Tralian Cricketers.

Suva Welcomes Aus

From Our Own Correspondent.

SUVA, June 15.

IT was a very real pleasure to all the citizens of Suva to be able to welcome a cricket team, numbering amongst its members such world-famous players as Mailey, Richardson, and Bradman.

There is something peculiarly fascinating in seeing in the flesh any person who is the greatest master of any one of the numerous arts and sciences of our civilisation. Cricket may be safely called one of the arts, and there is no more brilliant exponent of the batting section of that art than Don Bradman. He was almost mobbed by the Fijians at the wharf, and, wherever he went during the day, groups of Fijians and Indians gathered to stare at him.

An unrehearsed feature of the day at Suva was the gathering at the Town Hall. The Mayor had announced that he would extend a civic welcome in the Council Chambers, in the presence of the town councillors and a few friends. However, the townspeople of Suva were not to be denied a glimpse of their visitors, and they rolled up to the Town Hall in such numbers that eventually the Town Hall was filled to overflowing, with a crowd of 600 citi zens, their wives and, needless to say, the junior section of the family. An impromptu welcome, therefore, had to be arranged, and, like all impromptu affairs, went off extraordin arily well. After the Mayor’s speech of wel come, Arthur Mailey made each member of the team stand up and introduced him to the Mayor and to the crowd. Needless to say, the roof was nearly lifted off with applause when Bradman stood up.

Much to everybody’s disappointment, the weather behaved in truly tropical fashion, and right up to the afternoon prior to the arrival of the visitors, water polo would have been a more suitable game on Albert Park than cricket.

The match between the local Eleven, therefore, had to be abandoned.

However, a luncheon was held at the Grand Pacific Hotel, at which Sir Henry Scott was fittingly entrusted with the toast of the visi tors. Sir Henry, with half a dozen other Europeans (including the late Mr. Alex Joske whose son was sitting in the President’s chair), and a like number of Fijian Chiefs, formed the first cricket team, which left Fiji and toured New Zealand in 1895, winning most of its matches.

Richardson replied and, under pressure, so did Mailey, but probably the best speech came from Bradman, whose health had been proposed by Edward Cakabau. His reply charmed his hearers by its modesty. In effect he said, "You must not single out any one man in the team—what good is a bowler without slips and a wicketkeeper or a batsman without a man at the other end.”

Afterwards, the visitors were all the guests of the Governor, Sir Murchison Fletcher at a garden party, which was being held that afternoon at Government House in honour of the King's Birthday, and it was probably a unique experience for them to see such a cosmopolitan crowd.

In the glow of his welcome, Arthur Mailey promised to arrange a visit of an Australian team to Fiji some three years hence —let's hope he will not weaken!