and day, almost : and no exertion had be"n spared to prevent, not a defeat, but their disgracing themselves.

Capt. M'Lean proposed " Health and prosperty to Mr Shadrach Jones" —(The toast was drunk with " three times three" cheers.) Mr Jones retarned tbanks. In a large undertaking like the present, there was necessarily a good deal of anxiety— not in a pecuniary reuse, so much as to give public satif faction. The public was a curious thing to cater for. If everything went well, all was right; but if there wa> the slightest hitch, then all the blame wa» thrown on the originator, and it was assumed that there was some reason for the failure which had never existed. — (Hear, hera.) He was never more de lighted in his life than lie was on Saturday night, when their friend, Captain M'Lean, sent up the rockets to intimate that the cricketers were at hand. There were rumors that the cricketers were not coming at all; and some few small facetious folks went so far as to declare that they "never thought we Bhould see them, you know : it'a only one of Jones's peculiar tricks.' - (Laughter). So the nnxiety was intense, not alone on his part ; and those rockets relieved it greatly.— (A laugh). It had been his most earnest desire to have everything as perfect as possible in connection with the visit of the Jgleven to Otago. To say that he had done all, would be simple injustice to those who had assisted him, whether with work or advice j and to the gentlemen who originated the idea of bringing down the Eleven, and who had since most assiduously assisted him, a great part of the praise belonged. They had stuck to him, and said, " Jones, you have a good long purse, and we are quite sure you will carry this thing through " That was & kind of encouragement he could appreciate. He had made this matter one of private gratification, quite as much aa of acting as a public man. In conclusion, Mr Jones proposed the health of the Chairman.

The company then moved out to the carriages. But the speech making was not eu<l<>d. Some of the watermen begged so hard for "just a few words from the Captain," that Mr Parr mounted a bench, and while a tar held a union jack over his head, he thanked the men tor what they had done. He said the team had often had coicpli menjs paid them on shore -but rever until that day had they had a compliment paid to them afloat. Their reception byb lie watermen was of a kind quite unexpected and most gratifvicgaud he thanked them heartily. Cheers.) The precession was soon re formed under Mr ■Hamilton's directions, in the following order, in whicn it came into Dunedin .— rFwo Mounted Troopers. A party of horsemen from Port Chalmers. -Port Chalmers Club. Provincial Brass Band. THB* AM. ENOLAHD BIETBN. ■ Mr/Joues's Private Carriage. ! The Match Committee and the Dunedin Club. i • North Dunedin Club. *- Tokomairiro Club. Two Coaches filled with Cricketers. -'■• Private vehicles. Horscmea, three abreast,

The pull up to the Junction Hotel was rather a long one, but it wns effected without the slightest accident. We Know that the Eleven expressed themselves delighted with the romantic scenery through which they parsed, mid which is at different points exceedingly beautiful. We also know that they did nor. like the dust. It wa3 bad enough before the Junction was re iclied, but while thare was a short pau«e there, dust clouds were driven furiously and raesl blindingly about. The nuisance continued during ths ride down and into the city. .Near the Water cf Leith, a considerable addition was made to the number of horsemen, and they then mustered between 70 and 80, At different points along the road men employed in the bush, or cotteis, rushed out to sec the cricketers, and cheered to their heart's content, the occupants of several of the cairiages responding with ri?M goo'l will. At the Water of Leith thf-re was quite a Crowd, and more cheers were given. Indeed there was quite a running lire of rheers as the procession passed through Great King street and George street. In the Octagon, and Princes street North, the display was seen most effectively, and the effect was really striking. The long line of gaily decked vehicles, all the occupants of which wore rosettes of some sort, as did also the drivers and the horse«, looked capitally, and justified, we should fancy, the remark of one of the Rleven that they hnd " never had anything like such a reception in Victoria." The procession turned up High street and through Manse street to the Proviucial, Stafford btreet being almost blocked with people anxious to catch a glance of the cricket champions. Pheer after cheer was given as the men alighted and entered the hotel.

A much needed wa<h was obtained, and then came another luncheon. By four o'clock the coach and six was on<"e more in motion ; and the tern was driven rapidly to the ground. Some three or four loaded coach-a accompanied them. Painful evidence of tin: strength of the gale was aft'orded by the (Jrapd Stand, which, was almost wholly stripped of its galvanised irou roofins, but it was fortunately too strong to be othe wise injured. The men" speedily got their bats in their hands and went in for about an hour's rollicking practice. There was some great hitting, but the men seemed rather to desire to stretch themselves than to make play, bo that no thing need be said of what was done.