A CRICKET CROWD.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 30, 18 January 1912, Page 2

A CRICKET CROWD.

Though the crowds who attend test matches in Sydney have earned a reputation for their noisy enthusiasm, it appears that the spectators in Melbourne are equally keen followers of cricket in their own quieter way. Tire “Argus” relates that on the opening day of the second test match there were hundreds of spectators on the ground more than an hour before play was begun, and every one of them, from sedate elderly gentlemen down to impetuous schoolboys, were there to stay until the last ball of the day had' been bowled. ‘ They carried their luncheon in bags and paper parcels, and books and illustrated papers in their pockets. They bought score books in hundreds, and they recorded every ball bowled during the day, even when they were compelled to stand up in the sun and had no room to move their elbows. “The equipment of the expert,” states the ‘“Argus,” consists of a brief bag (containing lunch and a bottle of something), a pair of field-glasses slung over the shoulders, a pipe, and a newspaper, magazine, or book. He wears the softest and oldest hat in his possession and a. light coat. The expert onlooker, in short, looks exactly like an angler out for a long day’s fishing, with this one difference—he does not carry a rod. His favourite seat is in front of the iron railings circling the green, but he is quite content if he gets a seat in a stand, and if he arrives late he does not complain if he has to stand. He puts his precious bag on the asphalt between his feet, and concentrates his whole attention on the game.” It is related that many of the spectators remained in their seats from before noon till 0 o’clock. When the sun shone fiercely upon them in the afternoon they took off their coats and fixed their handkerchiefs under their hats to protect their necks. But all the time their faces were turned in one direction, and not an incident of the game escaped their notice. Cricket crowds, of course, are much the same in New Zealand, only in Sydney and Melbourne there are more enthusiasts.