coverpoint one day—his usual place in the field. He was marvellously quick, sometimes indeed his returns were so smart that none could tell whether he had used his right or left arm. He was, however, apt at times to be sleepy and inattentive to the game. On one occasion he was in this state, and just as the bowler started to bowl he noticed his sleepy coverpoint standing looking on the ground with his back to the wickets. 'Hulloa, there, wake up!' shouted he. Quick as lightning turned the coverpoint, and seeing something dark dashing past him made a dart, and caught, not the ball as he had thought, but a swallow. Talk of Royle or Briggs after that!
It is indeed deplorable that cricket in Australia has diminished in popularity, but we have not to go far to find the reasons for it. In the first place, we believe it is owing to the fact of international cricket having been overdone in the last few years, and secondly to the dull slow sticky style of play that has become so common in first-class cricket both here and in the colonies. We trust that this summer will be the last time we shall have the Australians over with us for certainly the next five years. Their first few teams encouraged and gave a fillip to English cricket, and our return visits were of equal service to them. But the thing has been too much laboured, and we in England are now weary of these continued invasions, not because the Australian players are unpopular with us at home, but because we want some rest and time to turn our attention to domestic cricket affairs. After the present season an Australian team will not be really welcomed by our English players, till the Spofforths, Palmers, Graces, and Shrewsburys are no longer on the war-path, and a new generation of cricketers has arisen to engage in the friendly rivalry of the Lion and Kangaroo.
