Cricket 1883

JUNE 28, 1883. CRICKET ; A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 205 j Sappers above the ordinary run of innings. Their long scores in bygone years make their show against the Yorkshire Gentle­ men at Chatham on Friday and Saturday the more surprising. Their team,twelve,by the way, included Captain Renny-Tail- your, one of the best amateur batsmen of the day, but they could only score 21 in the first and 43 in the second innings, or in all 59 runs from the bat for twenty wickets. Messrs. W. P. Forbes and W. F. Tempest bowled unchanged throughout both innings for the York­ shiremen, the former taking nine wickets for twenty-seven, the latter eleven for thirty-two runs. T he tour of the Yorkshire Gentlemen in the South last week was a signal success. They beat the Royal Artillery, though the latter opened with a long score of 303, by an innings and eight runs; drew with Esher, making 268 against 154 for nine wickets ; defeated the Household Brigade by 37 runs (130 to 93) ; and finally beat the Royal Engineers decisively by an innings and 187 runs, getting the latter out for 21 and 43. In the four matches the Rev. C. M. Sharpe scored in four innings 114 not out, 61, 45, and 100, in all 320 runs, or an average of 106. Mr. Sharpe was in the Cam­ bridge Eleven of 1875. The Editor of the Daily News has been ungallant enough, in commenting on the catalogue of the Rational Dress Associa­ tion, to describe a lady’s cricketing dress “ an absurdity.” For this the winner of the Cricket Dress Prize has taken him to task as follows :— As ladies do play cricket, and have been in the habit of doing so for many years, I cannot see anything absurd in an effort being made to supply a costume suitable for the game. The one which I exhibited, and which obtained the £10 prize, is similar in pattern to that which I use myself, and to that which is also used by other members of my family. For years there has been a ladies’ cricketing club in one of the southern counties, and at one large school for girls cricket is a game more popular than lawn tennis. To provide a dress in which those who play can use their limbs with perfect freedom will, I think, be looked upon as an absurdity by the writer of your article only. Without wishing to suggest that girls can enter into competition with boys or men at the game, I am able to assert, and from my own personal experience, that they can derive a rational and healthy amusement from it; that by it they can improve their physique, and thus perhaps the physique of those that corns after them, and that they can do so without being less maidenly or womanly. With a large number of girls in the present day ^ short walk, a game of tennis, or a half-mile row on the river means exhaustion. Want of practice or interest, coupled with the character of the dress worn, is to a great extent respon­ sible for this condition. Alter these two fac­ tors of a weariness that is as morbid as it is un­ interesting, and the class of girl who is content to spend any fine day in Westbourne-grove, and any wet one in hysterics, will soon be ex­ tinct. Cricket will help to extinguish her, and a cricketing dress will, I hope, play a small part in the process. “ The Winner of the Cricket Dress Prize ” has my best wishes. P o o l e y ’ s benefit last week at the Oval was quite as satisfactory as he could have hoped, considering that the weather was at times very uncertain, and the elevens not quite the strongest. The receipts at the gate amounted to £400 18s. 0d., and as he has a very fair subscription list, to which the Surrey County Club con­ tributed £25, and the Marylebone Club £15, he should nett between £400 &£500. T he Hon. Ivo Bligh reached England last week, so that now Messrs. G. F. Vernon and G. B. Studd only remain to complete the return of tho English team which did such good work in Australia during the winter. Everyone will cordially wish the Captain better health than he has enjoyed during the last two or three years- T he presentation of the testimonial, subscribed for by members of the Surrey County Cricket Club, to Mr. W. W. Read, in appreciation of the fine cricket he showed in Australia, was duly made in the Pavilion at the Oval on Friday last. It consisted, as I stated last week, of a handsomely illuminated inscription on vellum and a purse of 250 guineas. Lord Monson, the President of the County Club, who has been long and actively as­ sociated with Mr. Read’s native place, Reigate, was singularly well fitted for the task of the presentation, and as what speeches there were did not err on the side of prolixity the proceedings went off most enjoyably. M r . C. W . W eight ’ s 102 for Cambridge at Lord’s on Monday has brought several enquiries with respect to the other hun­ dreds made in Inter-University matches. The following is a full, true, and partic­ ular account. Mr. W . Yardley 130 for Cambridge in 1872, Mr. G. B. Studd 120 for Cambridge in 1882, Mr. F. M. Buck- land 117 (not out) for Oxford in 1877, Mr. W. H. Patterson 107 (not out) for Oxford in 1881, Mr. W. H. Game 109 for Oxford in 1876, Mr. W . S. Patterson 105 (not out) for Cambridge in 1876, Mr. W. Yardloy 100 for Cambridge in 1870. Mr. Wright is consequently the seventh bats­ man who has got three figures in this contest. One is always glad to hear of the successes of old favourites. According to the Athletic News, Richard Daft, who made 154 not out on June 18 for Notts Commercial v. Leicester Town Club, on the Trent Bridge Ground at Notting­ ham, can claim this season an average of 220 for the Notts Commercial C. C. George Freeman, once the King of bowlers, too, I am pleased to see still retains much of his old power. In a recent match for Retford v. Grantham, he took thirteen wickets (twelve bowled). I n the second innings of the North, against the South at the Oval on Friday last, Bates hit one from Mr. Gilbert so hard against the palings of the pavilion, that it rebounded close to the bowler. Those who know the Surrey ground will recognize the peculiarity of the occur­ rence. B a t t i n g Averages in first - class matches this year up to date :— Completed Highest Innings. Runs. Score. Average. W . W. Bead ....1 3 614 168 47.3 C. T. Studd............15 638 175* 42.8 M. Read....................14 522 113* 37.4 L. H all.................... 9 332 82* 36.8 Ulyett ....................15 533 79* 35.8 A. P. Lucas ............15 447 97 29.12 W. G. Grace............14 398 89 28.6 Robinson ................ 11 314 154 28.6 Lockwood ................13 358 60 27.7 Hon. M. B.Hawke 14 339 141 24.3 Flowers.....................19 467 131 24.11 I. D, Walker............ 15 345 102 23.8 J. Shuter ................10 232 67 23.2 Abel ..................1 2 271 83 22.7 Lord H arris............10 221 118 22.1 Barlow .................... 12 222 41 18,6 Bates........................13 226 79 17.5 * £ C 0 I ^ E £ P 0 p E N C E - f :* We are not responsible for the opinions expressed by out correspondents. No communications can be inserted un­ less they bear the name and address of the writer, as a proof of good faith, not necessarily for publication. REMOVING OLD LANDMARKS. To t h e E d it o r of “ C r ic k e t .” S ir , —Mr. Keyworth has “ struck o il” with the Guildford case, and Mr. Pycroft informed me that he dug out the Antioch case, temp. Charles II., from the naval diary itself, and both these cases may go to the jury. Mr. Bowles writes 130 years after Ken’s boyhood, and his story is too general and vague. If he had only quoted his authority the Ken case should have gone to the jury too. I hope Mr. Keyworth will follow out his enquiry. Whatever the facts may be, I presume the concensus of opinion is that the actual consolidation of all previous ‘ ‘ Kin­ dred Sports unto Cricket as a national pastime ” took place in the earlier half of the 18th century, within which period we find the world-known picture, “ The Score of 1743,” the article in the Gentleman’s Magazine , complaining of the grow­ ing importance of the game, the first known score of 1745, and the founding of the Hamble­ don Club in 1750. So long live cricket, and success to all searchers after the truth.—Xours, <fcc., F. G.