Ben Bowyang: Engaged for the Test Match

Publication: Melbourne Herald
Date: 06 March 1929

gunns gully
march 5 1929

to the editor
deer sir
it is sum time now since i ave
rote you an may be you an
uthers as bin a bit put out over
my deep an misterius silens
but as me an the uther prim-
mer donners is in the abit of
puttin it i want to ashure my
deer public that they ave never
bin out of me thorts for wun
minit.
i ave ad certin reesins for not
ritin to you wich i ave refraned
from maikin nown for feer of in-
ternashnil complecashuns an
sevrin the crimisin bonds of kin-
ship betwix ourselves and deer
ole england
fack of the matter is i ave
been so anoid over the barrakin
i got abowt my previus letters to
you that i ave been layin down

wen ever peeple ave started
barrackin me i ave allus follered
the best tradishins of the british
empire an lade down
becos the modrin answer to
the ole queschin stans england
where she did is now no she
layin down becos sumwun spoke
narsty
but seein i ave bin layin down
now for sevril munce without
gittin anny rackshins an
nobody takin no notis i aint git-
tin much fun out of it
so i now taik up me pen to
rite these few lines an make a
suggistion to you wich i no will
meet with grate aplause in yure
offis
now it seams to me that these
ere crickit squabls is gittin so
seryus that thay looks like
developin into sumpthink
cachin if they aint nipped in the
bud while the ine is ot
so wot i sez is let the erild in-
gage a just an imparshal man

to report the nex test match
wich begins a fridy
wot you want is a man wot
reely nos the gaim an wot aint
one eyed an as got the curridge
an the stamine to put them
englishmen in ther proper place
altho i am pritty bizzy at
present diggin me pertaters i
am willin to cum down for me
bare expenses an a small
onerorium but not to small
you onley got to say the wurd
if you appen to be so fussy as
to want evidens as to me boney
fideys as a ixperk in kriket i ave
only got to pint out that i been
umpirin the lokil matches ere
for going on 3 seesins an dorin
that time gunns gully aint lost a
match
i ope you will agree to my sig-
gestion abowt cumin down be-
cos i think the fare way of
reportin is the onley way if you
want to preserve the good naim
of crickit
my oan persnil opinyun is
that crickit matches adent ort to
be plaid at all becos thay is be-

comin to dangrous to them
preshus silkin bonds wot is bin-
din us to the muther country
meself i agree intirely with
mr jack ellis that crickit ad ort to
be desided by arbitrashin
then the english teem nee-
dent leeve ome at all
they cud just lay down com-
fertable at ome an send out the
evidens by wireless, for a im-
parshal juge to deside
instid of wich they are now
onley gittin fleet streets nerves
in ege to the pint of isteriks an
playin duks and drakes with a
nobul gaim—speshully duks
let me no irgint if you can af-
ford to ingage me
i am sorry to ear mr chapman
as got the flu
hoppin you are the saim

yures truly
Ben Bowyang

(Mr Bowyang has been engaged,
and will reach Melbourne
tomorrow—Ed.)
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