Cricket 1883

MAY 17, 1883. CRICKET; A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME, 105 ^ i c p ^ Y I I i I 0 N > 6 0 g g I P ^ The abstract and brief chro :icle of the time.— Hamlet. Modern Society is responsible for tbe following:— Christianity and cricket delightfully blend their attractions in a certain church near town. The other Sunday a visitor to the sacred edifice found at least a good deal of variety. The organ was admirably played and the singing thoroughly up to the mark. The work of the minister was exceptionally good. But one peculiarity struck him as being remarkable. The clerk preceded the hymn immediately before the sermon with two announcements, as follows :—“ The mem­ bers of the cricket chib connected with tliii congregation will meet for the transaction of business to-morrow evening at seven o’clock. The usual prayer-meeting on Friday at 7.30.” This clerk is indeed a sportsman quite of F .G .’s creed. It would be bad man­ ners to enter too minutely into the details of the story. A v a l u e d correspondent sends me an account of wliat is really one of the most curious of cricket curiosities. The incident he refers to occurred during the course of a match between the Man­ chester and Old Trafford Clubs, played at Old Trafford on Saturday last. It is perhaps most advisable to quote his own words. In Manchester’s innings, at the commence­ ment of Crossland’s batting, Mr. F. Jones hit the off-stump so hard that the bail fell off the middle stump, and the off-stump being drawn apart the bail lodged between the two stumps. In the same innings Watson’s bail was dislodged by Shore out of the groove without falling off. The former case I have never heard of before, though Hinkly once knocked a bail over and it dropped again on the stumps reverse way. T he case to which my correspondent refers occurred in a match between the United All England Eleven and Twenty- two of Coventry with Tinley and Hinkly, at Coventry, on July 9th and 10th, 1855. Bel], in the first innings of the Eleven, played a ball delivered by Hinkly against the off stump, the bail being turned completely over, that is to say, that side of the bail which rested on the off stump was by the ball hitting it deposited on the middle. Bell, it is worthy of remark, was not out. Another occurance of a similar kind occurred in a match on May 10th and 11th, 1860, on Fenner’s Ground, at Cambridge, between the Undergraduates and the Town Club. In Mr. Lee’s second innings a ball from Reynolds struck the top of the bail sharply, and forcing open the wicket at the top, actually wedged in the bail an inch down the stump, while the larger end rested undisturbed in the groove of the middle stump. I h a v e an indistinct recollection of a peculiar case of the same kind in Aus­ tralia a year or two ago, the exact lodge­ ment of the bail being so singular that a photograph was taken and sent to this country. I shall be glad to receive particulars of any peculiarities of a similiar character. “ A g e cannot wither nor time stale her infinite variety.” The quotation aptly describes the ever-varying phases of our game. It has always been one of the chief aims of the cliiel who pens these notes to register every noteworthy incident, to instance every event out of the common on the cricket field. Much of whatever interest has attached to the records which have seen the light in this column is due to the hearty assistance volunteered by correspondents in every quarter of the globe, and I should be most ungrateful were I not to express my warmest thanks to the many cricket enthusiasts who have shown such active sympathy with the object of this paper. M y last debt is to an admirer from Dublin, who forwards me the scores of two matches begun in that city on Friday last. On that day the two crack clubs of Dublin were engaged with different teams, and oddly enough they both scored 241, Phoenix Club against the Curragh Brigade, and the University against the Civil Service. The coincidence extended even farther, as in the case of each of the clubs, one of the two batsmen who went in first contributed exactly 115— F. Maitland for Phoenix, and J. W. Hynes for the University. It was the latter’ s commencement of his college eareer. Singularly enough he was tenth out, but Maitland’s performance was of even greater merit, as he carried his bat through the innings. O n Friday last the Archbishop of Canterbury instituted the Rev. Edwin Francis Dyke, M.A., lately Vicar of Orpington, to the Vicarage and Parish Church of Maidstone. In their new vicar the good folks of the Kentish borough will at least have one whose sympathies are heartily with our national game. The Rev. E . F. Dyke, who is an Old Etonian, was tried for the Cambridge Eleven in 1864, and played in several matches, though unable to get a place against Oxford. He is cousin to Sir W. Hart Dyke, M.P., who was by far tthe best racquet player of his day. Kent can claim more than one parson of cricket fame. Among the most prominent that occur to me are the Rev. H. B. Blirou, and the Rev. C. E . Nepean. I t is stated, and on what seems to be good authority, that Mr. A. G. Steel intends to forego first class cricket for the future. The brilliance of his achieve­ ments in Australia will cause this resolve, if irrevocable, to be greatly deplored. E very one of his admirers— and every cricketer comes under the category—will be gratified at the auspicious manner in which Mr. W . G. Grace has commenced the season. The three innings lie has already played at Lords are 17,21 not out, and 04, so that up to the present his average is 51. His 64 against the North on Monday, was considering the state of the ground a fine performance, and I hope to see the champion towering as he used to do above the whole world of cricket. The interest taken in Mr. W. G. Grace’s doings is almost as keen as ever it was, and the satisfaction at the promising start he has made this season, is not confined to one class. As tiie embodiment of English cricket for years the champion is a Lnational institution, his decadence will be a national calamity. A c o r r e s p o n d e n t , whose opinion is en­ titled to great weight, informs me that J, B. Watson, who played for Cambridge against the Australians last year, will in all probability be tried in the University eleven presently for his bowling. Willock and he are considered to be the best bowlers outside the eleven, but a bad hand lias prevented Watson’searlier trial. Bainbridge’s twenty-six against Maryle­ bone Club and Ground was a capital innings, and Maynard also played well. Eaton, one of the Freshmen, is said to be a very good bat. Hon. J. W . Mans­ field, who has made some long scores in minor matches, has been very unlucky in the higher class of cricket, but in all probabilityhe will get on better when the grounds dry, as he wantsj i fast wicket to bat on. I n some criticism on the Freshmen’s match, the Cambridge Juvinv remarks that “ both sides were miserably weak in bowling, Sanderson, last year’s Harrow bowler, seeming to us to be the best of a poor lot.” “ The bowlers,” it adds with severity, “ at the commencement of the first innings of Hawke’s side, seemed to think that long-legs were not required when they were going to bowl full pitches to leg.” It comments on the batting thusly:— ‘ ‘ Baines (Harrow) in the first innings of Studd’s side, played splendidly for 104, following this up with 48 (not out) in his second innings ; he cuts beautifully, but seems inclined to cut a ball off the wicket too much ; he has a