Cricket 1884

FEB. 28, 1884. CRICKET; A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 25 ably strengthen the Surrey eleven, and, as I hear that all last year’s players will be available this summer, there is good reason for hoping that the County will show quite as bold a front as in 1883. T he Chiswick Club has found a valuable ally in the Duke of Devon­ shire, to whose liberality the Devon­ shire Park Club at Eastbourne has been so largely indebted. His Grace has agreed to grant to the Chiswick Club a lease of about 14 acres of land at Sutton, Chiswick, on the most favourable terms, for 42 years, at the small rental of £67 10s. per annum. With a view, too, to forward the in­ terests of the undertaking, he has provided to take £500 of the capital of £4,000 in fully-paid up shares of the Company which has been formed to carry on the club. T he cost of preparing the ground, building the pavilion, forming the lawn-tennis courts, and other neces­ sary expenses in connection with the ground, is expected to be about £3,800. It is probable that the taskof preparing the cricket ground will be entrusted to G. G. Hearne, and Mr. Murray Marshall, of Godalming, is now busy erecting the necessary fencing, &c. The ground is intended to be ready for cricket for the season of 1885, but the lawn tennis courts and pavilion will be ready for use this year. The courts—asphalte and grass—some 20 in number, are divided from the cricket ground by a fine avenue of limes and elms, which runs down one side of the ground. A n American correspondent, whose information is sure to be correct, writes me that the team of Philadel­ phian cricketers to visit England in the summer, will consist of Messrs. Charles A. and Robert S. Newhall, E. W. Clark, Francis E. Brewster, Howard McNutt, and Hazen Brown, of the young America Club, W. C. Lowry, J.B. Thayer, jun., S. Law, and Joseph Fox, of the Merion Club of Ardmore, and J. A. Scott and D. P. Stoever, of the Belmont Club of West Philadelphia. H e states that Mr, J. Nelson Cald­ well, of the young America Club, who is a very fine bat and good field, was selected, butwas unable to accept the invitation. The party is to con­ sist of fourteen, and the other two places are expected to be filled by W. Brockie, jun., cf the Germantown Club of Nicetown, and D. S. Newhall. It is thought that the latter will be sure to captain the team, though he is not likely, for private reasons, to accept definitely till the last moment. M y informant, who knows what he is writing about, thinks the team’s strongest point will be in fielding. Their batting he considers to be a slight improvement on the form of six years ago, but he fears their bowling •'rill be their weak point. Of the fourteen mentioned nine can bowl, but though straight enough, there is little devil in any of it. Dan Newhall, I am assured, as captain, is certain to make the best use of the material he has, as well as of any opportunities he may get. I t is proposed that the team shall sail between the 17th and 28th May, and it is the intention of the Com­ mittee to arrange two first-class matches for them to play in Phila­ delphia before their departure. The last match in England will be played about July 20, and the Ameri­ can Cricketer states that the sum of 500 dollars less the cost of passage both ways, which will be provided by the Committee, which has been calculated as sufficient to meet all the necessary expenses of one man for the trip, will be given to each member of the team. In order that the members of the party may be in good condition for their work here the Committee has arranged for the use of the gymnasium of the Philadelphia Fencing and Sparring Club, and the players are expected to undergo a course of regu­ lar daily systematic training there from Feb. 1 until the departure for England. T he ball of the Surbiton Club at the end of last month proved to be, in every way, successful; There were nearly three hundred present, and the finances of the club, for the time rather sorely tried by the large outlay consequent on a new ground, derived great benefit therefrom. Indeed, it was such a substantial success that treasurers at alltroubled how to make ends meet might do worse than try a similar experiment. The new ground at Surbiton, which I am glad to hear looks in very promising condition, will be opened in May. The club, too, will institute a new departure in its first Surbiton week, which will commence on July 28th. Mr. P. M. T h o r n t o n , the hon. sec. of the Middlesex County Club, who is busily engaged in the preparation of his history of Harrow School, during his searches at the British Museum, has found a notice of cricket which I do not remember to have seen before, The paragraph, taken from Harrow Notes, runs thus:—“ Thomas Hun­ ter, a Kentish farmer, writes as fol­ lows in his diary, which is found in the British Museum, Egerton 2609 , folio 108 b , ‘ We beat Ash Street at creekits, June 23 , 1708 . ’ ” This is 38 years before the first recorded match, when Kent beat England at Finsbury by a wicket, but it is not the very earliest mention of authentic notice of the game, as the Editor of Harrow Notes suggests. Bussell’s History of Guildford makes direct mention of cricket in 1597 . Cricketi s also mentioned as a sport of the citizens and peasants in Chamber- layne’s “ Present State of England,” published in 1707 . A t a fruit soiree given by the Vic­ torian Association to the New South Wales cricketers after the inter­ colonial match, H. Scott, in returning thanks for a handsome album in recognition of his brilliant score of 114 (not out) for Yictoria, made a rather neat little speech. He said, “ as was generally the case with young cricke­ ters he was indebted for his success to the advice given by an older head. When he went out to bat, Mr. Horan met him half way and said, ‘ Now, then, Harry,thewicketisgood, and the weather is splendid, so if we play the game we shall stop in all day.’ He was glad to say the prophecy was almost carried out.” Horan and Scott, I may remark, made 161 runs while they were together, and the latter was in while 272 runs were scored. As everyone knows, long before this, the Hon. Ivo Bligh was married on the 9th of February, to Miss Florence Morphey, at Melbourne. The captain of the last English team which visited Australia, won golden opinions from all kinds of men by his tact and unfailing geniality in the Colonies. There is, too,no playerof the present day more thoroughly and deservedly popular in England, and Next Issue of CRICKET will be published Thursday, March 27.