CRICKET.

Gisborne Times, Volume VIII, Issue 698, 18 December 1902, Page 3

CRICKET.

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Mr und Mrs Hugh Trumble recently returned to Melbourne by the Australasian from Capetown. Air Trumble

played with the team in two of ttic .South African games, at Johannesburg and Pretoria, and attributes the heavy scoring of the South African eleven against them mainly to the matting wickets, though tne South Africans, lie says, arc a tirst-rate nine. Their wicketkeeper, Ilalliwell, is one of tf ic lies I, men he has ever seen behind the stumps. Koetzc is a fine

fast howler, arid Rowe a left-hander above ihc average ; while tiiey have a n urn tier of really good batsmen. The

South Africans are exceedingly anxious to visit, Australia, and as Here are a number of wealthy am! generous supporters of the game over there they will probably make a. lour of the States just prior to taking their next trip to England. They were helped in Die. earlier games by Llewellyn, a, fine cricketer, formerly in Natal, but who now plays for Hampshire, and was tiie reserve man for England in one of Hie test matches.

Trumble isay.s the peculiarity of fiic

matting wickets to Ihe Australians was that a really deadly ball, if howled on turi, was certain to go just over ihc bails. It, was impossible to get

anv work on the ball, and the South African batsmen, knowing exactly what the hall would do, or, rather, what it, would not do, went, for tlie howling in dashing style, while the Australians halted, wondering whether it, would come high or low. Tne trip through the Karoo was a revelation to the Australians, but the only traces of war they saw were the block-houses and the tom to of the dead. They n«t many Australians, some of whom

tamo down in a. body to the Tiansvaal border, and turned them out of their berths at about in the morning to welcome them. Speaking of the Australian iou:; in England, Trumble says that no team • hat ever Jett Australia worked so

larmoniottsly, ami in this respect alone t was a, pleasure to he with them, from the financial point of view, tiic

first Uvo months were practically a (lead period, and this was mainly owing to the weather, which was frerincntly wretched in Ihc extreme. The county matches were not so lately attended as usual, hecatisc Knglislsmcn have come to recognise that the Australians arc too strong for any county and they do not care to come time after time to see their own men heate

The Yorkshiremen have an opinio the contrary, and though they were told on landing that Hirst would mow them down, they louml far Jess (litlicnlty with his howling than with Rhodes, whom the Australians have now come to regard as nmpicstionahly a great howler. The (leadliness of

Hirst's ucrial .swerve is exaggerated. Willi a new ball, he gels an undoubted ■swerve for the first, live or six overs, inti, it always comes the one way, aim as the season went on lie seemed to lose it altogether. Amongst tho Australians., of course, Trnmpec was the bright particular star, and lie amazed as well as dcl'&hle '

everyone. Trmnlilc minks teat c. reason why lie failed to gel larger scores after so •often reaching the h'till red was that, going so fast, lie fired

miisclf, and .sometimes—it may have been unconsciously—changed his game tfter getting the hundred. Armstrong improved greatly in his howling as the Lour progressed, and iiis development was mainly on the same lines as Uraund’s. He .was very fond of lcg-

ueaks and a strong on-field. .Saunlers would lie a great howler if lie

were a little bit less variable and erratic. In his best mood, lie wanted very little help from the wicket to get tiie best batting sine in England out cheaply, hut the change from absolutely first-class to mediocrity was sudden and inexplicable. In the latest match at the Oval,' ho beat the first two men completely, hut as soon as Jessop started to hit lost all l'is sting. Hopkins improved greatly, in his lidding, and Was really line.. He howled well, too, lint the change howlers of the eleven did not get murh cluince. Carter, the second Wicketkeeper," was a very useful man until he got his hand hurt, aud Duff always a reliable and solid batsman. The two memorable events oi the

tour were the test matches at Manchester, Tremble says, the Australians on the last day did not- appear to nave a twenty to one chance. At lunch, they were being chaffed in a friendly way by some of the old cricketers like A. N. Hornby and A. G. Steele, who said we have the Australians by the tail this time,” He told them that the wicket would not play nearly so well alter lunch, and tiie Australians would play much better, and, although

it turned out a prophecy, no one was more surprised than the prophet. It was only when four wickets had fallen that, the Australians realised they had

a chance—and their fielding thence on to the finish was magnificent, “ I never saw a finer exhibition,” says Trumble, “and everything came off.” The fall of rain just towards the finish should have given England the match, for the water was lying all over the pitch, which was still solid underneath. It was impossible to turn the ball a quarter of an inch. But the

waiting had destroyed Tate’s nerve, lie came in palpably unstrung, .slashed at the lirst ball from- Saunders, and linked it for -t. The next was a ball of which Saunders is very fond—one that comes in with the swing of the arm. It looked to be right off the wicket, and Tate, thinking he had the chance of a lifetime, let go again, was never near it, and heard ins wicket go. “ I shall never forget the <|iiaiut. pathetic look on his face,” Trumble said, “as lie turned round and stared at the wicket.” „ , In the mime at the Oval, I rumble says, the Australians should have won, for the wicket was helping them. The only man living who could beat

hem did heat them—and that was Jessup. Though lie had :1 lot of luck at the outset—and a batsman needed lucl his hitting was splendid. Hirst was as cool as though it were merely a practice game, and the minute the match was won he was into his clothes and oh to Yorkshire, while twenty thousand people in front ol the pavilion were roaring in one continuous, monotonous chant, “ IW Hirst; we— want— Hirst.” It was one of the strangest spectacles ol the whole tour.