Page:Cricket, by WG Grace.djvu/355

 Players also were much strengthened by his bowling, and in more than one match he and Shaw were their mainstay. That memorable match in which the Australians made their first appearance at Lord's, on the 27th May, 1878, will come to the minds of cricketers how Spofforth and Boyle, on the treacherous wicket, slaughtered the M.C.C. 'batsmen, and Shaw and Morley retaliated on the Australians.

He was a very poor bat, and a very indifferent fieldsman. His name was invariably last on the batting list, and when he made a run the crowd cheered him heartily. In the field he was anything but a safe catch; but give him a chance of running a man out when he had the ball in his hand and was about forty or fifty yards from the wicket, and he rarely failed to do it, so accurate and fast was his throwing.

He accompanied the seventh English team to Australia in 1882-3, but was unfortunate enough to meet with an injury to his side when the steamer which took them out collided with another. It turned out to be a more serious injury than was at first thought, and he was never the same man afterwards, and both Nottinghamshire and England lost one of the very best fast bowlers of his time.

His best bowling years were:


 * 1874 || 977 || 437 || 1493 || 111 || 13.50
 * 1875 || 1257 || 608 || 1676 || 114 || 14.80
 * 1877 || 1726 || 839 || 2021 || 148 || 13.97
 * 1878 || 1953 || 1654 || 2311 || 191 || 12.19
 * 1879 || 1361 || 676 || 1551 || 146 || 10.91
 * 1879 || 1717 || 867 || 2077 || 174 || 11.163
 * 1879 || 1051 || 541 || 1297 || 115 || 11.32
 * }
 * 1879 || 1361 || 676 || 1551 || 146 || 10.91
 * 1879 || 1717 || 867 || 2077 || 174 || 11.163
 * 1879 || 1051 || 541 || 1297 || 115 || 11.32
 * }
 * 1879 || 1051 || 541 || 1297 || 115 || 11.32
 * }
 * }

Mr. Billy Murdoch was born at Sandhurst, Victoria, 18th October, 1855. His height is 5 ft. 10 ins.; weight, 13½ st. Without doubt he is the best batsman that ever represented Australia, and