Cricket 1885

JULY 9, 1885. • CRICKET ; A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME. 249 now in liis forty-eighth year, I believe, still figures occasionally on the cricket field. A liberal patron of cricket, he has occupied some of the highest positions in connection with the game. In 1859 he was President of the Marylebone Club, and is now, unless I am mistaken—-he certainly was in 1888— on the committee of the famous wandering society yclept I Zingari. In the interests of the more muscularly inclined Alleynians, I am glad to learn that Mr. A. H. Gilkes, so long connected with Shrewsbury School, has been appointed to the Head Mastership of Dulwich College. I can vouch, from my own experience, that Mr. Welldon’s sympathies with every kind of athletic sports are thoroughly shared by his successor, and as one who can claim companion­ ship on the football field in the past, I may be allowed to congratulate the Dulwich boys on the choice o f the Governors. Mr. Gilkes has always taken a great interest in cricket and football, as I know from personal acquaintance, and Alleynians will find in him one who will identify himself thoroughly with their lifo out of as well as in school; with their re­ creation as well as their work. A p e c u lia r coincidence has been brought under my notice in connec­ tion with the Hampstead Nonde­ scripts. On Saturday last that club played two matches against the Sutton and Epsom Clubs, and in each case over four hundred runs were made against them in exactly four hours. The innings o f both Sutton and Epsom began at 8.10 and finished at 7.10, and, singularly enough, while the former scored 417, the total of Epsom was 416. In these two matches the Nondescripts had three centuries made against them, the first, it is worthy of remark, scored from their bowling since the club was formed in 1876. At Epsom the Nondescripts had time to go in and make thirty-two runs in fifteen minutes without the loss of a wicket. T he sixtieth match between E ton and Harrow is, as everyone knows, to be commenced at Lord’s to­ morrow. Both elevens have been showing very fair form, particularly in the matter of run-getting, which has been above the average. As Eton has won twenty-five and Harrow twenty-four of the fifty-nine matches, there will be no lack of interest, and it is to be hoped that the weather, which has prevented the completion of the last three matches, will for once allow the game to proceed with­ out let or hindrance. B oth Schools have a majority of last year’ s elevens again available, Eton having seven and Harrow six old choices remaining. The follow­ ing is the official list o f players for to-morrow, and the best that anyone can wish is for the match to be played under even conditions, and for the best side to win :— E ton .— *T. H. Barnard, T. W . Brand, *E. G. Bromley-Martin, H. St. G. Foley, *H. W. Forster, S. E. Forster, R.C. Gosling, *H. J. Mordaunt, H. Philipson, "Lord G. Scott, and *F. Thomas (captain). H arrow . —0. H. Benton, G. B. Bovill, *E. M. Butler (captain), E. Crawley, *M. T. Dauglish, *W. H. Dent, F. Kemp, *A. D. Ramsay, J. T. Sanderson, *W. A. B. Young, and *A. K. Watson. In these days of statistics a few details respecting Eton and Harrow matches may not be uninteresting. The smallest innings recorded in these contests is Harrow’ s first score of 24, in 1828; tho highest 808, by Eton, who have made this sum three times, in 1841, 1871, and 187C. The most decisive victory was also obtained by Eton, who won in 1841 by an innings and 175 runs. The highest aggregate was in 1868, when 737 runs were made for 80 wickets ; the lowest in 1886, in which year only 285 were totalled for 81 wickets. T h e match of 1827 had a very curious ending. Owing to an error of the scorers, it was not properly finished, Eton still wanting four to win. The Committee of the M.C.C., though, decided in favour o f Eton. It is worthy of note, too, that in 1854 the match was played on Aug. 5th, 7th, and 8tli, the 6th being a Sunday. Another curiQsity is to be found in the contest of 1838. In the second innings of Harrow, W . B . Trevelyan was allowed to bat in lieu of G. D. W. Ommaney, who had gone in the first time. In 1840 109 extras (49 wides) were recorded in an aggregate of 885. In 1841 extras contributed 106 (63 wides) in a total of 441. Only five scores of over a hundred have been made in the fifty-nine matches already decided:— 1841—E. Bayley (Etm ) ................... 152 1860—A. W- T. Daniel (Harrow) (not out) 112 1869—C. J. Ottaway (Eton) ............... 108 1871—A; \V. Bidley (Eton) ............... 117 1876—W. F. Forbes (Eton)................... 113 I d o not fancy that any ground can claim such a record as was achieved at the Oval last week. In all 2,085 runs were totalled for the loss of 65 wickets, an average of over 32 runs. Surrey and Sussex produced 1,041 for thirty, the Gentlemen and Players 1,044 runs for thirty-five wickets. For a week of first-class cricket, this has, I should think, never been equalled. A p a r a g r a p h respecting Mr. C. W. Wright’ s batting in Inter-University matches was unfortunately omitted last week. It must be eminently satisfactory to the old Carthusian to feel that, though strangely unfortunate for Notts, he can claim to have made more runs than any batsman as yet in Oxford and Cambridge matches. In eight innings, with two not outs, he has made 292 runs, fourteen more than Mr. Yardley, previously the best on record. Mr. Wright has worked very hard for Cambridge cricket, and everyone will congratulate him on such a satisfactory ending to a brilliant career. A c u r io u s incident occurred at Loretto School yesterday week, during cricket practice. A ball driven hard along the ground by a batsman at one end of the nets hit a large rat as it was coming out of a hole at tho edge of the turf, and killed it on the spot. I remember well, how, in the match between Middlesex and Notts, at Islington in 1866, Tom Hearne, just as he was about to bowl in the second innings, had a shot at a pigeon flying overhead and brought it down. I have also a recollection that Fred Cajsar, elder brother of Julius, the well-known Surrey professional, while bowling to Lord Winterton in 1847, iu a match between Sliillinglee and Godalming, pitched the ball on to a swallow as it was crossing the play and killed it. A t h o r o u g h l y hard working and popular cricketer is taking his benefit on the Old Trafford Ground on the three last days of this week. Since he first represented Lancashire in 1871— not 1872, as stated in some o f the Manchester papers— he lias only been absent from two County matches, and then, I believe, only through an accident. At the time he entered the Eleven, the Lancashire Club was in a very different position to what it is now, and it may fairly be urged that Watson’s excellent all-round cricket has contributed in