Cricket 1885

n o . 8 3 . vol. iv. THURSDAY MAY 7 1885. price 2 d, Registered for Transmission Abroad. I X l U l i i l J J - ' A X j 1X1x1.1 I f AO O ty* “ Together joined in cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron. MR. M ON TAGU E PA R K E R B OW D EN . D ulw ich C ollege has not as yet obtained any reputation as a nursery for amateur players. There are, indeed, strong reasons for believing that it will never be a really valuable training ground for first-class cricket. Favoured as it is in some respects by position and in numbers, it has none of the ad­ vantages which tend to the development of the game in schools like Eton, Harrow, Rugby, and others of the same class. There are, in fact, not the same inducements, the same en­ couragement to proficiency on the cricket-field. In the majority of cases with Alleynians, professional or busi­ ness duties prevent a continuance of practice after the curriculum of school life is at an end. It is not surprising, therefore, that Dulwich has sent out so few prominent cricketers. With, per­ haps,oneexceptionMr,Bowdenistheonly one who has made a conspicuous posi­ tion. Like the brothers Shuter an Mr. Horner, though by accident asso­ ciated entirely with Kent, Mr. Bowden can claim Surrey as his birth-place. He was born at Stockwell, on Nov. 1, 1865, and is now, therefore, in his twentieth year. He was not sixteen when he first secured a place in the College eleven, though it was not until 1883 that he made any great mark. His early successes were not lost on the Surrey authorities. His form, too, during his last season at the College was brilliant enough to warrant his trial in county cricket. For Dulwich against Felstead School he played a fine inn­ ings of 142, but this was only one of many excellent performances during that summer. On two other occasions he reached three figures, though hiB best displays were his 64 against the Marylebone Club and Ground, and his " ’ was quite good enough to warrant the belief that he would be successful in even a better class of cricket, and in consequence he was selected to represent Surrey against Somerset­ shire, at the Oval, on August 2 and 3, 1883- His first appearance in county cricket was highly 50 and 93 against surrey wuu auu urouuu, the last a fine exhibition of hitting. Few young batsmen have been able to claim such a record at the end of a season, and his figures for Dulwich College in 1883 showed an aggre­ gate of 844 runs for sixteen completed innings, or an average of just on 53 runs. The executive of the Surrey Club was not slow to utilise the services of so promising a youngster, and the end of July, 1883, saw him one of the eleven representing the Gentlemen of Surrey during the Beigate week. His show on this occasion satisfactory, and with the bat as well as at the wicket his form was very creditable. Going in first with Mr. Boiler, he helped to make 96 runs before the first wicket fell, and his thirty-eight were thoroughly well got. In addition he was very smart behind the sticks, as can be judged when it is stated that he caught three and stumped two batsmen in the two innings of Somersetshire. So far he had thoroughly justified the confidence of the Surrey authorities in his abilities as a cricketer. The next match, though, gave a still more conclusive proof of his powers, and the excellent cricket he showed against Notts on the August Bank Holiday of 1883, will be well re­ membered. It is not an easy task for a youngster, altogether unused to first- class cricket, to face such a wily tactician as Alfred Shaw. Mr. Bowden, though, as many will recollect, played the great slow bowler with extraordinary confi­ dence, making 42 of the first 67 runs got by Surrey in really good style with­ out a chance, and with only two at all faulty strokes. Since that time he has been a regular member of the County eleven, taking part in almost every match in which Surrey has been engaged. Considering that it was his first year, his record in 1883 wa3 a highly favourable one, and the summary of the season showed that he had made 187 runs in eleven completed innings, a very respectable average of seventeen. Last season Mr. Bowden’s services to Surrey crioket were of the greatest value. With the advantage of increased strength his powers of batting naturally received a material development, and throughout the sum­ mer he played consistently good cricket. His second score of 32 in the opening fixture at the Oval against the Austra­ lians was a most praiseworthy display of batting, on by no means a good wicket, and, indeed, he was the only batsman on the side who really showed any pluck in facing Spofforth’s deliveries. In the next match against Hants at the Oval he was the principal scorer. His two innings of 42 and 89, not out, therein were both well got, his batting in