Cricket.

Southland Times, Issue 18816, 8 May 1920, Page 9

Cricket.

tßy “Short Leg.”) The AttrtreHan papers are dftewting the probability of dem H3l emumg oat agsm next season with a view of leading the Aratrafiao eleven raid subsequently to take «l»iyi of a team that will tour England the foflowfog year. Tfae matter has already beau mentioned in on unofficial way to the Board of Control. Gtem Hill is the only maa in Australia who ft capable at toe prerent time of captaining this’ eleven, and should be return to his old form, would be a vafamhle acquisition. He ft only 43 yean of t«e, so not too old to play cricket, sad wftfa the exception of Horry Trot usd Mobfo, is the best captain Australia has known. Warwick Armstrong is tfae best „fl_i r y...wW at present in Australia, bat be would have to stood down in favour of HflL Ifc ft apparent that England as well as Aißtrolia ft at present suffering a dearth of ray*b u leniVirn and the selection of a coptom (or the team that will tour Australia nevt season is still under consideration. Commenting upon this an exchange ■totes: —Johnny Douglas, who was deputy to Warner during the last tour, looks tfae

likely leader. His only rivals are Reggie Spooner, the Lancastrian, -C. B. Fry, and “Plum” Warner. Spooner haa refused three previous 'invitations to visit Australia and ij in p»oor health owing to being gassed at Passchendaele. C. B. Fry’s position of Commander at the. College, , Hampshire, may prevent him making the trip. “Plum” Warner is too. old for an. arduous tour. In previous tours the. English captains have bad the assistance of excellent professionals, and it looks at present as though Douglas will lead the visitors, with, Jack Hobbs as unofficial adviser. Douglas won four of the last five tests in Australia. Incidents in the career of that great cricketer Dr W. G. Grace are still being retold and the following is related about Harry Boyle and tire champion:—Harry Boyle was the first man in Australia to dean bowl the famous W. G. Grace.' Boyle was selected for the eighteen of Victoria i against W.G.’s famous team. He made 30 runs in the only innings, and covered himself with glory by clean bowling the "greatest cricketer the world has ever seen” for 83. Boyle's name was on every tongue, and that night at the Theatre Royal the audience i cheered him for five minutes. Boyle bad i arrived in Melbourne from Bendigo with a friend a few days prior to toe match against I England, and- watching the English team practise, said; "Grace has a weak stroke on the leg side, and ii I could get a ball in between leg and wicket I think I could get him. If they pat me on I will go for tost land of baD ” —and ho got him. A player, 19 years of age, named E. Butaon, taking port in a school game at Ballarat, went in first and carried his bat through the innings of 119 for 55. The merit of this performance lay in the fact that be had only one arm, the other befog amputated above the elbow.