Cricket 1884

6 6 CRICKET; A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME, a p r i l 2 4 , is m . moderate a oost. The Middlesex batsmen punished him rather heavily in the return match at Huddersfield, and on this occasion his thirteen oyers cost eighty-four runs without a ■wicket. In the remaining matches of the Yorkshire season though he was generally successful, and for the Players of the County against Sixteen Gentlemen in the first innings of the latter he took nine ■wickets—seven bowled—for nineteen runs, his analysis at one time showing nine wickets for six runs. The above represent his principal performances of 1883, and for a first season his success was remarkable. For Yorkshire he sent down 647 balls for 1,049 runs and eighty-eight wickets, of which as many as seventy-two were, clean bowled, and his average of 11-81 was decidedly good. His bowling is very fast and as his delivery is high it is the'more difficult. He is too very rarely off the sticks and the Yorker with which he gets many-a wicket is-very dan­ gerous. His fielding is not particularly good, and though he can hit a little he has not done anything yet as -a'bat. With the ball though he has made his mark unmis- takeably, and he was without a doubt the best fast bowler of 1883. He was born at Scarborough', on February 4, 1862, so that lie has just completed his twenty-second year. He is 5 feet 7 inohes in height and weighs 12 st. 8 lbs. H a m p sh ire C lu b . —A special general meeting of the members of this club was held at the George Hotel, Winchester, on April 12, under the presidency of Mr. W. W. B. Beach, M.P. The business was to receive the report of the sub-committee appointed at the last meeting, relative to obtaining a lease of about eight acres for 28 years, at Banister’s Park, Southampton, for the county ground. Tho sub-committee presented the draft of the lease, which was approved. Several alterations have been made in it. The estimated expenditure to put the ground in order for play is about £900, and towards this £375 have been promised in subscriptions, while the South­ ampton Bace Fund Committee have agreed to hand over half the balance in their hands, which will be some £400, provided that one match is played annually for the benefit of the Boyal South Hants Infirmary and Southampton Dispensary, and this the committee recommended should be agreed to. The report of the sub-committee was adopted, and Captain E. S. M. Crabbe, Major Fellowes, B.E., Messrs. William Perkins, R. Bencraft, and J. J. Blundell were elected a committee to complete the details of the lease, to raise the required funds for the formation of the new ground, and to carry out the management of the same. At the request of Earl Northesk it was unanimously resolved that the match with I Zingari at Longwood should be made an annual one. “ S ce n e s in t h e Comm ons ” is the title of a volume, in the press, shortly to be pub­ lished by Messrs. Kegan Paul, Trench, and Co. The author, Mr. David Anderson, for several years past political correspondent and leader writer on the staff of one of the principal London daily newspapers, has enjoyed special opportunities of observing all that goes on within the shadow of the Mace. Mr. Anderson at one time occupied an important position on the staff of the Sportsman. T H E N E W L A W S OF C R ICK ET . T h e consideration of the new code of rules as revised by the Marylebone Club was the occasion of a special general meeting of that body, held in the Pavilion at Lord’s, on Monday last. The draft rules have been freely discussed during the winter, and most of the principal county clubs and the principal cricket bodies of Australia and America have also had an opportunity of making sug­ gestions. Amendments to some of the pro­ visions were proposed by Lord Harris and Messrs. I. D. Walker and C. E. Boyle, but generally the work of the committee of re­ vision has been very favourably received by cricketers. Owing to 4he lamented death of the Hon. Robert Grimston, the then President, the chair was taken by Earl Winterton, the President-elect. Among those present were Lord Harris, the Hon. S. Ponsonby-Fane, Sir C. Oakeley, Lord Bobartes, Major Thomp­ son, Mr. A. Butter, Mr. E. L. Bateman, Mr. V. E. Walker, Mr. I. D. Walker, Mr. B. Henderson, Mr. G. Lee, Dr. Gaye, Mr. C. I. Thornton, Mr. F. Lee, Mr. S. Bircham, Mr. C. E. -Farmer, Mr. A. W . Bidley, Mr. W. Denison, Mr. C. C. Clarke, Mr. C. Mar­ sham, Mr. J. Shuter, Mr. P. Hilton, Mr. H. E. Rhodes, Mr. J. W, Dale, Mr. T. Eatliff, and Mr. Henry Perkins, the Secretary of the club. The chairman, after an allusion to the death of the late president (Hon. Bobert Grimston), and to the loss the club had sus­ tained thereby, submitted the business of the day to the meeting. He wished it understood that in drawing up an amended code of cricket laws the committee were merely endeavouring to make legal the un­ written laws under which modern cricket was played. A proposition of Mr, C. Ei Boyle