Cricket 1886

MAY 13, 1886. CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 121 Clubs of Bombay. On April 19, about a hundred members of the Parsee com­ munity assembled in the bungalow of Mr. Jalbhoy Ardesheer Sett, under the Presi­ dency of Mr. P. M. Mehta, to wish good luck to the parting team. On the following Tuesday they were the guests of the Elphinstone Cricket Club, and in addition Messrs. S. N. Bhedwar and J. M. Morenas, who belong to the Bombay Club, were the recipients of a farewell dinner from the members of that Society. The Parsee team were highly gratified at receiving, just prior to their departure, a kindly letter from Lord George Hamilton, the late First Lord of the Admiralty, who wrote as follows:— “ It is with pleasure that I hear of your contemplated visit to England, and I shall be glad to do what I can to make the visit of the Parsee Cricket Eleven a success.” “ B. T.” informs me that the committee of the popular wandering Club, yclept Incogniti, finding that they had a balance at their disposal, have generously voted a donation to the Cricketers’ Fund, and the Treasurer has duly forwarded ten guineas to Thomas Hearne, the Secretary, at Lord’s. The gift was gratefully received, and came most opportunely, for the funds of the Society are far from being in “ full form.” In “ Gossip” ofApril 29 there appeared an interesting letter anent the subject of the match played before the Duchesse de Berri in 1826, from the pen of “ B. H. W .,” a member of the Eton Eleven of 1828, and of the Cambridge University team of 1830. The same correspondent writes the follow­ ing, anent the introduction of round-arm bowling, thusly:— I will just send you what Lord Verulam told me about the origin of round-arm bowling. One Knight, a south-country bowler, used to raotise with his sister to keep his handin, and is sister bowled to him in turn. As she put no steam on, he asksd her to shy the ball, which she did in the way women usually do shy, that is without using wrist. He observed that the pace improved, and that there was no “ jerk,” whieh was rigorously ctefendu in those days, and he tried the bowling himself, and found he could get great pace, a twist from the leg, and much more rebound. He laid the matter before Lord’s Committee, and the style was at once legalized and adopted. This, Lord Veru­ lam said, was about 1829, and I think we have proved that pretty correct, quite near enough. T h e Bev. J. Pycroft, dealing with the origin of round-arm bowling in the “ Cricket Field,” ascribes its introduction, as all who have read that most interesting of cricket books know, to an earlier date. As his remarks on this subject are likely to be of interest I venture to reproduce them. Just before the establishment of Mr. Willes’ round-hand bowling, and as if to prepare the way, Ashby came forward with an unusual bias, but no great pace. Sparkes bowled in the same style; as also did Matthews and Mr. Jenner somewhat later. Still the batsmen were full as powerful as ever, numbering Saunders, Searle, Be&eley, Messrs. Ward, Kingscote, Knight. Suffolk became very strong with Pilch, the Messrs. Blake, and others of the famous Bury club; while Slater, Lillywhite, King, and the Broadbridges raised the name of Midhurst and of Sussex. Against such batsmen every variety of underhand delivery failed to maintain the balance of the game, till J. Broadbridge and Lillywhite, after many protests and discuss­ ions, succeeded in establishing what long was called the “ Sussex bowling.” A c c o r d in g to Mr. Pycroft the first notice of round-arm bowling is found in the Sporting Magazine of July, 1807. The account is as under. On Monday, the 20th instant, the return grand match between thirteen of All England and twenty-three of Kent, for one thousand guineas, on Penenden Heath, terminated in favour of Kent by 162 runs. This was reckoned the greatest match played in Kent for upwards of twenty years, bets to a large amount depending on both sides. The straight-arm bowling, introduced by John Willes, Esq., was generally practised in the game, and proved an obstacle against getting runs, in comparison to what might have been got by the straight­ forward bowling. This bowling met with great opposition. Mr. Willes and his bowling were frequently barred in making a match ; and he played sometimes amidst much uproar and confusion. Still he would persevere till the “ ring ” closed in on the players, the stumps were lawlessly pulled up, and all came to a standstill. Mr. PycROFT continues— This new style was revived