OUR BOYS AT HOME.

Inangahua Times, Volume XI, Issue 1740, 6 August 1886, Page 2

OUR BOYS AT HOME.

Under this heading "The Vagabond " writes to the Auntrilasian of the Australian cricketers : —

Our Boya are having a bad time of it. Not only the fates of -vicket. but the weather had been dead against them. Losing the first match at Sheffield Park by eight wickets, following on with a draw at Nottingham, which could not )>e said to be in lii.ir favor, the third match against Smvy was lost by three wickets, and the fourth projected at Lords with the Marylebone Club never came off. In each case the rain interfered witti (be play and spoilt the attendance. The defeat by Surrey was, however, no dishonour. The spectators saw as „*ie cricket as they are ever likely to witne?s when the state of the g or, <! is taken into consideration. And at the Oval they go in for cricket, not display. Tiie arrangements from our Melbourne Club point of view are primitive almost to meanness. But cf the thousands who pay their shillings to witness a big match, there are few who are not aa good judges of the game as any we have in Australia, expert critics on every point of bowling, batting and fielding. And they were not at first very kindly critics. Local feeling is much stronger on the Oval than at Lord's. Geti th men in the pavilion, like the Rev. F. F. J. Greenfield and others, were generous in their applause, but the crowd at first seemed decidedly a partisan one. Thus on the first day, when Surrey had made 172, and our boys went in after six o'clock, in a very bad light, there was not a single* • hand ' given to the first two batsmen, Trumble and Palmer, as they walked out to the wickets. This, so contrary to the treatment we accord to stronger* in the Colonies, was marked by ns as a sample of Surrey manners. But when the first wicket fell to Lohman i there was enormous applause, and vfcen Evans, who succeeded, was bowled Wythe first ball, the people seemed to go mad with joy. They jumped, and yelled, and chuckled, and laughed in a maimer which caused the Hon to al_t!o_t lose his temper as he expostulated on what seemed to us a lack of generosity. " Wait till you do something," was the contemptuous answer. Next day, wken our boys were early out for 82 and had to follow on, t'tnt contempt was much accentuated. But this did iiot last long. The old veteran Blackham soon changed the fortunes of the game. The applause fro.n the pavilion began to spread round the Held, "c'en the rauks of Tuscauv could scarce forbear to cheer." Blackham's 43 was a masterly perf nuance, for when he was out the pivilion "rose at him." Well played sir!" •* Played indeei 4 !" cam* from aU sides. Yes, when we do something the Britons will applaud. Bounor's big hitting " brought down the house," but Giffen'a

o_ i.i, out was th f i > ■>«• Against the best of howling he pluy : <; carefully and patiently, not giviog ;. chance, displaying as tru- rri-kot .ts will he seen in Englanl thisyeu-. It was a treat to see how he mastered the most difficult balls, alwiv* wi' h hjngh and a smile on his tace expressive of his self-reliance. Of George Gi&Vn one may well say *• A merry heart goes all the diy, a sad one, tire**i*« » mile." In Snrrey's second innings our bowling and fielding were ma,'iii!iee*.t. Evans distingiiißliing himself in ilnformer and Jones, as ever in the latter. Our boys astonished old players hy the manner in which they kept close to the wickets. The great catch of the match, however, was made in the first innings by Bomior. who ran ii about 40 v-ad*-from long field before he ••< i ■-<■■ I ball. No other man in England could have done it. Jatvis at the wickets took the ball smartly when it wa-. r - turned to him, and altogether, fo n ■ cricket pointof view, the Snrtvy'm--*-" was a Knecess. It was exceptional in that it was tioiio.ire I hy i vi.i i,- »i! the Prince of W.ih-s, who urnvc.; •"personally condne'ed liy Si. s-<m' Samuel." Mr Graham Berry, and a few either well known Au- t.i'i.tiis were _lso present, 'nit we- 1 n fotHje, and were few and far bet w.' n in the crowd. On ".he S-irey -i ie y»ung professional Lohmann principally distinguished himself. I und.rstand he is coining out to Australia.