to amend law 5 as follows : “ That the bat shall not exceed 3j in. in the widest part,” instead of 4J in., was the first business. A telegram, however, had been received fiom Mr. Boyle, that he was unable to attend, and express- a wish to drop his proposal. This was done, and the legal width of the bat remains at 4J inches. Mr. I. D. Walker brought forward the first amendment to the committee’s revised rules, to the effect that substitutes should not be allowed under any circumstances, except when a player becomes incapacitated by illness or accident during a match. The present permissive rule, he said, was abused in all kinds of matches, and it often hap­ pened, unfairly to the opposing Eleven, that a substitute was sent out to field who was superior to the absentee. He believed the passing of his amendment would render the game more keen and more serious business, and would impel players to a closer interest in matches. Mr. W. F. Denison (I Zingari) thought it very difficult to draw a hard and fast rule. Suppose a player were telegraphed for, it would entail great inconvenience. Indeed, the first week of the cricket season would not pass without the law, if carried, being disregarded. Mr. C. E. Farmer (Civil Service) said that such a proposal meant little else than ruin to some clubs who were often, at the com­ mencement of the game, compelled to enlist the services of several substitutes. On ft division being taken, Mr, Walker’s amendment was declared to be negatived by 28 against 26. Lord Harris then proposed his amend­ ment to Buie 48, which stood as follows — 1 ‘ The umpire shall take special care to call ‘ no ball ’ instantly upon delivery of the ball if that delivery to not strictly fair and in accordance with the laws, ‘ wide ball,’ as soon as the ball shall have passed the striker.” For this rule Lord Harris pro­ posed to substitule the two following rules:— “ 1. If the umpire at the bowler’s end be not satisfied of the absolute fairness of the delivery of any ball he shall call ‘ no ball.’ 2. The umpire shall take especial care to call ‘ no ball ’ instantly upon delivery. ‘ wide ball ’ as soon as it shall pass the striker.” During the last few years it was well known that infringements of the law now under attention had become common in the cricketing world. Five or six years ago he protested personally against what he con­ sidered unfairness in bowling by declining to play in a match at Lord’s in which one of the bowlers practised what he (tho speaker) held to be an improper method ; but this stringent step had no result and things continued as before. Bemarkable attention had been bestowed upon this subject by the Tress of the country and by influen­ tial cricketing authorities, and this, he believed, would be a sufficient excuse for the action ho was now taking. He did not hesitate to assert that during the past six years there had been a marked increase of unfair “ actions” on the part of bowlers, and also actions which perhaps might not gener­ ally be described as absolutely unfair, and which, if they were disposed to leniency, they might allow to pass by unchecked; but it could not but be to the advantage of cricket in general, and to the great benefit of young aspirants, if the club decided to disallow these malpractices. An amerdment sugges­ ted by him last year contained the pro­ vision that where an umpire had any doubt as to the fairness of a delivery, he should call “ no ball.” He had been advised to omit the word doubt. He had accepted the advice, but he frankly admitted that doubt still existed by inference in his new amendment. To strengthen his propositions he was pleased to be able to say he had obtained an expression of feeling from the principal county clubs in favour of his views. He had addressed a circular to the county clubs, and some of these had acted upon it with effect, and it would now be seen that com­ mittees had become particularabout the style of the professional bowlers whom they em­ ployed. Objection to his interference had been heard from one or two quarters; but his lordship reminded the club that he had not sought to coerce county clubs or to en­ force as a law his private views. Further­ more the M.C.C.—which he had often de­ clared to be the parliament of cricket—had taken even a more stringent step, for the umpires employed by the club had been called before the committee, and told that they must unhesitatingly adhere to their duties as described in the law, the intention being that, they should not be iax or lenient. That warning was administered some time ago, and he (the speaker) ventured to say no good results had followed. Dissatisfaction with certain bowlers who played at Lord’s and on other grounds still existed among the committee, and this notwithstanding that umpires appeared satisfied. These amend­ ments had been launched after seeing that the umpires, who of all their class might have been expected to do their duty, had quite failed. Turning jto amateur umpires,