Cricket 1882

JtJNE 8, 1882. CRICKET; A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 69 Wisden’s Almanack) went in two wickets down with the score at 14—he was fourth out, with the score at 424. Mr. G. F. Grace went in when his brother went out, i.e. at three wickets down for 136.” Ergo Messrs. Grace and Walker raised the score from 136 to 424, or 288 while together. In 1869 Messrs. W . G. Grace and B. B. Cooper put on 283 runs for the first wicket of the Gentlemen of the South. In February last, for New South Wales against Victoria, Murdoch and Jones, two members of the Australian team now starring here, put on 245 runs during their partnership. Are these the best previous performances ? Perhaps somebody will oblige. T he highest individual score of the year— Mr. F. M. Lucas’s 302 for Horsham v. Storrington on Saturday last. I l e a r n on the very best authority that, by the end of this month, Mr. A. F. J. Ford, the well-known Middlesex cricketer, will be installed as one of the masters at Merchant Taylors’ School. Cricket has of late years languished on the old green whereon Carthusians used to disport themselves, but, with the example of such a good all­ round player as Mr. Ford, it is to be hoped that the Merchant Taylors’ Eleven will soon show a marked improvement. By the way, talking of Mr. Ford, that was an extraordinary piece of bowling of his at Devonshire Park on Saturday last. Five wickets all clean bowled in an over! How’s that for high ? “ Quern Deus vult perdere priit dementat.” The quotation occurs to me as I think of the peculiar vagaries of the Surrey Eleven. What is the spirit of madness that invari­ ably seizes them to systematically throw away every chance when victory seems certain ? But for mistakes in the field the Australians must have followed on a fort­ night ago at the Oval and Surrey might have won. But for mistakes, and so many of them on Saturday ! I forget, Surrey did pull through after all. It was a narrow squeak though, and there was still the reflection of how much easier the victory Would have been had even the easy catches been all taken. W hat is the longest odds against Jones— the boy Jones I mean— being chosen to help the Players against the Gentlemen. I can picture the serene smile of complete satis­ faction that will light up F; G .’s good- humoured face if such a consummation take Place. It will be a great day for the “ county of Mitcham.” But perhaps I am premature— “ We must dissemble.” T he very creditable victory of Cambridge 0Ver the Australians last week has materi- a% interfered with the books o f the know­ ing persons who were rash enough to predict that the Cantabs would be very much weaker than they had been for many years. The three Studds may possibly alter the course of the game, but still Oxford seem to be the more even eleven in batting, if the bowling on the whole is not excep­ tionally good C a m b r id g e has certainly one very danger­ ous bowler in Mr. R. C . Ramsay, who will be remembered as one of the Harrow Eleven of 1879. He was then a fast round-arm bowler, but now affects slow round twisters, and has a tremendous break across from leg. I am told that his bowling does quite as much as Mi-. A. H. Stratford’s crawling delivery, but he keeps the ball much lower, and, as the Australians found, he is generally not easy to score from. A v a l u e d correspondent occupying a very important position in Scottish cricket writes to ask why it is the sporting papers pay so little attention to the public schools north of the Trent ? He sends me an account of the match recently played between Rossall and Loretto on the former’s ground. He is quite justified in describing it as a curiosity. W h en Rossall went in for their second innings they wanted 190 to win, but they only managed to get eleven runs in eight hits. It is not often that two bowlers go through a match without a change, but C. W . Berry and A. S. Blair did this for Loretto, and the former, who is captain of the team, in the two innings took twelve wickets for eleven runs. Singularly enough at Loretto in 1880 in their second innings the Scotch school were all dismissed for 13. In this last match, in Rossall’s second innings every one of the ten batsmen was caught. Berry, my informant says, is a slow bowler without “ much in it, depend­ ing entirely on his field.” He adds too significantly, “ At Loretto they never take a man or keep a man in the eleven who is not a good field, and a fine field gets in before a good bat.” The positions ai-e too often reversed in county cricket, as some shires know to their cost. I am glad to learn from no less an autho­ rity than the “ only sporting daily” that the captains of the Middlesex and Surrey teams determined on a new de­ parture last Friday in county cricket at the Oval. There have been so many complaints about the late hour at which the game is commenced on most county grounds that it is refreshing to learn from this always reliable journal that “ Captain Borrowes and Mr. Scott re­ sumed batting in the first innings of Middlesex on Friday morning at ten minutes past nine o’clock.” I was not there at the hour myself, but this is as it should be. Talking of early commence­ ments I believe it is Pooley’s intention on the occasion of his benefit next year to con­ fine the fixture to two days (Friday and Saturday) instead of three, ai d begin at eleven o’clock each day. By that means he will at least be sure of one great supporter —a Saturday afternoon. I t was, unless my memory deceives me, a maxim of the great Talleyrand that language was given to conceal thoughts. There are writers who carry out the policy of that astute master of dip­ lomacy to the letter. What on earth does the following paragraph, which appeared in Tuesday’s sporting daily anent the “ Cricket Scandal,” mean ? “ A S h effield correspondent has authority for making a statement which destroys the last vestige of suspicion relative to the action of certain of the English cricketers in Australia. There was a fight between two members of the team, but it had its origin solely in a private family quarrel, and Ulyett took the honourable part of peace-maker. This explanation would have been frankly made before but for the delicate issues involved I will defy anyone to explain the final sentence of this mysterious “ par.” Sir Charles Dilke himself could hardly have puzzled one of the numerous gentlemen in the House, who always “ want to know, you know,” more completely than I have been worried over this riddles. The fact still remains, whatever may be said to the contrary, that the official explanation, which Lord Harris asked for to clear the team of an unpleasant charge, has not yet been forthcoming. Why it is still absent is best known to the members of the party. It certainly is difficult to explain why when a denial of the rumour, such as has been asked, could be so readily given, no one is sufficiently jealous of the reputation of the team to see to its publication. T h e victory of the Australians over Lan­ cashire was a creditable one, though it may be said that the game throughout reflected credit on both sides. The County eleven made a plucky fight after following on, but the Australians had to win in the worst of lights, and they are to be thoroughly con­ gratulated on their success. Spofforth, for the first time since his arrival, bowled in his old form, and we shall be curious to see how the Australian bowling comes off against the strong batting side which will represent the Gentlemen on the 22nd inst. I learn that the following ten will all play, Messrs. W . G. Grace, Hornby, A. G. Steel, A. P. Lucas, W . W . Read, C. T. Studd, G. B. Studd, C. F. Leslie, E . F. S. Tylecote, and A. H. Evans. If so, the Colonials will have a hard nut to crack. As I foretold it is now almost settled that the match at Lord's, on July 10, will be altered from M.C.C. and Ground to England v. the Australians. The only fixture that would interfere with the selection of a re-