AUSTRALIANS AND CRICKET.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2877, 6 May 1878, Page 2

AUSTRALIANS AND CRICKET.

Many reasons have been assigned as to the cause of the proficiency of Australians in the game of.cricket, but very few have borne any. reference to the natural advantages of the country. The Hon. John Richardson, M.L.C., supplied us with some novei and interesting information on the subject in a speech he very eloquently delivered at a public dinner in Armidale. .The local paper thus reports him:—".This climate was well adapted for the game of cjricket; we had magnificent plains,, ridges, and . our shores wore washed by the Pacific. (Cheers.) The air was pare; the light brilliant, and one could:, sit under the vine or fruit tree undisturbed even by the kangaroo. ! (Cheers.)!* The cheers which greeted these remarks show how completely he 'carried his audience .with him, and no doubt they' had never given the subject such consideration as had Mr Richardson. It will be seen that he sums up the .specialities of Australia for fostering the ■game under the following heads:— Ist. That we have " ridges " to play upon - -which other people have. not, or, i, they have, avoid them. 2nd. That thtf- " shores being washed by the Pacific " is an advantage—true, though, mysterious. 3rd.. That the " brilliant" light which completely baffled the English teams to contend against, on their own showing, is a blessing. 4th. That the game can be played " sitting * under fruit trees and vines " in this country, which cannot be or ia not done elsewhere; and, lastly, •that kangaroos do not interfere with people playing the game in this, as it is plain Mr Richardson considers they do in other countries. As Mr Richardson has filled important positions in the Legislatures of this colony and Queensland, what he says ought to be received with the respect and attention due to his position, and the above extract will open up an ample field for reflection, - if delirium does not in the meantime overtake those who attempt to explore it.-r-Sydney Echo.