wicket and let the runs come. Twenty to thirty runs an hour was a good pace of scoring with them. It was sound enough cricket, but rather tedious to look at.
The power of fast bowling had another exponent in Harrison, of Yorkshire, who met with great success; and Crossland was quite as successful as in the previous year: but those were about the only two fast bowlers who had a first-class reputation, and curiously they both had doubtful actions.
The first match between the Gentlemen and Players, at the Oval, 28th, 29th, and 30th June, resulted in a tie—the only tie ever recorded in those matches. Owing to a professional engagement I was absent from the ranks of the former, for the first time since 1867. The return, at Lord's, was productive of heavy scoring, and the Gentlemen won it by seven wickets.
The fourth Australian team, which visited England in 1884, was considered the equal of its predecessors by many judges; but, weighing everything carefully, I still hold to the opinion that the third was the best we have yet had. The new men—Alexander, Cooper, and Scott—were not up to the form of those left behind—Garrett, Jones, Horan, and Massie; and results will bear me out. In all, 32 matches were played: 18 won, 7 lost, 7 drawn, which was not quite so good a show as the 1882 team made. Three matches were played against the full strength of England, two of which were drawn, and England won the third. It was an unsatisfactory ending; for everyone desired to have three matches fought out to the end.
Spofforth was as effective as ever with the ball; Murdoch, McDonnell, Gifien, and A. Bannerman had lost nothing of their skill with the bat; and Blackham gave the finest display of wicket-keeping the cricketing world had yet seen.
