Cricket 1882

m CRICKET * A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME, sssw?. 21,1392. A R E T R O S P E C T . T he Writerof these lirieS hds nidre than once listened to an annual criticism dpon cricket management generally to which the Committee of the Maryle­ bone Cricket Club by no means turn a deaf ear. In fact the annual general meeting of the premier club would be incomplete without suoh reference to the imperfections inherent in all human affairs. But in one particular it seems to the individual penning this paper that a practised critic is so to speak off the line. Wo allude to an objection made to the expense incurred on behalf of “ Cricket Scores and Biographies.” Nowit is proposed here to assert with some boldness that not only are the Maryle­ bone Cricket Club justified in providing ample copies of Mr. Haygarth’s work, but that an im­ portant part of their duty consists in providing an annual and reliable record of the game. Let them, that is, stamp with their approval some such annuals as those bearing the Lillywhite’s and Wisden’s names, so that future inquirers may know whence to draw reliable information. Nothing is more ephem­ eral than cricket reputation.{Nothing is more certain to be superseded than the best deserved prestige gained by means of the game, dependent as in the nature of the case it must be upon the swiftly changing conditions, the more vigorous of which are naturally connected with the halcyon days of youth, and the safe keeping of the aforesaid record is the more necessary when due reflection teaches how unreliable is much that is written upon the subject of cricket. Take for instance the Times newspaper. No later than September the 1st, 1882, a correspondent is allowed to air his crude ideas to such an extent as to suggest a shifting to and fro whenever a wicket falls. Two men of one side to go in first, then two of the other, entailing as such a change most surely must a waste of precious time most alarming. Moreover we are ourselves accustomed to hear younger cricketers depreciate the efforts of those whose reputations have not been gained without passing through the cruciblo of tried experience which has stamped them as the best men of their times. Take, for instance, the case of Mr.AV. G. Grace, who, when in his prime, was by far the best man seen by living cricketers, not to say four times more effective as a bats­ man than any other individual contemporary. Why even his assumed demerits are from time to time gloated over by self-satisfied scribes, whose igno­ rance of the game in its practical form stands as the only excuse for such vapourings. All that can be said against Mr. Grace’s cricket is that once sus­ taining a pre-eminence unprecedented, he now competes with the crack batsmen from Oxford and Cambridge, and with the tried professional talent of Nottingham, Lancashire, and Yorkshire on more equal terms, but that nevertheless neither of the four amateur experts chosen to select English champions to cope with Australia failed to put the Gloucestershire captain first on his list. It is indeed strange that people taking the most languid interest in the game should be found to give a contrary im­ pression to the village greens they essay to instruct, There has,however,unfortunately sprung up a hybrid half lawn-tennisy (to coin a new word) sort of a cricketer given to talk glibly of what his own moderate gifts of eye and hand have forbidden him to learn much. And it is against such impressions carelessly sent forth that it is desired here to plead on behalf of a recognised cricket literature. Men ought to know that following upon the pre­ eminence of Pilch that of George Parr lasted until about I860, after which date Mr. R. A. H. Mitchell competed for supremacy with Carpenter and Hay­ ward, who in turn succumbed to younger men (nameless here), but one and all of whom paled before the Champion’s prowess. It should likewise be possible to learn once for all who were the most successful bowlers at each particular epoch, and what peculiar merits they boasted. Who, for instance, will understand what the special nature of Mr. Spofforth’s bowling may be, h i ch renders him next to unplayable on certain states of the ground—a query, by the way, to which an answer from Mr. Grace’s pen would be most interesting. Of cricket literature, generally speaking, there is enough and to spare, the subject having been literally worked threadbare, biit its fault is its dis­ cursiveness and possible Unreliability. Therefore it is that the Marylebone Club seem to be consult­ ing the very highest interests of the game committed td their care when they encourage an industrious compiler, sdeh as Mr. A . Haygarth, whose notes are not those Of one ignorant on the subject, where­ on he essays to comment, inasmuch as when in the cricket world some thirty years ago, Mr. Haygarth’s reputation as a defensive batsman was unique. There is no lack of material whereby to estimate the first fifty years’ cricket of the 19th century. Mr. P 3 Tcroft, the late lamented “ (Wykehamist,” Mr. F. Gale, and others, have taken care of that, but the more urgent necessity seems to exist which should urge contemporary management to persevere in the course chosen, and take due advantage of the best and most reliable compilations which opportunity places before them. So far does the writer go in this matter as to suggest that Mr. Perkins, the popular M.C.C. Sec., should urge the reprinting of certain volumes (two, we believe) of Mr. Haygarth’s work, now out of print, and we think that cricketers should accept this somewhat dry divergence in the same tolerant spirit which induces cricketers to remain in apparent wrapt attention when the wrongs and requirements of tennis, that most scientific of all games, take up time during the annual general meeting of the M.C.C. And after all, where are arrangements nearly so perfect as at the en­ trancing head-qnarters of the^M.C.C. One is often, and, indeed, naturally, led to ask whether all this money, all this careful thought, brought to bear upon the nurturing of cricket, has borne due fruit. So far as the writer is concerned his observations, made during aperiod of 27 