It is zood news to hear that our Knglish XI will be selected by three men who play the game throughout the season, and if in doubt at any time two others wi be asked for their opinions. Gloucestershire, Yorkshire, and Warwickshire supply the selectors, which is a step in the right direction and certainly far more satisfactory than the previous method. Four amateurs and seven professionals are likely to be chosen for the first Test, I should say, although this is only my opinion.
eis not likely that the many. fine performances from the bat of one southern amateur will be forgotten when the time comes for selection, since there was no fluke about the manner in which his runs were obtained, and at the same time he is as good in the' field as with the bat. One thing is certain, and that is the Australians will find it a very different kind of bowling this season in England to the stuff that Arrived Foul 9.30 p.in, Mid-day rest 44h.; was rolled up on their perfect wickets. I] must have been made in well-nigh' record "hope Rhodes, of Yorkshire, will come on this season, as it is an open secret that our visitors' never have relished the left-handed bowler who can make the ball come with his arm as Bobby Peel used to do. Rhodes can bowl this particular kind of ball as well as Peel, but he is not so accurate, and has not as yet his experience, hich is only natural, The return to form of Lockwood was very noric able last season; it is no. exaggera to say that he never bowled {his life, and though the Australia {him very easy to play in their country, I venture to sly that in all probability they will find him the most difficult, of all our bowlers to play this season. There is no getting away from the fact that at the present moment we have very few great bowlers from whom to choose, and maybe Lockwood will have a hand' in winning more than one Test match for us, for he can bowl on any wicket, good or bad, and the rapidity with which he comes off the pitch and kicks up at times is enough to alarm any batsman.—Richardson—was Dowling his hest again at the end of last season, and it was not possible for him, after the ting tour in Australia, to com: mence the season at his best; we need have no fears about our Tom not being much amongst them, and it isa monkey to ahayseed that he starts at one end in the Tests.
It is not for me to make suggestions, and with the exception of Lockwood and Richardson, who to all the world must be certainties, I shall say no more about our bowlers except that if Jack Hearne is simple in Australia he is the opposite in our country, and when the wicket is helping vek, then he helps himself and no mistake. He ix respected by all, hitters and stone-wallers alike; every inch of Lord's does Jack know, and if there's just a a little bit of wet in the Lord's Test. match then Jack's the boy for work," and yours truly is going to take the first train to St. John's Wood just to see the fun.
That reminds me, when the Australians were last over and were playing M.C.C. and ground at Lord's on that sticky wicket, on my way to the station at Harrow I met one of the masters coming from his mor ing school. On his asking where I
of course, and you had better come replied: Where do you think too." I never thought the Australian: would total less than twenty. Hower j they proved later that the form was too bad to be true, and if they played badly then so did we equally so in the second Test match at Manchester. Still I cannot get it out of my head that this combination as a batting side will be a trifle di appointing on sticky wickets. There are no Masseys, Lyons, Bonnors in the team Darling, itis true, hits when in the humour, but not'so often as the above-named trio,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.