THE LONDON PRESS ON THE AUSTRALIAN ELEVEN.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2903, 15 July 1882, Page 3

THE LONDON PRESS ON THE AUSTRALIAN ELEVEN.

The last London papers received, contain full reports of the matches played by the Australian Cricketers, and most of them have considered the visitors of sufficient interest to deserve notice in their leading columns. The advent of Murdoch’s team is regarded as a particularly welcome event, for reasons set forth by the “ Times.” The leading English Journal, while stating that cricket was never more heartily or more generally played in the Home Country than it is at the present time, declares that the ordinary contests of the season have ceased to excite interest,and it hails an Australian programme as a " wholesome innovation upon the round of matches between County and County, between North and South, and Gentlemen and Players.” The success of the Australians in a large number of contests is regarded as a foregone conclusion and it will, the “ Times ” says, “ set English cricketers wondering where the secret of it lies. It is not enough to say that the Australians have a cricket season of nine or ten months in the year. In our four or five months our best players manage to squeeze in as many playing days, or more, than the Australians can afford in the course of their long summer. With us cricket matches, first-rate and even secondrate, are played all day and every day in the six. On the other hand, Saturday is the only day on which cricket goes on in the Colonies.” This puts a different complexion upon a theory which has been generally held to account for the Australian successes, and places the performances of the Colonial players in a still more favorable light. The “Daily News” does not rate the Australians ho highly - as does the “ Times.” While acknowledging that the batting of Massie and Murdoch in the Oxford and Sussex matches was wonderful us a display of hitting power, it points out that “ both the elevens opposed to the Australians were almost destitute of really effective bewling.” Since Mr Evans left Oxford; the University, we are told, “ has Lad no bowler of what even may he called high second-rate merit,” while Sussex “ had hardly a third-rate bowler.” The Colonists, in the opinion of the “ Daily News ” would probably do well in their County matches, but the Gentlemen of England might be expected to prove their masters—an expectation, however, which as we know was not fulfilled. The “ Standard ” regards the performances of tho Australians as “ wonderful ” and “astonishing.”. They are, it says, “a magnificent team, and tho absurdity of their contending on even terms with Leicestershire, Derbyshire,Northamptonshire, Northumberland, and some other elevens with which matches are arranged, becomes more striking than before.” Describing tho Sussex match, the same paper says of Murdoch's innings that it was a masterly display of batting. He was at the wickets more than six hours and a half, and “in all that time scarcely made a bad hit or misjudged a run. Nobody but Mr W. G. Grace has made so many runs (286) in a first-class match in England, as Murdoch has now beaten Mr Ward’s famous 278, that stood as a record for so many years.” The “ Daily Telegraph” bestows equally warm praise upon the same player for his successful efforts to avert defeat in the match with the Orleans Club. The game was going against the Australians, and it was owing to the exertions of Murdoch that a draw was secured. “ Seldom,” remarks the “ Daily Telegraph,” “ has a captain played a losing game with such admirable skill and Judgment. His duty was to keep up his wicket, and to play out time, and he did both to perfection. It was a model of what a cricket innings should be, considering that it was a two days’ match, and that patience could make a draw of it.” All of our English contemporaries express admiration of the fielding of the Australians, which they say could not possibly be excelled. Their great activity in the field also excites surprise, taken in conJunction with their physical appearance, which appears to give the English observer the idea of sturdy strength, rather than'fleetness of foot and rapidity of movement. “ Save young Massie,” observes the “Daily Telegrab,” “the athletic, spare youth, as shapely as u greyhound, who looks us if he were made for leaping hurdles, who walks well, and has not an ounce of superfluous flesh on his body, and who never allows a ball to pass him in the field, the others look ponderous enough. They are fine men, but one feels astonished occasionally that they can run so fast. They are active us boys, but setup like men,” Other accounts are equally complimentary, and altogether the cricketers cannot complain of the criticisms of the Homo papers, either upon their personal appearance, or their play. And after their brilliant achievements of the last few weeks, tho comments are likely to be more battering still.