Cricket 1883

a u g u s t 2, 1883. CRICKET ; A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 29.3 In the two last numbers of Cricket I gave dttail s about the future ct some of the chief Public School players of the year. I may add now that A. B. Cobb, of Win­ chester, a good bat and wicket keeper, and E. H. Buckland, of Marlborough, a useful all round cricketer, both, I have every reason to believe, go up to Oxford. F. D. Quinton, of Marlborough, I hear goes into the Army, and F. E. Eowe, who is no relation to the Harrow batsman of 1877 and 1878, I hear, will be in residence before next summer at Trinity, Cambridge. Mb. E r n e st B a g g a lla y , of the South Eastern Circuit, has been appointed a Eevising Barrister for East Kent, in place of the late Mr. E. E. Turner. Mr. Baggallay, who is a son of Lord Chief Justice Baggallay, was at Caius College, Cambridge, and took his degree in 1872. He was several years ago well-known in connectionwith cricket at that University, and has subsequently done good service to several clubs in the neighbourhood of London. Moke than one of Monday’s journals announced boldly that “ another Austra­ lian cricket team will visit England next summer, as all little difficulties that stood in the way have now been got rid of.” Such an announcement is incorrect, and calculated to mislead. No progress is likely to be reported for a week or so yet. And, instead of all the little difficulties having been got rid of, I regret to say that some new obstacles have arisen in a rather unexpected quarter. “ S u pe r flu o u s lags the veteran upon the stage.” The quotation is hardly ap­ plicable to cricketers, many of whom ap­ pear to enjoy perpetual youth. On Friday and Saturday George Freeman, once the terror of every kind of batsmen, showed that his arm was as destructive as ever by taking thirteen wickets of a strong batting team of HarrowWanderers for the Yorkshire Gentlemen at York. And last week another veteran fairly out­ did all his previous records. Middlesex, the Free Foresters, and other clubs have had reason to value the cunning of Mr. E . Butter's left hand. But his last effort fairly stamps him as the grand old man of bowlers. Playing for Sheppertou against Ollersharw, he took all the ten wickets in the latter’s first innings. There is really no deception. Truly cricket—I have heard the expression before—is glorious in its uncertainty. The Canterbury weekopens on Monday next, and, as last year, the programme will be confined to two matches. On the three first days Kent will oppose an eleven of the Marylebone Club and Ground, and, as in 1882, the second fixture will be be­ tween Kent and Middlesex. The Maryle­ bone elevenwill, it is said, include Messrs. W. G. Grace, C. T. Studd, and A. G. Steel, and the time-honoured Kentish gathering should again be productive of good cricket. There will be the usual theatrical performances on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, under the fostering care of the Old Stagers, and there will be a ball in the Music Hall on both Wednesday and Friday evenings. A n e w name for Barlow—the Warton of Cricket. He’s champion blocker. I m en tio n e d a week or two ago that K. J. Key, of this year’s Clifton College Eleven, would be up at Oxford next sum­ mer. The Clifton captain, J. H. Brain, is also going up to Oriel, Oxford. His average for Clifton is 30$, and he has been chosen to represent Gloucestershire in their matches this month against Somersetshire at Clifton and Taunton. Besides being an excellent bat, he can bowl a bit, as was shown in the matches against Cheltenham, when he took three wickets for seven runs, and against Sherborne five wickets for four runs. On Saturday last, having made 18 not out on the previous night, he carriedhis score to 88, usingonlyhis right hand, as between the two days he had split a finger of his left hand. His score included a clean hit for eight—back-handed through the slips—and five fours. E m m e tt ’ s remark to W. W., when the two Bead’s were apparently getting set in Surrey’s first innings against Yorkshire at the Oval on Thursday— “ Well, ’ar think you’ve got rutt.” (An- (jlicc root). As I was the first to announce (on March 16) the revision of the laws of the game by M.C.C., I have pleasure in call­ ing the attention of cricketers to the draft of the amended rules just issued. The code, on which comments are invited, will be found in the next column. The following sta*istics will show the relative positions of first-class counties in Inter-County matches up to Saturday. Won. Lost. Drawn. Notts 3 1 2 Yorkshire 5 2 4 Lancashire 5 2 0 Surrey 5 5 2 Middlesex 3 2 1 Sussex 3 5 0 Hampshire 1 2 1 Derbyshire .. 1 2 1 Kent .. .. 1 4 1 Gloucestershire.. 0 3 •. 1 THE LAW S OF CRICKET. T he Committee of tfce Marylebone Club have issued the following draft code of rules, the work of a special Sub-Committee appointed for the revision of theexisting laws. Theywill besent to all the counties in England, theCricket Asso­ ciations of Victoria, New South Wales, Phila­ delphia, and New York, and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge :— The eommittee invitecomment fromall classes of cricketers before finally reconsidering aud adopting them for submission to a general meeting of the club before next cricket season. Lord Harris has given notics of a proposed amendment of Law X. as follows:—The ball must be fairly bowled, not thrown or jerked, and if the umpire be of opinion that the delivery is not absolutely fair he must call “ noball.” I. A match is played between two sides of eleven players each, unless otherwise agreedto ; each side has two innings, taken alternately, except in the case provided for in Law 51. The choice of innings shall be decided by tossing. II. The score shall be reckoned by runs. A run is scored and shall be duly recorded : (1.) So often as the batsmen after a hit or at any time while the ball is in play, shall have crossed and made good their ground from end to end. (2.) For penalties under Laws 13,14, 32, and 39. The side which scores the greatest number of runs wins the match. No match is won unless played out or given up. III. Before the commencement of the match two umpires shall be appointed—one for eaoh end. IV. The ball shall weigh not less than five ounces and a half, nor more than five ounces and three-quarters. It shall measure not less than nine inches nor more than nine inches and one-quarter incircumference. At the beginning of each innings either side may demand a new ball. V. The bat shall not exceed four inches and one-quarter in the widest part; it shall not be more than thirty-eight inches in length. VI. The wickets shall be pitched opposite and parallel to each other at a distance of twenty-two yards. Each wicket shall be eight inches in width, and consist of three stumps, with two bails on the top. The stumps shall be of equal and sufficient size to prevent the ball passing through, twenty-seven inches out of the ground, the bails each four inches in length. The wickets shall not be changed during a match, unless the ground between them become unfit for play, and then only by consent of both sides. VII. The bowling crease shall be in a line with the stumps, six feet tight inches in length, the stumps in the centre, with a return crease at each end towards the bowler at right angles. VIII. The popping crease shall be four feet from the wicket, and parallel to it; unlimited in length, but not shorter than the bowling crease. IX. The ground shall not be rolled, watered, covered, mown, orbeatenduringa match, except before the commencement of each innings and of each day’s ;play, when, unless the in-side object, the ground shall be swept and rolled for not more than ten minutes. This shall not prevent the batsman from heating the ground with his bat, nor the batsman nor bowler from using sawdust in order to obtain a proper foot­ hold, X. The ball must be bowled; if thrown or jerked, the umpire shall call “ No-ball.” XI. The bowler may require the batsman at the wicket from which he is bowling to stand on that side of it which he may direct. XII. The ball shall be bowled in overa of four balls from each wicket alternately. When four balls have been bowled, and the ball is finally settled in the bowler’s or wicket-keeper’s hands, theumpire shall call “ Over.” The bowler shall