Tt will not be out of place to give a short sketch of the players, one by o1 commencing with Darling, their captain, who is, as u batsman, of the very first rank, being able to score all round the wicket against all sorts of bowling. His driving is very hard indeed, especially on the off" side; his leg play is exceedingly effective; and so long as he has got to in to bat, the game is never lost for side, however black winning prospects a pear, for, at a pinch, if he cannot be relied upon then no one can. He isa very safe out-field and, like all Australians, has a splendid return, Playing for the first time against England in 1894, he is as yet quite young cricketer.
'Hugh 'Crumble is better known to us even thin Darling, and so soon as he got a fair chance given' him, which was hardly the case his first visit to us, he at once proved himself to be one of the greatest of Australia's great bowlers, On a bowler's loket, with Hugh Trumble on your side, you won't have to field out for long; he is a great head bowler and can always be relied upon to keepagood length. Bowling medium pace with a high delivery outside the off stump, with just sufficient break to beat the bat on anything but a perfect wicket, it is no wonder that he has performed so well in the past as he is sure to do in the future. Asa batsman he is very little inferior, and on more than one occasion he has saved the game for his side as he did in the second Test match at Manchester. His knowledge of the game is wonderful, and at slip with his long reach he is very effective as a fieldsman. is without doubt the most brilliant field in Syd. Groyory, another well known figure, the world to-day. Itis a treat indeed to see him handle the willow, cutting the off ones, pulling the short ones, glancing the leg ones, all coming alike tohim, and for one so small the power behind his bat is extraordinary. In Australia during our Inst visit he was not quite at his best, a temporary loss of form only, we all hope. On any wicket he is quite tip top, and is one of the very few batsmen who cares not, so far as he himself is concerned, on what sort of a wicket he has to bat.
Frank Iredale is one of the safest outfields in the world, indeed you can put no one in front of him. He isa fine upstanding bat with an easy style, equally good all round the wicket, and putting plenty of power into all his'strokes, and when in form is a very hard wicket to capture, but is one who gets quite his share of bad luck, which I should think tends to dishearten him more than it would do others.
Clem Hill, with his skipper, are two left-handers of whom any XI might well feel proud. He is one of those men who at one bound become great cricketers so soon as the chance is given them of showing people of what they are made. At school he used to bat for weeks, and now I know him it is a wonder to me how they ever got him out. He isos strong as a horse with the heart of a lion, and one who fairly revels in knocking up' centuries obtained by perfect cricket. He can cut, drive and glunee equally well; in fact, if you want to See perfect batting on a perfect wicket, take atrip to Australia, and watch Clem Hill batting against our boys on any ground you I wish he was Lancashire born.
Jones is the idol of Adelaide, I should say, from the cries of "good old Jonah," "Hit em, Jonah," &c., when he walks in to bat, and he very often hits to such an alarming height that you wonder if the ball is ever coming down, At the same time Jones makes some very good low hits, but just high enough to zo well aver the heads of the infields. Asa howler his success is due to his great pace which is apt to get any batsman out, when he first goes in especially: and if he is fast in England he is certainly faster in Australia, where he gets most ut his wickets owing catches in the slips. He is a very fine mid-off, covering a lot of ground, and a very safe catch.
Kelly is one of the determined order, and as a batsman is very hard to get rid of, Keeping up his end as long as is necess and Tnotice that he As a wicket-keep he is first-rate, having no unnecessary flourish, and preferring to be safe mither than brilliant, he is one who never appeals to the umpire without good reason. Johns is his understudy, and if anything goes wrong with the N.S.W. nun, there could not bea better substitute, although he is not in the same street as a batsman.
Worrall, who has been a member of a former combination, appears to be a better batsman than ever before. He has got a Jot of runs in Australia, and is one whose judgment is rarely at fault as to what game to play when he has seen the wicket. He can searcely be styled an elegant bat but he is none the worse for that, and us a field he is considered one of the best mid-offs ever sen on the Melbourne cricket ground,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.