Cricket 1884

ma y 8,1884. CRICKET; A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 99 years ago to be one of the most, popular fixtures in the list. Kentish cricket was certainly not seen under the most favourable light in 1883, and it is to be regretted that at present the out­ look for 1884 does not seem to be the most encouraging. No county, though, could have commenced a campaign under more depressing surroundings than did Surrey last year, and every one will earnestly trust that Lord Harris may have to record a similar advance in the condition of the eleven he commands. Kent has indeed been singularly unlucky of late years in losing, from ill-healtli, more than one amateur, who was of real use to the county, and for this season at least, it seems likely to suffer severely by the absence of one of the very best cricketers it has had of late years. We allude to Mr. E. P. S. Tyle­ cote, and it is unnecessary to say how deeply the Kentish Captain will miss his valuable services. Both as a batsman and a wicket-keeper, he has been of immense service to Kent during the last few years, and it is not easy to say in which of these capacities he will be the more missed. As far as we can hear there do not seem to be any new amateurs of very great promise, but it is to young professionals that county authorities ought mainly to turn attention, and the institution of a second eleven of Kent to visit various parts of the county show3 that the executive is fully alive to the necessity of a system of trial matches. Kent, like Surrey, too, is enlarg­ ing its programme this summer, and Derby­ shire, Somersetshire, and Hampshire, all figure in the list in addition to the fixtures of last year. The Canterbury week will, as in 1882, be opened with a match between the county and the Australian team. The fortunes of Middlesex have not varied materially of late years, and as the authorities have usually a very strong de­ tachment of amateurs from which to select their team the county is always very formid­ able. Just at the present time Middlesex with its full force in the field need fear no foe, and as far as we can see there is not likely to be any cause to reduce its strength of last year. Rich in good amateurs, though, as Middlesex is, the very composition of its eleven prevents any great enlargement of its match list, and indeed it is not until lato in the season that the county is able to claim the services of all its best players. It is, indeed, not till August that the Hon. Alfred Lyttelton is able to take his place in the eleven, and on the brilliant form he has shown of late no eleven of England would certainly be complete without him. The Middlesex programme is precisely the same as in 1883. Gloucestershire has during the last two or three years fallen, it must be admitted, con­ siderably in public estimation. The pre­ sence of so many amateurs in the team when tho county was at its very best, of course caused its position to be always a little pre­ carious, and losses of different kinds of late have tended to weaken the eleven materially. Such a result was, in a certain measure, in­ evitable, and it remains to be seen now how far the supply of young players will be equal to the demand caused by the retirement aud deterioration of those on whom the eleven has had to rely in the past. The brilliant commencement made by Mr. W. G. Grace in the colts’ match at Bedminster shows at least that he is in good form, and nothing would be more eminently satisfactory to the general public than to see his batting attended with something like the success of a few years ago. Mr. II. Y. Page is sure to be a great help to him, but unless some of the colts showed form above the average in this department, it is to be feared that the bowling will, as last year, be weak. The matches with Somersetshire have been re­ moved from the propjramme, and the old fix­ tures with Sussex substituted. The latter are sure to be interesting, but it seems a pity that their neighbour of Somersetshire has been ignored by the executive. The match list of Somersetshire this summer includes the old fixtures with Kent and Lancashire, but these will hardly compensate for the removal of the matches against Surrey and Gloucestershire. Cricket in Hampshire has been developing during the last few years under better management. Mainly through the energetic action of Major Fellowes, now one of the joint hon. secs, of the club, the county has secured a ground of its own, and there seems some hope of better days for the shire which was the birthplace of the game. A home and home match with Kent will be a new and interesting feature of the Hampshire programme. The county eleven will suffer this year from the loss of E. G. Wynyard, one of its best batsmen, who we believe is now in India. The Lancashire eleven showed a great falling off in their play towards the end of last sei3on, but otherwise there was no material change in the general aspect of cricket in the northern shires. Notts and Yorkshire were both exceptionally strong, and indeed the championship of the year rested between them very evenly divided. Several rumours have been afloat this spring with regard to the composition of the York­ shire eleven for this year, and it is said that Emmett no longer retains