about 1825, by Mr. Knight, of Alton. It is said that Willes learnt the delivery from his sister, who used to throw the ball at him for practice. If so, the coincidence is singular, for Mr. Knight learnt it from two ladies in the same kind of practice. Mr. Knight became the patron of Broadbridge and Lillywhite, who about the same time were practising Willes’ style in Sussex. After much controversy, and no little ridi­ cule of this “ throwing style,” matches were made, three in number, against England as an experimental trial of the new game against the old. S u s s e x won the first two ofthese matches, and at the close of the second nine pro­ fessionals signed a manifesto that they would not play again against Sussex, unless they agreed to bowl fair, that is abstain from throwing. This declara­ tion, though, which Mr. Pycroft says he only records to show the excitement of the times, was shortly afterwards withdrawn with a suitable apology. After a hard contest the England eleven had the satis­ faction of winning the third match by 24 runs. “ O ld H a r r o v ia n ” calls my attention to the death of a cricketer, well known many years ago to frequenters of the Oval. He refers to the following obituary notice in a recent number of the Times. “ O n the 7th April, 1886, suddenly, at Brooklyn, U.S.A., John Waller, third son of the late Thomas "Waller, of Luton, aged 62.” The late Mr. John Waller played frequently for the Surrey and Southgate Clubs some thirty years ago, as did his younger brother, Mr. C. E. Waller. The Australian team, I need hardly remind cricketers, are to commence the first match of their tour to-day at Sheffield Park, where they will be opposed by a formidable eleven, the names of which I gave some time ago, selected by the Earl of Sheffield. On Monday next, they will have another heavy task on the Trent Bridge Ground, in meeting Notts, one of the very best all-round combinations to be found in county cricket just now. The English eleven in this second fixture will consist of Alfred Shaw, Attewell, Barnes, Flowers, Gunn, Scotton, Shrewsbury, Sherwin, Shacklock, Wright, and Selby. Bean was to have had the eleventh place, but his engagement with Lord Sheffield has enabled him to qualify for Sussex, and, not altogether unwisely, he prefers to take his chance with that county. C r ic k e t readers everywhere will have heard with deep sorrow of the sudden death of Mr. H. B. Webbe, a few years ago one of the most prominent of our amateur cricketers. The exceptionally good form he showed at Winchester led to the belief that he would develop into, a first-class batsman. This promise, in a great measure, was fulfilled during the three years (1877 ’78, and 1879) in which he played for Oxford University, whose eleven he captained in his last season. He represented Middlesex occasionally, but disease of the heart prevented him really taking the position he' merited as a bats­ man, and he had practically retired from first-class cricket for a long time. He took an active part in many good works, and his early death (he was only twenty- nine) will be earnestly and sincerely regretted. W r it in g on the subject of the introduc­ tion of pads, “ An Old Harrovian ” writes me as follows:— To show how small pads were in my early days, I may state that in the match between Eton and Harrow in 1842, the Eton bowlers were very fast, to wit, W. Marcon (the fastest bowler, I think, I ever saw), H. W. Fellows, and G. Yonge. On this occasion I put on two pads on each leg, and so attired ivent to the wicket wearing four Ipads. They were useful, too, for the ground was rough, and not like it has been of later years. In fact, I think, I never myself had a good wicket to play on in my life, certainly none that could be compared with those now in use. In addition to the three fast bowlers mentioned C. Randolph was fast, and M. M. Ainslie also fast underhand. The Harrow bowling was slow. It is curious, but I believe I am correct in stating that only five of the Harrow eleven in that match are now alive, whereas of the Eton eleven, I fancy, eight or nine still survive. C r ic k e t e r s generally, but more par­ ticularly in the North, will be glad to hear that Mr. J. A. Dixon, the well-known Notts amateur, who has also done good service for Nottingham football, has re­ turned to England re-invigorated from his trip to Australia. He went out to the Colonies early last winter for the benefit of his health, and his sojourn at the Antipodes seems to have done him much good. Mr. Dixon, who has figured more