years, lead him to record that not only four years ago did amateur batting reach a point of merit unequalled during the above- mentioned period, but no professionals were (as an eleven) ever markedly superior to those who won their match in 1882 against Australia at the Oval. And thiB is said conscious that in 1855 (absolute comparison is impossible) the old Surrey eleven was in full swing, while Jackson and Willsher ruled supreme in the bowling department. The English fast bowling; on the other hand, is not quite what it could claim to be some years since, when George Freeman, Emmett, Hill, aye and Morley, were at their best, while the writer confi­ dently believes it to be true, as asserted by the older lovers of oricketers, thatdespite rough grounds, despite inferior hitting on the part of batsmen, bowlers such as old Lillywhite and Hillyer would have taken the highest position had they flourished now. It is moreover a certainty that if you could reproduce the Wootton, Jackson, and Tarrant of 18 years ago, picked elevens of Englandmight strengthenthemselves in the depart­ ment in which theyjmost of all need such assistance. For after all the fielding has neverbeen superior to that wo can now produce. A3 for slow bowling it is not impossible to match the Buttress (1863-4) of Cam­ bridgeshire, and the Buchanan of groat experience, against even the lamented Southerton and the peer­ less Alfred Shaw. But all this is mere matter of opinion, and can contribute nothing to that reliable information the necessity for which we have pre­ viously contended. The growth of cricket in each individual county presents a sphere capable of being indefinitely drawn on alike for instruction and amusement. And whenever such narration be attempted, the writer should be capable of tran­ scribing to paper a precit of the details which others have afforded. Great length either in speaking or w r it in g precludes constant atteution. We might then learn how in Yorkshire the game has flourished since the beginning of the century. How in Notting­ ham the game formerly was pursued upon the heath, and furthermore know how the famous slow under­ hand bowler, Clarke, settled in the public-house at Trent Bridge, fired with the conviction that he had married a fortune, while the good lady of his choice laboured under a similarly mistaken idea. The gentleman’s peculiar talents, however, joined to the lady’s special good qualities, served them so well, that the hostelrie beside the Trent was crowded with cricketers, and the great sldw bowler kid down the Trent Bridge Cricket GroUnd, so famous in the annals of our beloved game. SloW underhand, says the crack ydung county batsman, quick on his legs, sure as to his eye—Why the idea is exploded. True, might it be rejoined, the style has ceased to be prac­ tised, but as mankind from a Cricket point of view* are divided into those who can and thosewho cannot play lobs, so most certainly will any cricketer who thinks it worth while to gitfe his mind to the sub­ ject get a fair share of Wickets, if he can master twist and pitch, taking care to change the elevation and pace from time to time, so as to deceive the half-hearted hitter. If, on the other hand, the bats­ man can play lobs, then the best thing a captain can do is to take his slow underhand bowler off. And after all a like discretion is required when dealing with that much maligned creature, the average fast bowler. Ho is voted by most of us no use at all, and by those who favour his presence only put on to vary the pace for the benefit of batsmen expected to make a mistake in timing slow round arm. But nevertheless, when a Jackson, a Freeman, or a Spofforth do appear, they do not fail to make their mark. We are now coming to the close of a remarkable season, destined to be famous alike for the large scoring which a few weeks’ fine weather brought about, and also for the Australian cricketers’ presence amongst us. It will, we fear, be didicult in future to collect so satisfactory a team for under­ taking a long programme of matches to be played under varying conditions of ground and climate. But the good done to our own clubs by the spirit of emulation stirred up, and the excellent close cricket played by our plucky Colonial brethren, it is simply impossible to gauge. The writer is one of those who believe that the professional improve­ ment of the last few years in Great Britain is in a great degree owing to the Australian factor intro­ duced a few years ago by the visit of Gregory’s team. As for the laments and criticisms now in vogue because the test match of 1882 was won by the Australians, it is impossible to feel sympathy with such manifestly bad losers. Extraneous scribes essaying to speak for the Australians were in bad heart enough after their co-Colonial3 lost so easily against the Players, As for the English detractors (including the eloquent “ Senex ” of Hpoi tsman notoriety) they write and argue as if a national disaster had been inflicted upon us, and a reader might fancy that a Muscovite eleven had beaten their traditional foes at Lord’s or the Oval, instead of a close match having been played upon wet and uncertain wickets with men just as much national as if they hailed from Cornwall or the Hebrides. Anyhow, the Mother Country representatives live to fight another day, and the games between the Hon. I. Bligh’s eleven and Mr, Murdoch’s team in Australia will be anxiously looked for wherever the English language is speken. We can hardly expoct to see the Demon so utterly trium­ phant on fast ground as he has proved himself lately on slow, but the magnificent batting of Murdoch and wonderful wiclcet-keeping of Black­ ham will be present to cheer on one of the best cricket elevens that ever took the field. The departure from Gravesend of the English cricketers took place on September 14th. They left with the hearty good wishes of all readers of C m c k e t , many of whom hope to cheer more than one wintry evening by studying the results of matches played at the Autipodes. Puck has indeed put a girdle round the earth! IX v u l v x . C bicket score sheets can be had at 17, Pater- noster-sq., London, E .C ., price 9d. a dozen— A dvt .