the captaincy. Report has it that Hall will have charge of the eleven till the Hon. M. B. Hawke takes the command; and it is also stated that Peate is not one of those who have received a regular retainer. Emmett, we have heard, will join the ground staff at Lord’s, and it is certainly difficult to see how he can even now be left out of any county eleven. At the same time, there seems to be no lack of good youngsters in Yorkshire, and the prin­ ciple of encouraging young talent is un­ doubtedly the right policy. It was hoped that a match would be arranged between the Yorkshire eleven and Cambridge Univer­ sity, to be played in Yorkshire, but the negotiations could not be brought to a satis­ factory issue. Generally there is no differ­ ence in the match list in comparison with late years, and whatever may be the com­ position of the eleven, the Yorkshiremen are sure to have a good summary when the records of the year are compiled. Much discussion has been evoked by the refusal of the committee of the Notts County Club to continue the annual fixtures with Lancashire. The relations between the executives of these two shires have been apparently a trifle strained during the la3t two or three years, and the decision of the authorities who manage the cricket of Nottinghamshire has, perhaps, not created universal surprise. The determination of the Nottinghamshire committee to help to suppress unfair bowling, the reason of their abandonment of one of the most popular matches of the season, is laudable enough, and no doubt calculated to strengthen the hands of those who are working to foster a strictly fair and legitimate class of bowling. At the same time it is open to question whether a similar result could not have been obtained without recourse to such a decided step as that taken by the management of thfl Notts club. The prospects of the season are said to augur well for the county eleven, and a3 most, if not all, of last year’s players will be available for the entire programme, they will be near to, if not at the top of the tree, as in 1883. In commenting, a year since, on the chances of Lancashire, we called attention to a lack of likely young professionals to recruit the eleven, and to judge by results, there was certainly little or no* great talent of that kind. The unexpected loss of form shown by Mr. Hornby last year had a very prejudicial effect on Lancashire cricket, beyond a doubt, and there wa3 certainly riot the cohesion which marked the eleven during its extraordinary career of success in 1832 and 1883. It is certainly much to be re­ gretted that the action of more than one of the bowlers of the county is considered so doubtful by the public, and it is noteworthy that the unpopularity of these particular players is not confined to one place, or to any special class of cricketers. The omis­ sion of the matches with Notts will deprive the Lancashire programme uf one of its most attractive features ; but this is the only noticeable change, though it may be well to record the revival of the matches with Somersetshire, and the institution of fixtures with the neighbouring county of Cheshire. The Derbyshire eleven showed a i evident improvement at the very close of last season, and their performances at tho Oval and Brighton showed that there was in them the making of a f ml y good batting side. In bowling, though, they were still very weak, and it is in this department that they want most to be strengthened. The executive has any amount of energy, and with a fine ground they ought presently to be able to count on getting an eleven up to the standard of the northern shires. The new departure in the formation of a Derbyshire club and ground is beyond a doubt a move in the right direction, and it should tend towards the development of the professional talent in Derbyshire, the great desideratum of all county executives. Bedfordshire, we believe, is at present without a recognised county club ; but with this exception, the majority of the smaller shires are all well organised, and some of them are able to show a bold front. Essex and Norfolk are not only both well and energetically managed, but fairly prosperous, and several others, notably Cheshire, which is apparently conducted with 110 small spirit, are developing their resources. Connty ciicket, generally, is indeed in a prosperous and substantial condition, and as there is evidence that it is growing in popularity with the public, there is no ground for any fear as to its still further development. The visit of another Australian team will make the season just commencing especially memorable.. It is the habit of certain critic* to decry the interchange of visits between English and Australian teams. We art* quite prepared to admit that they may fc*. overdone by too frequent repetition, but, on the other hand, no one will deny that in a broad sense they do a great deal of good, and that as a test of the relative merits of tho cricket of England and the Colonies they are productive, not only of much interest, bat real and lasting benefits. Considerable dis­ cussion has taken place on the formation of the team, some of whom have already reached England, and the policy of only bringing thirteen men to carry out a programme infinitely heavier than has yet been under