CRICKET IN ENGLAND.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 2016, 21 October 1869, Page 3

CRICKET IN ENGLAND.

As we are shortly to have a visit from some of the English “Knights of the Willow,” the following account of the play of some of them, by a writer in the A ustralasian, may prove of interest to those who delight in the noble game : Since I last wrote you, several important matches have been played, amongst which I may mention Surrey v. Lancashire, which the latter won easily ; Surrey v. M.O.G. and f round, at Lord’s, another easy victory over urrey ; Nottingham v. Yorkshire, the former winning ; North v South, at the Oval, which, on paper, looked Lombard street to a China orange in favour of the South, but which was won by the North with nine wickets to spare, the bowling of Freeman and Wootton being rather too much for the Southerners, who, with the exception of Mr W. G. Grace and Mr V. E. Walker, seemed quite stuck up by it. Fancy Humphrey and Jupp going out for 0 each 'in the first, and three each in the second innings. These players seem to have a wonderfully sympathetic fate, as besides the above, they got 34 each in another match, and in that at Lord’s, Surrey v. M.C.0., one got 25 and 8, and the other 26 and 1. Whoever christened Willie Campbell “Jupp,” could never have seen the latter, who is half as big again as Willie, and not a bit like him in style, which is very unattractive at first. He seems to have an uncertain, not say timorous, manner of playing the ball until he has kept up his wicket for a few days or hours, and then he goes out to meet th m and plays much more freely. Humphrey, on the other hand, though about the same height, is a much smaller man than Jupp, and is very like Willie Campbell, both in appearance at the wicket and style of batting ; he plays much “cleaner” with the bat than Jupp (who seems to have a habit of getting himself all over the wicket for the first hour or so), and is certainly so much more like Willie that I hope you will persuade your cricketing scribes to re-christen hun, i.e., if it is considered necessary in the Colonies to give a gentleman amateur a nick-name. They call a player here named Payne “ Toothache,” but I do not think they would take that liberty with a gentleman. There is a very interesting match on now, Surrey v, Sussex, at the Oval, at which T, B. and A. B. and myself are regular attendants. Sussex went in first, and got 253 and 165 ; Mr C. R. Smith (c) 77 and 21 ; Mr C. E. Green 43 and 24; Southerton 23 and 20. Surrey got 233 in their first innings, Jupp tying the highest scorer on the other side with 77 ; Humphrey being bowled for 1 ; H. H. Stephenson 38, and other good scores. There has been some fine play. When Humphrey’s wicket fell the score was I—l—6, and H. H. S. and Jupp kept in the remainder of the afternoon, and ran up the total to DO, when the stumps were drawn. The last Sussex wicket fell the next day at 7 o’clock, leaving Surrey 186 to get, which they did with the loss of only four wickets ; Jupp 44, Humphrey 22, H. H. S. 42, and Pooley 35. Griffith and Mr Potter (who seems to hold a position between an esquire and a professional) carrying out their bats. This was a good pull off for Surrey, as they seem to be out of luck this year. It was heavy scoring, but the bowling on either side was not equal to the batting. The best bowlers I have yet seen are Freeman and Wootton, fast left-hand ; in fact, there are as many left-hand bowlers as right now. Bristow and Southerton are the two roundarm slows for the South; something after “ Famrr ” Bennett’s style. Bristow is lefthanded, and is wonderfully quick in fielding his own bowling. I saw him catch Mr W. G. Grace out (after getting between 50 and 60), a hard drive within a foot of the ground like Tarrant caught Wardill out in the last All-England match in Melbourne, but much more easily, with the left hand, and retook his station to resume bowling to the next man has if nothing had happened. But the greatest treat I have had in the cricket-field is to see the batting of Mr W. G. Grace. He is not 21 yet, over six feet high, “bearded like the pard,” and only wants six months under & drill-sergeant to make him as fine a looking man as here and there one. Even “Longstop,” with his ineradicable aversion to the name of Grace, would fall down and worship the most brilliant batsman of modern days. There is a commanding grandeur about his style which out-distances any competitor I have seen. You feel when you see him bat that it will be an impossibility to get him out by the ordinary process of cricket ; he comes down on the ball like a steam-hammer, and if he skies one it is generally far over the heads of the longest field. When I saw him play at the Oval he hit Freeman from the upper wicket to the old elm tree near the entrance (“Longstop will recollect it) without touching the ground, but most of his three and fours are dead along the turf. I saw the first day of the match between Kent and Surrey at the Crystal Palace, in which Surrey got beaten by nine wickets. Old “Farmer” Bennett played in it, and seemed delighted to meet me and |he B’s. Willsher’s bowling is not so high or so “poisonous” as I expected to find it, but I suppose it is from all the bowlers now having a high delivery, and most of them left-handed. H. H. Stephenson seems in good form this year, and Griffith is the same good-humored old whale as ever ; for a man of his build his “point” is something wonderful.