there were some quite capable men

Adair, to begin with, was a very good bowler indeed. He was not aBurgess, but Burgess was the only Wrykyn bowler whom, in his threeyears' experience of the school, Mike would have placed above him. Hewas a long way better than Neville-Smith, and Wyatt, and Milton, andthe others who had taken wickets for Wrykyn. 　　The batting was not so good, but there were some quite capable men. 　　Barnes, the head of Outwood's, he who preferred not to interfere withStone and Robinson, was a. mild, rather timid-looking youth--notunlike what Mr. Outwood must have been as a boy--but he knew how tokeep balls out of his wicket. He was a good bat of the old ploddingtype. 　　Stone and Robinson themselves, that swash-buckling pair, who nowtreated Mike and Psmith with cold but consistent politeness, were bothfair batsmen, and Stone was a good slow bowler. 　　There were other exponents of the game, mostly in Downing's house. 　　Altogether, quite worthy colleagues even for a man who had been a starat Wrykyn. 　　* * * * *One solitary overture Mike made during that first fortnight. He didnot repeat the experiment. It was on a Thursday afternoon, afterschool. The day was warm, but freshened by an almost imperceptiblebreeze. The air was full of the scent of the cut grass which lay inlittle heaps behind the nets. This is the real cricket scent, whichcalls to one like the very voice of the game. 　　Mike, as he sat there watching, could stand it no longer. 　　He went up to Adair. 　　"May I have an innings at this net?" he asked. He was embarrassed andnervous, and was trying not to show it. The natural result was thathis manner was offensively abrupt. 　　Adair was taking off his pads after his innings. He looked up. "Thisnet," it may be observed, was the first eleven net. 　　"What?" he said. 　　Mike repeated his request. More abruptly this time, from increasedembarrassment.