Cricket 1884

SEPT. 11, 1884. CRICKET; A WEEKLY RECORD OE THE GAME. 413 A vAttjED correspondent, Mr. EL E. Harris, of Arundel, writes as fol­ lows :— In your paragraph of August 28, while noting the fact that Derbyshire has lost the toss in every match this year, you propose that the side losing the toss in tbe first match shall have choice of innings in the return. It may be, I think, of interest to some of your readers to know that in the Laws of Cricket, revised at the Star and Garter, Pall Mall, February 25, 1774, by a committee of noblemen and gentlemen of Kent, Hamp­ shire, Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex and London, the following appears:—“ The party which goes from home shall have the choice of the innings, &c," And the next law says :— “ When the parties meet at a third place, the bowlers shall toss up for tbe pitching of the first wicket, and the choice of going in.” This is rather a curious rule. The italics are mine. These laws are a hundred years old, but I do not think it would be a bad plan to revert to the one which gives the eleven going from home the choice of innings. T h e following are the chief batting averages of oyer 23 runs for not less than 10 completedinnings in all county (first, as well as second-class) and principal matches up to Saturday last: for the departure of the party, it is officially stated that as late as Monday last there were only six certainties in addition to the three promoters. The nine who had promised were Shaw, Shrewsbury, Scotton, Flowers and Barnes of Notts, Ulyett and Bates of Yorkshire, M. Read of Surrey, and Lillywhite of Sussex. I t was stated, and apparently by authority, that Messrs. W . W . Read and E. J. Diver of Surrey, as well as Barlow of Lancashire, would be in­ cluded in the eleven. I contradicted the report with regard to the two amateurs some weeks ago, and since that time Barlow has decided not to make the trip. Pilling had promised, but by the doctor’s orders he has been compelled to cry off, and Gunn and Sherwin,who were asked, were obliged to decline. Attewell, it is now stated, has decided to go, and Walter Wright, I amtold, has alsobeen invited, though, it is doubtful, I believe, whether he will accept. Comptd. Most in Innings. Runs. Innings. Avga. E, O. Powell .. 10 551 140 55.1 A. G. Steel 25 967 148 38.17 Scotton .. .. 20 969 134 37.7 W. W. Read .. 41 1515 162* 36.39 W. W. P. Palien 11 396 161 36 Lord Harris 40 1412 112* 35.12 W. G. Grace 37 1301 116* 35.6 W. Newham 21 741 137 35.6 F. A. Mackinnon 14 470 115 33.8 Gunn 22 675 138 30 15 W . H. Patterson 16 476 73* 29.12 Barnes 39 1128 107 28 36 Shrewsbury 32 908 209 23.12 T. C. O’Brien .. 39 1102 119 28.10 Hall 37 1039 135 28 3 Painter 24 648 133 27 I. D. Walker .. 24 674 83 28.2 Ulyett 44 1167 133 26.23 C .T . Studd 15 398 141* 26.8 H. B. Steel 15 397 100 26.7 A. N. Hornby .. 33 857 94 25.32 Barlow .. .. 37 943 119 25.28 Hon. A. Lyttelton 16 417 103 25.17 J. Shuter 38 947 125 24.35 .F. H. Brain 32 791 143 24.33 Flowers .. .. 33 811 122 24.19 Bates 40 974 133 24.14 H. W. Bainbridge 16 381 80 23.13 Tester .. 26 611 80 23.13 Grimshaw 27 631 115 23.10 M. P. Bowdon .. 31 722 89* 23.9 J. E. K. Studd .. 16 370 82* 23.2 W. Blackman .. 14 421 77 30.1 fixture was won by the former, but in the return they were beaten by nine­ teen runs, Greystoke scoring 38 each time, and Brayton 21 and 64. The chief batswomen (how odd it sounds !) were Miss Wybergh 9 and 11 for Greystoke, and Miss L. Wybergh and 26 for Brayton, Lady E. M‘Donnell, Lady J. M‘Donnell, and Lady M. Howard played on the Grey­ stoke side; and the Hon. E. Cliet- wynd, the Hon, K. Chetwynd, and the Hon. E . Curzon for Brayton, Miss L. Wybergh and Mrs. A, Wybergh took six each, and Miss Law seven of the Brayton wickets. For Brayton Miss S. Howard and Miss M. Howard respectively took nine and seven wickets. H u n t e r , of Yorkshire, or Wood of Surrey, will probably take Filling's place, I know that several of those going are anxious that Briggs should be included, and the Lancashire professor would certainly be of more use than some of those whom I have heard mentioned as likely to complete the team, if only for his brilliant fielding, which would be of immense value. Thirteen berths, I understand, have been taken in the “Orient,” which isdue to leave Graves­ end on Wednesday next, though some of the team will probably join at Plymouth, on the Friday after. I understand no fixtures have, up to the present, been arranged with the Aus­ tralian team now here. T h e following will show the results of all the matches played by the nine counties, generally reckoned as first- class, during the present season :— Won. Lost. Drawn. Notts ............... 9 .. 0 .. 1 Middlesex ....... 4 .. 3 .. 8 Y o r k s ............... 8 .. 4 .. 4 Surrey.............. 7 .. 4 .. 5 Sussex.............. 6 .. 5 .. 1 Lancashire . . . . 5 .. 4 .. 1 K ent.................. 4 .. 6 .. 2 Gloucestershire. 1 .. 8 .. ,3 Derbyshire . . . . 0 ... 10 .. 0 T h e efforts of Shaw, Shrewsbury and Lillywhite to secure a represent ative team of English cricketers for their tour in the Colonies this winter have, apparently, only been attended with partial success. Though only a week remains before the date fixed “ A l l the men and women merely players,” says the Melancholy Jaques in As You Like It. Was there any­ thing prophetic in this of the cricket of the future ? It was, if history does not lie, a woman who first led to the introduction of round-arm bowling, and, therefore, there is the less cause for surprise at the reports which occa­ sionally appear of the active partici pation of the fair sex in our national game. The latest instance of ladies' matches is a return played in Cumber­ land last week between the ladies of Greystoke and Brayton, The first In last week’s “ Gossip,” in com­ menting on the subject of interrup­ tions of play from rain, I took occa­ sion to recal a match between Surrey and Middlesex, in which the stumps were never pitched during the three days in consequence of continuous wet. A still more noteworthy case of the kind has been pointed out to me, in which rain prevented the continu­ ance of a match for four days. The game in question was between George Parr’s English Eleven and 22 of New South Wales, commenced in the Domain at Sydney on Wednesday, March 16th, 1864. Play was carried on until the Friday night, but rain prevented a resumption until the fol­ lowing Thursday, and the game was concluded on that day. Another correspondent calls my attention to a day’s cricket at Lord’s on July 23, 1877, which consisted of only four balls. The match was between M.C.C, and Ground and Essex, and a maiden over by Clayton for M.C.C. formed the whole of the play. closing fixture T he elevens for the of the season, to commence at Lord’s on Monday, have now been finally settled, and as the match is certainly