Cricket 1886

jun e 8, isea. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD Q fi THE 0AME. 169 that the members of the Fifth Australian Team have already promised to play a certain number of matches against the Englishmen for the benefit of the M.C.C. It is a matter for regret if there has been a misunderstanding anywhere, but it is evident that there is not scope for two English teams in the Colonies. “ Two moons cannot shine in one sphere alike,” and I shall be glad to hear that some plan has been devised to bring the at present apparently rival interests into accord. I n last week’s “ Gossip,” commenting on the victory of Surrey over Yorkshire, I pointed out that the Surrey Eleven had only been successful against Yorkshire twice in the last fourteen years. Both these victories (in 1872 and 1877) were at Sheffield, and if my correspondent, one of the most careful students of cricket lore, is right, as I have every reason to believe he is, it is twenty-one years since the Yorkshiremen were beaten by Surrey at the Oval. On August 16, 1865, Surrey won with five wickets to spare, and on that occasion, as last week, one day was a blank in consequence of continuous rain. L a n c a s h ir e seems to have found this season a batsman thoroughly capable of running Barlow very hard for the distin­ guished position he has long held as the champion sticker of the north. Arthur Smith, who played for Notts, the county of his birth, a few years ago against Surrey, and with some success as a batsman, has been engaged for some time in Lancashire, and is now qualified by residence to play for that county. He is professional this season to the Werneth Club, and made his first appearance forLancashire in the match against Derbyshire at Manchester, at the end of last week. I think, too, his record on that occasion will take some beating. He was at the wickets half an hour before he scored, and was in altogether an hour and five minutes for his two singles. A. Smith, I should say, would be an invalu­ able cricketer to anyone having a benefit match. The “ Idler,” in the Sporting L ife of Saturday, in commenting on the Abori­ ginal team which visited England some eighteen years ago, makes a mistake with reference to the Grand Old Man of cricket, which in the interests of future historians of the game ought, I think, to be rectified. “ King Cole,” writes the “ Idler,” “ died at Guy's, which, as every cricketer knows, was the hospital that W. G. ‘ walked.’ ” I am afraid the “ Idler ” does cricketers an injustice, or, at least, if he is right in his assertion every cricketer is wrong. As a matter of fact, W. G. never “ walked” Guy’s at all. St. Bartholomew’s and Westminster were the hospitals he at­ tended during his stay in London. These two institutions, therefore, should share the credit of assisting in giving the finish­ ing touches to the medical training of the greatest oricketer of this or any other age. M ore than one instance of a batsman carrying his bat through the innings has been recorded during the past week. Of these the most conspicuous, of course, is that of the Yorkshire captain, Hall, who went in first in the second innings against Sussex, at Huddersfield, at the end of last week, and carried out his bat, as the score to be found in another part of the paper will show. One of the most peculiar cases of this kind of recent occurrence, though, took place in a match between the Tideswell and Buxton Clubs, played at Buxton, on Saturday last. The Tideswell total only amounted to 15, and J. Walker, who commenced the batting, was not out at the close with three runs, the second highest score, to his credit. I h a v e to thank a good friend in Chester for the following communication:—■ Thinking the following extract from the Sporting Magazine for 1825, may be of interest to Kent and Sussex readers of C ricket , perhaps you may find a place for it in Pavilion Gossip. “ A curious cricket match was played on the 12th October at Newenden, Kent, between five gentlemen of that county, and five of Sussex. The Kent went in first, and did not score a notch; they were followed by their antagonists, who were equally successful, not a score being made in the two innings. Night coming on, prevented the parties going in for the second innings.” I am much indebted to Major Wardill for a very interesting summary of the doings of the Melbourne Club in the Australian season just over. A note­ worthy feature of the batting averages in first class matches will be found in the figures of Messrs. Bruce and Mcllwraith, two members of the team now in England. These, indeed, present such an extraor­ dinary contrast with the records of the two batsmen on the few occasions on which they have had to perform on the difficult wickets prevalent here since their arrival, that I think they are well worthy of a prominent place in this column. These are the figures of the pair named on the run-getting grounds of Australia last season. Completed Most in Innings. Buns. Innings. Avge. J. Mcllwraith 7 .. 368 .. 143 .. 52.57 W. Bruce . • 3 •. 131 .. 69 *. 43.66 D uring the last few weeks I have had occasion more than once to record the good batting performances of Mr. Reginald Wood, the Lancashire Amateur, on Mel­ bourne grounds. His latest performance to hand was for East Melbourne against the Fitzroy Club, and on this occasion he was not out, having scored 122 of the 205 made by his side for the loss of only one wicket. The Gippsland Mercury gives particulars of the four innings he had so far played for the East Melbourne Club with the order in which they were made : 12 v. Richmond; 82 not out v. Melbourne; 37 v. Melbourne University; and 122 not out v. Fitzroy. These gave a total of 253 runs for two completed innings, or an average of 126 runs per innings. It is not unlikely, the Mercury thinks, that Wood will gain a place in the Victorian Eleven should he elect to remain in the colony. I n o t ic e d in Lloyd's, of Sunday, an announcement of the sudden death of Mr. E. C. Willoughby, at Lewes, : on the previous day. Though never a cricketer of any note, he played occasionally some summers ago for Southgate, and other clubs. He was, though, very well known to the members of the M.C.C., and indeed, had been a constant frequenter of Lord’s for many years. Latterly he had acted as one of the auditors of M.C.C., and occupied that position at the time of his death. The deceased was a barrister by profession. He was on the South- Eastern Circuit. A f o r t n i g h t ago I announced in this column the forthcoming marriage of Mr. A. G. Steel to Georgie, eldest daughter of Mr. J. P. Thomas, of Warneford Place, Highworth, Wilts, and Calcutta. Tho ceremony was duly celebrated at St. John’s Church, Southwick Crescent, on Tuesday last at eleven o’clock. The newly married pair have, it is hardly necessary to say, the best wishes of all classes of cricketers. Mr. Steel, I believe, will make every effort to represent Lancashire against Surrey in the match at Liverpool on July 1 and two following days. A m on g the notices of other marriages on Tuesday, I may mention one also of interest to Kent cricketers in particular, that of Mr. Lodovic E. Bligh to Miss Stewart Saville. Mr. Bligh, who is a cousin of the Hon. Ivo Bligh, has played for Kent on some few occasions. The eleven to represent the Gentlemen against the Australians at Lord’s, it is announced, will be composed of Mr. W. G. Grace, Lord Harris, Mr. G. F. Vernon, Mr. W. W. Read, Mr. W. E. Roller, Mr. G. G. Walker, Mr. S. Christopherson, Mr. C. W. Rock, Mr. M. C. Kemp, Mr. G. B. Studd, and Mr. S. W. Scott. The team is not by any means the strongest that the Gentlemen could place in the field, but that it is the best avail­ able, no one can doubt. Cricketers gener­ ally, I think, will be pleased at the in­ clusion of Mr. Stanley Scott,whose batting during the last few years has been so consistently good as to thoroughly justify his selection to represent the Gentlemen of England at the present time. M r. G. T. Gw illiam , F.R. Met. Soc., writing to the Standard of yesterday, points out that the rainfall last month was heavier than has been recorded in any previous May since the record at tho Royal Observatory began in 1815. I am not quite clear that this will be the smallest consolation to Major Wardill, or the Australian Team, for the really cruel luck they have had in the matter of the weather since the very commencement of their tour. T h e satisfaction of a best on record in the shape of bad weather, I am afraid, too, will fail to appease English cricketers,