Dimming of the Day

87 August 1914 you were doing – including playing cricket. Five thousand people watched the cricket at Lord’s where Surrey advanced to a winning position against Yorkshire, declaring at 549 for 6, Hayes making 134. Yorkshire were bowled out for 204 (Hitch five for 64) and were 33-1 following on. Incidentally Hayward – who was, of course, a professional – was captaining Surrey and would do so for the rest of the season. Cyril Wilkinson, the designated captain, was presumably occupied with war work and the county seems to have run out of possible amateurs although the youngsters Fender and Knight played regularly and Wilkinson captained in the last match against Gloucestershire. Middlesex came close to equalling Lancashire’s first-innings score with 330 against 343. George Hebden, an amateur playing only his second match of the season, made a career-best 101. Lancashire were then 29-1. The wicket at Edgbaston had presumably eased as Kent made the 79 they needed for the loss of only one wicket. Hampshire had a much better second day against Derbyshire, though at 244 Derby were 153 ahead on first innings. Hampshire were 259-7 at stumps, Bowell making 92 and A.C.P.Arnold 52. This had been Alban Arnold’s third year at Cambridge, but the first time that he had won his blue. He died in France in July 1916. Worcestershire made short work of Somerset, taking a first-innings lead of 23, bowling them out for 148, and then knocking the runs off without loss. The Harrogate Advertiser said on 15 August, ‘Mr H.D.G.Leveson Gower is unable to raise an England XI for the match with Yorkshire arranged to take place at Harrogate starting on 20 th .’ The game was therefore abandoned. The Advertiser did not mention the war here, but it was beginning to be difficult to find amateurs. MCC issued a statement, Owing to the war and inasmuch as every sound man of England will be engaged in some service for his country in her hour of need no cricket will be played at Lord’s in September next. At about this point the General Committee of the Northern Rugby Union considered ‘whether the season should be commenced – in view of the present state of affairs due to war.’ It was decided that ‘no alteration be made in respect of the opening of the season.’ The Northern Union, of course, was later to be known as Rugby League, and was by now a 13-a-side fully professional game. In the end the Rugby League championship was played in 1914/15 but then not again until 1919/20. On 16 August The Times ran a four-page Sunday special (with news on the front page!) ‘The main fact,’ it said, ‘is that the German plan of a sudden strike against the French frontier, directed through Belgium, completely miscarried’ and there was still no mention of the BEF. The back page was taken up with an advertisement for The Times History of the War (weekly at sevenpence). On the next day there is still no mention of the BEF or that British troops were in France.