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Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 101, 28 September 1878, Page 2

Now that' the Aii.stfalian Ci«cketers have cojiciuded their Engh>b campaign, it will be interesting to analyse the , result of the various contest's in '; .which (lie I.'1 .' .have been flne;jigt?fi. Diiring Lheir tqur "they. f)layed mi ho lees 'than thirty-si^ mat ches, w'r>n>ig;hte(>n' loft ev'jh.t., " th 6 remaining ten bt'tng drawn. Of the latter- it, may bo, fairlr sai.d that, had t'hVy bfi«»n convpletiicl. the ; A nstralinns would have won six.': Tliis ; . .'.huiAbflr^ added : to wahteen pires twenty-four victories to twelve tiefehls, or- two to .one. Five of ihtir vwtQri^; n.ot only pbtajp^

against the first clubs m England, but scored ■with Buch ease bb appears almost incredible. Thus we have the Marylebone, won with nine wickets to fall ; Surrey defeated by five, Yorkshire, with an advantage of six wicfcets ; the Players defeated by eight runs ; and the redoubtable Gloucester defeated with ease. In those contests the flower of English cricket were opposed to them, and the prowess of the hitherto almost invincible G-BAOU was not proof against the fatal bowling of the Demon Spoffoeth. Another fact which must be borne m mind, iB that m many, very many of so-called Provincial matches m which the visitors had fifteen and eighteens opposed to them, some of the players were men whose names were not unknown m LillyWiiite's annual score. They have exceeded the most sanguine expectations of their well-wishers, and somewhat nonplussed the carping critics, who characterised as gross presumption the idea of their throwing down the gauntlet of defiance to England's veterans, and ridiculed their going away so far to court ignominious defeat. The tables have been turned with a vengeance, and while the Press of Great Britain abounds with well-deserved laudations of the prowess'of the visitors, all unite m admiring the modest and unpretending manner m which the Australians have borne the honors bo nobly won, and so fairly accorded them. Their conduct m this respect is a marked contrast to the two last English teams, which have visited the Antipodes. In the one of which W. Q Ghacb was Captain, the people of Victoria and elsewhere were scandalised at the unseemly quarrels which took place among the team, owing to the " exclusive" conduct of Mr. G-bacb and other so-called gentlemen. His treatment of the Australian visitors over the Gloucester match and the playing of Midwinter was a disgrace to himself, and brought upon him the well merited reprobation and caßtigation of the English Press. As a result of the visit of tho Australian team, it is now authoritatively stated that Mr I. D. Walkeb has abandoned his intention of selecting an Eleven to visit the i Colonies. Australia has wrested the ohampion's belt from the rowers of tho Tyne and the Thames; she has proved sho is nofe to be beaten m the cricketing field 5 and the day is not far distant when the owner of a Colonial bred horse will claim the blue riband of the Derby,