The New South Wales eleven were at the wickets all day, and when stumps were drawn Edgar Foster was ‘not out, one hundred and nine’! He was congratulated on all sides, and Captain Fife said, as he shook hands with him:
‘Your place in the team is assured. I shall cable to your father as soon as the selection is made. He will be mighty proud of his son.’
On the renewal of the match next day, Edgar added another fifty to his score, and was clean bowled, after making one hundred and fifty-nine, a magnificent innings.
The match ended in a win for the home colony by two hundred runs. In the second innings Edgar Foster placed fifty-six to his credit; he also bowled well during the match, and came out with a very good average.
Consequently, it was no surprise when he found his name amongst the favoured thirteen cricketers picked to make up the Australian team. He received a cablegram from his father congratulating him, and this gave him more pleasure than anything else.
As usual, there was some grumbling about the composition of the team, but no one had anything to say about Edgar Foster’s inclusion.
‘We are to go home in the _Cuzco_,’ said Edgar to Will Brown; ‘so you had better book your passage.’
‘You bet!’ said Will; ‘and who do you think is going home for a trip with us?’
‘Don’t know,’ said Edgar. ‘I wish we could take Yacka. He would create a sensation there.’
‘Yacka is far happier camping out at Yanda,’ said Will. ‘Ben Brody is going home with us. He says he has never had a holiday since he was a lad, over forty years ago, and he thinks it is about time he took one now.’
‘I am glad,’ said Edgar. ‘Ben Brody is a real good sort; he’s a rough diamond, but I like him better than if he were polished.’
The hands on Yanda were in high glee about Ben leaving them for a time. They fancied the mutton diet would be knocked off, but Ben said he should leave strict injunctions behind about that.
The time passed quickly, and the morning the _Cuzco_ was to leave Circular Quay a large crowd of people assembled to see the New South Wales members of the team leave for London. There was so much hand-shaking, and so many parting good-byes, that Edgar felt sure some of them would be left behind.