CRICKET IN ENGLAND.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2656, 22 August 1871, Page 3

CRICKET IN ENGLAND.

As the cricket season is about to commence in Otago, the following observations from a Home paper are not without interest A little work just published by the Maryleboine Club gives some capital hints to cricketers. In batting, the tyro is bid to watch such players as Carpenter and Mr W. G. Grace, and to observe, to start with, how few balls they allow r to pass them without meeting or hitting with the bat; and he is told that, as unless be can hit a ball, it is no earthly use to know how- it ought to be hit, he must go to the practice ground, and “endeavor to hit hard, no matter how or where, every ball that is bowled to linn.” Eye and hand will thus become habituated to work together, and when there is a tolerable certainty of hitting the ball the neccfBiry science can be praclised. Can anything be more ludicrous than to see a balsman, with whom “attitude is everything,’'going beautifully through h's motions, and f filing almost every time to even touch the ball until his stumps are lowered by the first well-pitche 1 straight ball ? Apropos of cricket, the Suez mail brings accounts of one of the most remarkable matches on record. It was commenced on Lord’s ground on June 12, and was between the Marylebone Club and ground and Middlesex. The M.O.C. went to the wickets first, and before W. G. Grace and John Kmith were parted, they made 101* between them. The innings closed for 338. The county then took up the bittyig) and when that day’s play closed, 81 were scored for two wickets, Mr Haclow (not out) contributing 41 of that number. On June 13 play was resumed, when Mr Hadow was joined by a fellowcollegi.ui (Mr Paucef.-ot), and the former remained at the wickets the whole of that day, performing one of the most remarkable feats on record. Without giving t'ie shadow of a chance until he made 200 runs (when, through bad light, a catch was missed), he hit together no less than 217 runs in five hours and a half against some of the best bowlers of England, including Shaw, Farrand, Grace, Thornton, Yardley, &c. The fine hitting of Mr Hadow may be judged from the fact that he made four fives, sixteen fours, eighteen threes, twenty twos, <Src. Four hundred runs was the result of that day’s play, and 300 runs fqr two wickets is a circumstance entirely without precedent. The county’s innings finished for 485. The next day the powerful team which had, on July 12, amassed the splendid score of 338, were all dismissed for 92 runs.