Cricket 1884

82 CRICKET; A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME, may i , ism ; the Gentlemen and Players, and he took part in both the fixtures under this title, at Lord’s as well as the Oval. By this time he had identified himself thoroughly with County Cricket, and in 1880 he played in as many as 28 innings, the largest number of any Surrey batsman except Jupp, who also batted in 28. He again figured in both matches between the Gentlemen and Players, but his best scores were reserved for the County, and among his most noteworthy innings were his 109 against Kent, at the Oval ; 56 and 37 against Gloucestershire, at Cheltenham. He hit very finely in 1881 against Sussex, at Brighton, where he made 88 out of 175 from the bat, going in first wicket down and seeing the rest of the side out. During this season he did not play quite as much for the County, but in the fol­ lowing year he figured in as many as 32 innings, more than any other batsman in the county. At the commencement he appeared to be a trilie out of form, but later on his cricket was very fine. His two innings of 57 and 59 against Yorkshire, at Sheffield, were among the very best batting displays of the year, and these he supplemented with a faultless score of 93 out of 160 in the first innings against the Yorkshiremen in the return match at the Oval. On the surrender of the captaincy of the Surrey Eleven Mr. Shuter had been appointed to undertake that responsible position, and during the last few years he has laboured indefatigably in the cause of Surrey cricket. Last season, despite the very heavy programme arranged by the Committee, he participated in no less than 36 innings for the County, and his aggregate amounted to 836 runs. Sussex bowling has generally been to his taste, and it was against Sussex, once more, that he made his highest score of 108 (not out), at the Oval. Surrey has, indeed, been for­ tunate in enlisting the hearty sympathy and active assistance of so genuine a cricketer as Mr. Shuter. Though he is only 5ft. 6in. in height, he has great strength, and, as a batsman, few superiors among amateurs. He hits very clean all-round, and in driving, particularly on the off-side, and in leg-hitting, is at times brilliant. He is also an excellent field anywhere: It may safely be said, too, that there are few, if any, cricketers more popular than the Surrey captain. LANCING COLLEGE. May 24, at Lancing, Lancing College v. Arundel C.C. May 31, at Lancing, Lancing College v. Hurst Collego June 14, at Lancing, Lancing College v. Tonbridge School June 21, at Lancing, Lancing College v. Stoics C.C. June 24, at Brighton, Lancing College v. Brighton College July 5, at Lancing, Lancing Collego v. Brighton College JulyJO, at Lancing, Lancing College v, Hypoborceans July 19, at Lancing, Lancing College v. Brighton C.C. July 25, 26, at Lancing. Past v. Present DULWICH COLLEGE. May 24, at Dulwich, v. Lincoln College, Oxford June 4, at Dulwich, v. Highgate School June 7, at Dulwich, v. Bedford Grammar School June 14, at Brighton, y . Brighton College June 21, at Dulwich, v. Old Alleynians June 25, at Dulwich, v. Surrey C. & G. June 28, at Tonbridge, v. Tonbridge School July 5, at Dulwich, v. M.C.C. & G. July 12, at Dulwich, v. Felstead School July 16, at Dulwich, v. Incogniti July 19, at Dulwich, v. Residents July 26, at Dulwich, y. Mr. G. Newman’s XI. ♦CR ICKET AND C R IC K E T E R S OF TH E O LD EN T IM E . H o w e v e r much we may disagree, or agree to differ, about many sublunary matters, the most of us flatter ourselves as possessing a genuine orthodoxy on one subject at least, and that is, the fact of the reasonable popu­ larity of cricket. Originally an English game—and, according to some authorities, a very old English one—it has now become national, and is common alike to the dwellers on the banks of the Thames, the Shannon and the Clyde. International and cosmopolitan—the lively Frenchman, the stolid German, the graceful Italian, and the portly Austrian are all adopting the game of cricket. In the United States of America and Canada it is a cherished institution, and in Australia it flourishes a3 on its native soil. It is known and played among the progen­ itors of that coming New Zealander so graphically described by the historian Macaulay as contemplating the ruins of London Bridge; and the lately accomplished annexation of Fiji just means the opening up of another field for the introduction oj cricket. In short, it is at home every­ where, except, perhaps, among the Red Indians or the natives of Kamschatka, but it will spread to these doubtless in time ; for just as sure as whenever ice and a couple of Scotsmen are found there will be curling, so it will come to pass that wherever you find a colony of the Anglo-Saxon race there, assuredly, also will be cricket. Some writers claim for it an origin of a very ancient date, and seek to identify it with a well-known English game common as early as the fourteenth century among the nobility, and known