themselves, and at no previous time have they been so good all through in fielding as they proved themselves in 1887. Mr. Grace, whose experience has been gained in the course of twenty-three years, has publicly stated that they never had such a good eleven in his time as they possessed in 1887, and the Gentlemen show symptoms of decline. In batting the amateurs are still fairly strong, but in bowling—let us draw a veil.
A survey of the whole series of matches points to the fact that, as is natural, the Gentlemen have been, and probably will be, beaten as a general rule. Every cricketer knows what it is to play in an eleven with a comrade, either a batsman or bowler, of commanding superiority. Such a man makes an eleven. He does this by giving confidence to the other ten members of the team. They feel that the match does not depend on them, that if they fail he will pull them through, and consequently they go in boldly and score. The two notable instances of one man making an eleven are W. G. Grace and Spofforth. Of course there were good players amongst the Australians and amongst the Gentlemen, but the presence of Grace and Spofforth was an incalculable benefit. The Australians began a match feeling sure that, even if they did not run up large scores, Spofforth would get rid of their opponents for less. It is probably the absence of this feeling that partly accounts for the apparent falling off in Australian play.
In conclusion, let us express a hope that the Gentlemen and Players match will never fall through; for, having been played off and on since 1806, it has a notable history, and it ought to be the summit of ambition in every cricketer, be he amateur or professional, to appear in these great classic contests.
