Cricket 1885

tsEPT. 3, i«85. CRICKET; A WEEKLY RECOUD OF THE GAME. 377 Oxford for tlie medical profession. Mr. Hayward, who was educated at St. Peter’s College, Adelaide, is also a member of tlie Norwood Club, the principal cricket society in that city. Last November he played a capital inn­ ings of 28 for the South Australian Junior Eighteen against Shaw’s Team, and I am assured by a good judge of the game in Adelaide, that he is a very promising young batsman. Australia has furnished several good cricketers to the 0 sford and Cambridge elevens of late years, notably D. Campbell, o f Oxford, R . C. Ramsay, and C. W. Rock, of Cambridge, and there is of course a chance that Mr. Hayward may be of use to Oxford. I do not know whether I have mentioned it before, but I may add that W . W. Rashleigh, the Cambridge Captain,who made such a favourable debut for Kent last week, goes up to Oxford, as do Messrs. Fowler, Mayo, Hardy, and Bosanquet, of Clifton ; Wreford- Brown, the Captain, and Burrell, of Charterhouse. Gerds, of Clifton, and Evan-Thomas, of Charterhouse, will be at Cambridge next summer. T h e South Australian Register of July 27, is responsible for the follow­ ing remarks on the subject of a visit of Australian cricketers to England next summer. There ia every probability that within the next fow days steps will be taken to organise another Australian team of cricketers to visit England under the auspices of the Mel­ bourne Cricket Club, during the holding of the Indian and Colonial Exhibition. As none of the colonial Associations mani­ fested any intention ot taking action in the matter of sending a team home, it seems as if the project would fall through; but the difficulty has been removed by invitations being received on the subject by the M.C.C., from several of the leading English cricketers. The only cne in the last team who is likely to be selected is Spofforth. Arrangements are not yet completed, but it is considered probable that the Victorian contingent will include Horan, Trumble, Worrall, Bruce, McShane, and Walters. The English invitation will be formally considered by the M.C.C. this week. I t is several weeks ago since I mentioned on the authority of a well- informed Australian correspondent, the fact that negotiations were already in progress on the other side with a view to another trip to England, and despite the doubt cast on my state­ ment by some of the Colonial papers, my information has proved to be correct. I know for certain, that the Melbourne Club has taken the opinion of some of the leading cricketers here on the subject of the visit, and shortly I suppose we shall have news of the decision of its executive. W h i l e on the subject of Australian cricketers, George Giffen has written a letter to the Sporting Life contradicting certain statements made by the corre­ spondent of that paper with Shaw's team, with regard to himself. The gist of the whole reference to myself [writes Giffen] is that I charged the exor­ bitant sum of £31 2s. exclusive of hotel ex­ penses, for a single match in Sydney. Now, the above sum was not claimed for the Sydney match alone, but for three matches, one in Sydney, one in Melbourne, and the third at Adelaide. To take part in the three matches I was compelled to travel about 2,200 miles, and all railway and steam­ boat fares, telegrams re playing, and un­ avoidable travelling expenses for five weeks were included in that charge. During five weeks I was away from my office and for­ feited my salary for the whole period of my absence. Anyone who knows how expenfive travelling in Australia is will bear me out that £31 2s. is but poor compensation for the loss of five weeks’ salary, plus travelling expenses for the same time..................... In conclusion, I may further state that I never on any occasion when asked refused to play against the Englishmen in Australia, and Lillywhite knows this perfectly well, in fact he admitted it to a friend in Adelaide. T h e writer who contributes the cricket column to a weekly paper purporting to be gossipy,, has some eccentric notions on the merits of cricketers. Mr. W. G. Grace, I fancy, would be a little surprised to find one of his trusty lieutenants described as “ that arch impostor in the cricket- field, Brain.” I am inclined to think that some other clubs would be glad to have a few such arch impostors. T h e last County match of the season has been played and the scribes have settled, I hope, to their own entire satisfaction the relative positions of the nine leading shires. If one is to be guided by their ruling Notts is first, Yorkshire second, Lancashire and Kent equal, third, Surrey fifth, and so on. I do not think, though, that the general public will accept their apportionment of the places as satisfactory. Indeed, the system of reckoning solely by the number of matches lost is obviously so fallacious that it is difficult to see how any competent critic can defend it. It is only reasonable to argue, though everyone will readily admit the undoubted merit of the Notts eleven, that no County can be con­ sidered Champion which has not played all the other shires. It is still less defensible to urge that Kent, which has lost three out of nine matches, is superior to Surrey, which has been unsuccessful in four out of sixteen. I f this principle of reckoning by matches lost solely were carried out to an extreme, it will readily be seen that it could logicallybe reduced to the most absurd limits. T h e following parody which ap­ peared in Truth of last week, wiU interest C b ic k e t readers. All the world’s a field, And all the men and women cricket-players. They have their innings and their fielding out, And one man in his time plays many games, His life being seven matches. First, the infant, Mowing and poking at his nurse’s slows ; And then the school-boy, boundless in am­ bition, But green in judging lengths, slogging like fun, And bowled by yorkers; then the undergrad, Smoking strange weeds, and blazer'd like the Turk, Heedless of honours, puppet of every fancy, Seeking a college reputation Even in the school’s despite: and then the lover, Shying like Frenchman, with a woeful hab't Of .dropping all his catohes: then the husband, With waist expanding, to short runs inclined, With eyes correct, and coat of formal cut, Full of old joys, and new incumbrances, And so he meets his match. The sixth is played By the stiff pater with his growing lads, With spectacles on nose, and bat in hand ; They trundle at the stumps a world too fast For his sore shins; yet his big, manly heart, Turning again toward youthful pleasure, glows, And revels at each ball. Last match of all, Which ends the sturdy cricketer’s career, Is played in his arm-chair at second-hand, Sans bat, sans ball, sans Btumps, sans every­ thing. T ub . T h e figures which follow, represent the scores made by the Surrey eleven in the twenty-seven matches in which they have taken part this summer. It will be seen 'there are two innings of 600, one of 500, and four of 400. 1st Inns. 2nd Inns. Total May 11—v. Essex .. .. 138 — 238 14—v. Hints .. .. 461 — 46L »• 18—v. Leicester .. 335 — 835 21—v. Middlesex . • 166 —■ 16t! »» 25—y. Notts .. 127 166 293 28—v. Derby .. 289 — 2 j 9 June 4—v. Oxford Univ. 424 — 424 n 8—v. Middlesex .. 120 61 181 tt 11—v. Gloucester .. 166 91 257 15—y. Essex .. 18—r. Camb. Univ... 355 — 355 23* 212 445 tt July i2 — v. Oiford Univ. 295 — 295 29—v. Sussex 631 — <31 6—v, Hants.. 390 — 890 tt 13—y. Sussex .. .. 501 — 501 tt 16—v. Lancashire .. 117 213 (5 wkts.) 330 2 ) —v. Yorks .. 101 147 251 23—v. Kent .. 177 154 (9 wkt*.) 351 Ana. 8—v. Notts .. .. 257 — 257 6—v. D rbythire .. 409 — 409 »» 10—v. Somersetshire 635 — 635 13—▼. Kent .. .. 147 441 58 i it 17—v. Lancashire .. 280 116 (9wkts.U-9S 20—v. Gloucestershire 198 16 811 24— v. Somersetshire 292 —. 29-2 27—▼. Torkshire 187 202 f89 » 31—y. Leicestershire 186 (five wickets) 18i Total runs 9689. Average per wicket, 36.71.