LETTERS TO DISTINGUISHED PERSONAGES.
Hon. Ivo Bligh to Hon. Howard Chol mondeley, London. " Dear Howard,—l send you a telegram telling you of our downfall in Melbourne. The boys are quite dispirited, but we buckle to again on the 19th, and hope to recover our laurels. There is no fiz about it, the Australians are Al. They beat England at Kennington Oval on true form, We had arranged a four days' match, but they s. ut us up in three. You will perceive that the press has let us down very kindly, from the papers which I forward herewith. It was a great blow to me not being able to play Morley. He was just the man we wanted. The batsmen stuck us up I tried C. T. Studd, Barlow, Barnes, Bates and Steel on the adamant defence of Murdoch and Bannerman, but it was no good, and I had to descend to the puerile underarmers of Read. These alow lobs provoked the popular derision. Then I tried Leslie, as a last resort. He came off beautifully, getting two wickets in an over, and then another. Tylecote was in superb form at the wickets, almost equal to thefr vaunted Blackham.
‘ The Australians having finished an innings for 291, we stepped out with a light heart, knowing our prowess as bats. The wicket was confoundedly bad, as the Australians batted throughout a fine afternoon, and then rain fell in the night. The long and short of it is that our fellows went down like ninepins, especially before the bowling of Palmer. We closed for 177, which of oourse left us to follow our hand, as we were not within 80 of the Australians, the total deficit being 114. Our second innings was even more disastrous, and only left them 56 to win which they did with the loss of a wicket.
* I never was so abominably out of luck in my life. A nought the first innings, and three the second. Really, I felt quite sheepish the first time, having gone out with Barlow to open the batting, and with hopes of realising the century. Cricket is a dreadful lottery. In the second innings I experienced the truth of the text, “ Blessed is he that expeoteth nothing, for he |shall not be disappointed.’ ‘ We will infallibly be licked again, unless the Australians slack off their practice, which is not unlikely. The amount of “ blow " in Melbourne to-day. is overwhelming. They were talking horse yesterdav, [and now they are talking cricket morning, noon, and night. • The people here are jolly enough. Beaucoup de Monde, and very good Monde.— Yours faithfully,
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Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1258, 25 January 1883, Page 2
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437LETTERS TO DISTINGUISHED PERSONAGES. Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1258, 25 January 1883, Page 2
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