Cricket 1886

SEPT. 16, 1886. CRICKET: A WI. "KLY RECORD OF THE GAMI1. 421 quite a record. For a youngster not yet fourteen years of age this is an achieve­ ment well deserving of conspicuous notice. J. H ulme , whose fine bowling in the recent Derbyshire Colts’ match I noticed last week, followed this up on Saturday with another good record on the County ground at Derby, for the Gentlemen of Derbyshire with Two Professionals against the Players of Derbyshire, for the benefit of Marlow and J. Chatterton, the ground bowlers. Hulme was again remarkably successful, taking nine of the ten Players’ wickets, eight of them clean bowled, at a cost of only 27 runs. The tenth batsman was run out, so that all the wickets which fell to the bowlers were credited to him. Hulme, who I may add is twenty-four years of age, was born at Church Greasley in Derbyshire, and removed to Hucknall Torkard in Notts some five summers since. He has, I understand, accepted an in­ vitation of the executive of the Derbyshire Club to play for that County next year. . S ome very fast scoring on the Hastings Ground on the 3rd inst. has been brought under m y notice. It occurred in a match between the Hastings and Bexhill Clubs. The latter, who went in first, after making 108 for five wickets at lunch time, were all dismissed for 119. Messrs. Herbert Pigg, the Hertfordshire cricketer, and L. G.'’°Stileman-Gibbard, of Bedfordshire, commenced the batting, and at such a rate did they score that the first hundred runs were got in thirty-six minutes. This is one of the best instances of quick run- getting that has come before me for some time. An hour and eight minutes saw 180 up, and 200 appeared after an hour and forty minutes’ play. Up to this time neither bats­ man had given a chance, and there was hardly even a bad stroke. Mr. Pigg hit one very hard to point when he had reached 110, so hard as to seriously injure the fieldsman, who had to be carried off the field. The first wicket fell for 216, Mr. Pigg scoring 118, his partner 78. Though the'total was 216 without a batsman out, nine wickets were down for 240, so that it will be gathered the bowling was good. A c o r r e s p o n d e n t sends me the follow­ ing amusing instance of country umpiring which actually occurred:— A formerly well-known Surrey wicket-keeper was playing recently in a match at a small Welsn watering-place. His performances be­ hind the sticks in the first innings greatly astonished the “ locals,” and when they again went in it was clear that the umpires were determined to be down upon what they con­ sidered his “ hanky-panky” tricks. A man being bowled, the umpire, without appeal, declared him “ not ont ” because, as he said, the wicket-keeper had knocked the bails ofE with his foot! This was passed, but presently another man was stumped, and the umpire promptly said “ not ont.” “ Well, but,” says ur wicket-keeper, “ he’s out of hia ground now !” The umpire replied that when the wicket was put down the man was on the line, and upon being told that in such case he was out, the rejoinder was “ O yes, that may be so where you come from, but different places has different rules! ” T he Orient steamer “ Cuzco,” with the English professionals who are to tour in Australia during the winter, under the auspices of Shaw, Shrewsbury and Lilly- white, is due to leave Plymouth on Satur­ day first. Briggs and Barlow are to leave the Central Station, Manchester, at 9.50 a.m, to-morrow, and they will take up the Nottingham contingent of the party at that station. By way of a reminder, I may say that the team will consist of A. Shaw, A. Shrewsbury, W . Barnes, W . Scotton, W . Flowers, W . Gunn, and M. Sherwin of Notts, Briggs and Barlow of Lancashire, M. Bead and Lohmann of Surrey, Bates of Yorkshire, and James Lillywhite of Sussex, thirteen all told. The “ Cuzco ” is timed to reach Adelaide on October 30. Cricketers will wish Shaw and his men a pleasant voyage, and a prosperous as well as enjoyable trip. Me. J. H enniker H eaton , M P. for Canterbury, entertained the Australian cricketers to dinner at the House of Com­ mons on Monday night, taking them sub­ sequently into the House. There were altogether between seventy and eighty present, among them the following mem­ bers of Parliament, Sir Boper Lethbridge, Gen. Goldsworthy, Sir James Corry, Col. Hughes Hallett, and Mr. Gent-Davis, the member for the Kennington division of Lambeth. Mr. Henniker-Heaton, un­ less I am in error, was at one time a journalist in Sydney, and married, I believe, a daughter of the proprietor of a daily paper in that city. The Aus­ tralians were his guests at luncheon, if I remember rightly, on the second day of the Canterbury week. L ast week, in some remarks upon the future movements of the Australian cricketers, I stated that Mr. Spofforth was to take an English wife back with him to the Colonies. If I am rightly informed the lady is Miss Cadman, of Breadsall, near Derby, and as I announced on Thursday, the ceremony is to take place to-morrow week. “ Spoff ” will have the heartiest wishes of English as well as Australian cricketers. T he scoring board introduced at Lord’s this weeK, in connection with Mr. Murdoch’s testimonial match, marks a new departure in the way of providing information for the cricket public, at least on English grounds. In Australia a very elaborate system of scoring has been in vogue for some time, and the game can be followed with the greatest ease by the spectators. The invention of Messrs. Page and Co., of Loughborough, follows something of the same lines, though as far as I am able to judge of the apparatus used in the Colonies, it does not go to anything like the same extent. T he board used this week, though, is a distinct improvement on the ordinary arrangements in England. In the first place it shows the number of runs in units instead of tens as now, and in addition marks the individual scores of the bats­ men run by run. In some details it is susceptible of improvement, but the general principle shows a great advance on anything seen in England as yet. When the idea is perfected indeed, it is sure to be highly appreciated by the cricket public, who will be thoroughly posted up with the scores of the batsmen as well as with the general state of the game. T he Australian team will make their final appearance in the South, at Hastings, on the last three days of this week. The eleven to oppose them will consist of Messrs. Herbert Pigg, E. J. McCormick and L. G. Stileman-Gibbard, with eight professionals — J. Phillips, Abel, Jesse Hide, G. G. Hearne, Bean, W . Hum ­ phreys, Spillman, and Wootton. A n old cricketer and influential sup­ porter of the game has sent me the following letter on the subject of the excessive proportion of drawn games this year:— I think that the number of unfinished matches of all descriptions during the last season ought to lead cricketers to consider the causes of such a discreditable state of things, and to suggest remedies. In my opinion the causes are—1. Late beginnings and early endings. 2. Waste of time dur­ ing the day. 2. Playing for a draw. 4. The extreme advantages of the batsman over the bowler. 1. and 2. might be remedied by the captains and umpires. 3. ought to be dis­ couraged as a shabby system of play. A drawn match ought not to count as a match at all. If the subject could be started in C eicket , suggestions on the subject might be made which would lead to improvement. I shall be glad myself to see the subject thoroughly discussed in this paper, with a view to the most suitable remedy. It is noteworthy that o f the twenty-six matches played by Surrey only one was drawn. I n a twelve a-side match, played at St. Albans on Monday, between Mr. H. A. Young’s team of London, and Mr. Kumball’s team of St. Albans, H. O. Cheatterton took alf eleven wickets of the former. A memorial stone, subscribed for by Lord Harris and 100 gentlemen and professional cricketers, has been erected over iidgar Will- sher’s grave in Lewisham Cemetery. The memorial, which takes the form of a cross, bears the following inscription :—“ Sacred to the memory of Edgar Wilfsher, cricketer, who played witn his native county, Kent, for over a quarter of a century. Died, 7th October, 18135, aged fifty-six years. Tnis stone was erected to his memory by a great number o f those who had witnessed his briifiant perform* ances in the cricket-field, and who respected the sterling qualities of his character.”