ch. xxxiv CRICKET, FOOTBALL, ETC. 
337 
However steady, the ordinary medium pace bowler 
who relies on his length and an off-break is quite 
innocuous to batsmen of any real class. His break is 
diminished and the ball comes along off the matting at 
such a uniform pace that everything but a real long 
hop can be played forward to. The most successful 
bowlers are the really fast, the googly and those who 
are for ever varying their pace, length, and break. 
Something, probably the beautiful climate, tends to 
increase a player’s powers, and as in South Africa many 
returning home after two or three years’ absence do so 
as vastly improved players. The standard of cricket is 
fairly high, and probably a team selected from the 
following would be more than a match for most, if not 
all, second-class counties : 
Messrs. Lushington, Pelham Burn, Thomas, 
A. Lambert, F. O. B. Wilson, H. D. Stanning, 
Pickwood, Pickering, Kemp, Stone, Long Innes, 
Jackson, R. Smith, Gower. 
All the above are good class bats, with perhaps the 
first six and Mr. Gower the pick, and Mr. Stone is a 
most capable wicket-keeper, while Messrs. Thomas, 
Pickwood, Wilson, Pickering, Jackson, and Lambert 
would provide an attack of ample variety if somewhat 
lacking in steadiness. 
The Protectorate is one of the few corners of the 
Empire which has not as yet been visited by any 
touring team. It would appear that the time has 
almost come when this omission might be remedied. 
Although the most popular season for the game is J uly 
to October, the months of January, February, and 
March are almost equally pleasant ; this season would 
naturally commend itself in preference to the visitors. 
Possibly the cricket played would be deemed hardly 
z 