as “ Hand-yn and Hand-out,” but whether cricket is the old game improved and modernised or not it is difficult to say. A game known as “ club- ball,” said to be a modification of the older game mentioned above, is more pro­ bably the one from which the world- practiced and renowned modern game of cricket has sprung. It is not far fetched, to suppose that the feat of striking a ball with a club, and so sending it as far from the striker as possible, could through the lapse of a century be improved into the scientific game of modern cricket. All things have a beginning, most things, such as games and sports, a rude one, and they usually rise to perfection by gradual and oft-times imperceptible degrees. One gen­ eration suggests a theory which another carries out in practice, and thus a little is added here and a little there, until th« whole is completed, which may have taken hundreds of minds and hands and many centuries to accomplish. What frequently is called by the name of genius is only the accumulated experience and the con­ densed brain work of many, moulded and used artistically by one. As Lord Lytton put it—The thoughts of every man who writes become immortal, for others take them, use them, adapt them, re-set and re-fashion them, 'and thus it may be that innumerable minds may be required to make one man’s immortality. So much, then, for the origin of the game of cricket. After all that can be said, suggested, or surmised, it is at least certain that it is * This interesting sketch of cricket of the past is reproduced from a book of Greenock scores, published some years ago. an improved copy of some older game, the beginning of which is lost in antiquity. If not its birthplace, at least its chief home for generations has been “ merrie England. ” There it is played or enjoyed sometime or other during life by almost every male person physically capable of the requisite bodily exertion. Every schoolboy learns it, and all the public schools, such as Eton, Harrow, and Rugby, as well as each college in the various universities, have one or more teams of splendid players, consisting of tho very cream and pick of the youth and man­ hood of the higher and middle classes of the nation. In days not very olden, every parish, every village had its club or“ set,” which was the pet and hope of the place—encouraged to perseverance in the game by their fathers, elders, and friends, who had all been cricketers in their day and performed many doughty feats of skill, either at the wickets or in the field, which were still the talk and wonder of the country side. A fine old custom existed—perhaps in some places it may exist still—upon the occasion of a marriage of the bride giving ribbons to be contested for. Some beautiful ribbons of an uniform colour, selected by the bride, were given to be played for, and each of the winning eleven received one, which was either carefully put past and kept as an heirloom, or else, it was brought by its lucky gainer, like the knights of old, as a trophy of bis prowess, and laid at the feet of his lady love, by whom it was greatly prized, and who would even in advanoed life, re­ member the time when she wore Miss So- and-So’s ribbons—the ribbons of the bride who had given them. King George, the third of the name, was ever a great admirer and liberal patron of outdoor sport* and amusements, and, among them, few he liked better to witness ana patronise than a well played game of cricket. He was often present at such games, and would if the playing was good, sit out a double innings with evident relish and pleasure. He had, it would appear, as great a horror ol “ duffers ” as the smart captain of a modern team has, and bad fielding specially disgusted him. Indifferent bowling and bad batting he could tolerate, but lazy fielding soon caused him to retreat from; the field. It is possible, from the prints of the day, meagre as they are, to trace the good old king enlivening and gracing with his presence and that of hisqueenand family many a merry, accord­ ing to modern notions a somewhat rude, •till a happy English holiday. The follow­ ing is taken from the Times of 3rd October, 1798, then a paper not nearly so large as the Oreenoch Teltgraph, and priced sixpence. The occasion was the birthday of their majesties’ eldest daughter, the Duchess of Wurtomburgh, and the king, queen, and all the Prinoesses, with a number of the nobility, went to Maiden Castle, near Dor­ chester, to see some sports to be held in honour of that event. The kind of sports witnessed by the royal party will be gleaned from the following list, taken from the bill announcing the games:— “ To be played for at cricket, a round of beef—eaohman of the winning set to have a ribband.” “ A pound of tobacco to be grinned for.” “ A barrel of beer to be rolled down tho hill—prize to whoever st ops it.” ‘1A goose to be di ved for. ” “ A good hat to be cudgelled for.” “ Half-a-guinea to the rider of the ass who wins the best of three heats by coming in last.”