AUSTRALIANS ON THE ENGLISH CRICKET FIELD.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 312, 24 April 1877, Page 4

AUSTRALIANS ON THE ENGLISH CRICKET FIELD.

The Melbourne Daily Telegraph writes : —" Something lias been said lately about sending an Atisfralian Eleven to play cricket in the Old Country. The averages which we have published show thai the idea is not so ridiculous as at first appears. Rutting against an All-England team, the first eleven of Australia made scores equal t_> anything shown in the English guide, and so with the first eleven bowlers. Victoria has tive men in this Australian Eleven, namely, Horati, Midwinter, Kelly. Dlackham, and Kendall, a>rid very probably would have had six, if the captain of the East Melbourne Club had been allowed a show. Taking the baiting list *3 it stands, however, New South Wales has the majority, in the persons of Messrs. Ilatmeimau, J). Gregory, Evans, Thomson, Garrett, and SpofForth ; and of the entire eleven, only the last falls short »>f an average ok* double figures. The advantage we have in Australia is that, with the exception of Allan, all our first bowlers arc included in our first batsmen. ths team having no lrs.3 than five bowlers, a splendid wicket-keeper, and a first-class pome. AH the specialities of the game an*, in fact, represented in the eleven premier batsmen. Once in Great Britain, the eleven might be reasonably expected to Itf'fd their own against all the county teams : but tfie difficulty would be to transfer the men to tEie Mother Country. They have their livings to attend to. On the oUter hand, we may be pretty well sure that, no matter what players eoiuo to Australia, the Colonies, when they piny their best men. may be relied upon to hold their own, and t<> make a good tight for victory, if freaks ->i fortune prevent their actually obtaining it.''