AUSTRALIAN ORICKETERS ROW.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 821, 28 June 1879, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN ORICKETERS ROW.

The publication of Lord Harris's letter describing the disgraceful way he and his eleven were treated at Sydney by their opponents and a cowardly mob of colonial scum, will Bend a thrill of indignant surprise through the [country. The conduct of Gregory, the captain of the eleven, who visited this country and met with such a warm welcome, is particulary reprehensible and contemptible, and we can quite understand the' indignant scorn of the Kentish captain and his men at the miserable taste and form displayed by the N.S. Wales Eleven and their blackguard, supporters. K The fact is, we were too civil and hospitable by half to the greedy and gate-money hunting crew of Australian oricketers who visited this country, not for the sake of orioket, but to make all the money they could. Such mercenary cads, as Lord Harris justly says, make very good winners, but are transformed into very low aud contemptible specimens of humanity when they lose.

Had not the English eleven been winning the strong probability is the objection taken to their umpires, out of which the whole disturbance arose, would never have been raised. As it was, in striking contrast to the behaviour of our English crowds when the Australian eleven proved victors, not a cheer was raised for the victorious English eleven at Sydney, aud the earliest opportunity was taken by Gregory, as we have said, of objecting to their umpire's decision, and thus causing the disgraceful riot to which we have alluded, in the course of which these cowardly colonials actually kicked Lord Harris when his back was turned, aud tore Mr. Hornby's shirt from £ his back.

The whole story is a very sad one, and shows but too plainly the dangers that arise when profit making " gentlemen," au-called, are allowed to mvade the ranks of amateur cricketers The Sydney "larrikins" had bet, too, on the success of their local eleven, it seems, and they had not enough of fair play and honour in them to allow them to lose their miserable wagers without bringing disgrace on themselves and their colony. English gentlemen should take warning from the incident, and never think of again visiting a country where so glorious a game as orioket is thus prostituted in the interests of 16 w gambling and wretched local jealousies and prejudices. — Figaro. " Paul Pry" writes in another London journal : — " Now that Lord Harris has published his experiences of Australian Cricket, the public ought to be tolerably satisfied that under auy oircumstances colonials cannot be grateful. Even Gregory, the captain of the Australians, behaved in the moat ruffianly manner. I always had my suspicious of th/se gentlemen from across the seas, and who came here more for the purpose, of making money than playing cricket. Anyhow, don't let them come here again. A more ungrateful, inhospitable, and dirty lot I have never heard of."