Cricket 1886

NOV. 25, 1886. CBICKET: A WEEKLY EECOED OF THE GAME. 469 T he steamer “ Arawa,” of the Shaw and Savillline, with most of themembers of the Fifth AustralianTeam on board, arrived safely on Wednesday last at Hobart Town, where they were to take up Messrs. McHwraith and Spofforth. As the passage on to Dunedin is about four days, the “ Arawa” should have reached there on Sunday, the date expected. Mr. Scott, as was arranged before he left Australia, is remaining in England for some time to complete his medical studies, and with his exception and that of Mr. Bonnor, who is, or was a few days ago, in England, all the team should now be in New Zealand. A c c o r d i n g to a telegram received in Melbourne from Major Wardill, three matches were to be played by the team in New Zealand—the first at Christchurch on November 26, 27, 29; the seccnd at Wellington on December 2, 3, 4 ; aid the third at Auckland on Dec. 7, 8, 9. They were then coming on to Melbourne, and on December 17, 18, 20, 21 to meet the Englishmen on the Melbourne ground. On January 1, 3, 4, 5 conclusions were again to be tried against the Englishmen on the M.C.C. ground. Both teams were to travel on to Sydney, to meet on January 7, 8,9, and 10 on the Association Grourd in Moore Park. Upon the termination of this match the M.C.C. team were to disband. The South Australian Asso­ ciation, it seems, was very desiroui to have a contest on the Adelaide Oval be­ tween the Australians and the English­ men, but no steps were taken to arrange the proposed match until the arrival of Major Wardill. Me. G. B. S t u d d left London in She New Zealand Shipping Company’s steamer “ Arabic,” on the 30th of October, for a trip to the Colonies, via the Cape and Hobart Town. I f it be true as stated in an Australian paper that the Hon. Ivo Bligh and Mr. C. W . Wright will be hybernating out in the Southern hemis­ phere, Cambridge cricket of the past ought at least to be well represented there for the time. I h a v e just heard that it has been definitely fixe;! to play the Inter-Univcr. Sitymatch of 1887 at Lord’s on July 4th and the two following days. The Secretary of the Marylebone Club was desirous that it should be decided a week earlier, but as both Universities were anxious for the later date, it has had to be settled in this way. I f the other arrangements made are adhered to, this will necessitate the three most important fixtures of the year at Lord’s taking place in succession, as Eton and Harrow was settled for July 8th and 9th, and Gentlemen and Players on the 11th, 12th and 13th. Should the two latter dates be final, I take it that the match between Gentlemen and Players at the Oval will be played on July 14th, 15th and 16th. I t is stated on the best authority that the volume of the Badminton Library of Sports and Pastimes which is to deal with Cricket, is to be the joint work of the Hon. Alfred Lyttelton, Mr. Allan G. Steel, and Mr. Andrew Lang. In the hands of the two first-named the practi­ cal part of the game will, it is hardly necessary for mo to say, be presented as well as it possibly can by two thor­ oughly capable experts. In the hands of such a genial and facile writer as the author of the “ Ballade of Cricket,” which the Editor of this paper was kindly allowed by Mr. Lang to reproduce from his “ Rhymes a la Mode,” it is equally certain that the literary excellence of the volume will of be a high class. H a p p e n in g quite in a casual kind of way to be at the Oval on Saturday on the occasion of a football match, I naturally during the course of tho afternoon turned my attention to that portion of the turf where the heroes of cricket exhibit their skill during the long—or, as F.G. would probably say they are made, the short— summer days. Just at the time I was critically examining the pitch, carefully protected from the tread of the football crowd, two soldiers were discussing the purpose of the special piece of ground so religiously guarded. “ What is that roped off for,” queried the more ignorant one, “ is that for the more important football matches later on ?” 11O h! no,” said his more experienced comrade, “ that is where they play harthletics.” With a deep gigh I passed away, wondering for what purpose generations of cricketers during the last forty years had fretted their brief hour on the Surrey stage. F e w cricketers have of late years passed away among more general or sincere expressions o f regret than fol­ lowed the announcement of the death of Mr. Arthur Rhodes Cobb, the well-known Oxford cricketer, on Nov. 6. He had only just returned from America in com ­ pany with the other English Amateurs under the charge of Mr. E. J. Sanders, after a most enjoyable and successful trip. He had not been at all well during the voyage home, but it was not untii he arrived that his ailment took the serious phase of typhoid fever from which he was unable to rally. M b . C o b b was Captain of tho W in­ chester Eleven in 1883, but failed to get into the Oxford team until this year. As will be remembered, he showed to great advantage against Cambridge at Lord’s, scoring 50 in the first innings in capital style besides keeping wicket very credit­ ably. He visited America a3 one of Mr. E. J. Sanders’ team in 1885 as well as in 1886, in both of which he did good service with the bat. He was very popular, not only at Oxford, but airin g cricketers generally, and the deepest sym5 pathy has been expressed everywhere with those who are mourning his early death. I h a v e to thank Mr. E. J . Sanders for the averages of the English Amateurs in America. As far as I know they have not in their entirety appeared anywhere before. B A T T IN G A V E RAG ES. T im es H ighest Inns not out R uns S core A ver K. J. K ey ..................... 14 ... 1 ... 388 ... 109 ... 29.11 W . E . ro lle r ............ 11 ... 2 ... 215 ... 75 ... 23.8 E . H. B uckland 1L ... 1 ... 232 ... 82 ... 23.2 A. R . C o b b .................... 11 ... 1 ... 210 ... 51 ... 21.0 C. E . C ottrell ............ 11 ... 4 ... 143 ... 49 ... 20.3 H. W . B ainbridge ... 14 ... 0 ... 2G8 ... 49 ... 19.2 R ev. A. T . F ortescue 11 ... 1 ... 164 ... 58*... 16.4 H. R oth erh am ............ 8 ... 1 ... I l l ... 27 ... 15.6 J. A. Turner ............ 12 ... 1 ... 141 ... 57 ... 12.9 E . J. Sanders ............ 4 ... 2 ... 20 ... 10 ... 100 T . R . H ine-H aycock 13 ... 2 ... 58 ... 15 ... 5.3 F. T. W e lm a n ............ 9 ,... 1 ... 19 ... 7*... 2.3 B O W L IN G A V E R A G E S . B a lls M dns R uns W k ts Aver. T. R . H ine-H aycock 314 ... 29 ... 8 i ... 16 ... 5.(0 W . E . R oller ........... 1148 ...146 ...203 ... 5J ... 5.13 K. J. K e y .................... 48 ... 4 ... 21 ... 3 ... 7.00 C. E . C o ttre ll............ 1141 ...143 ...397 ... 54 ... 7.19 H . R otherham 800 ...122 ...218 ... 25 ... 8.18 E. H . B uckland ... 1420 ...159 ...412 ... 47 ... 8 3 J J. A. T urner ............ 224 ... 27 . .. 8L ... 4 ... 20.10 H. W . Cam bridge ••• 104 ... 12 .... 47 ... ‘2 ... 23.l i T urner bow led tw o wides, R otherham and H ine- H aycock one w ide each, and R oller tw o no-balls. T h e Marylebone Club proposes to cele­ brate its centenary next year in one form, at least, by a fixture against Eng­ land, to be played at Lord’s on June 13tli and two following days. A centenary of the kind is a rarity, like the black swan, and it goes without saying that the M.C.C. will have the warmest congratulations on the completion of its hundredth anniver­ sary, a century of unwearying devotion and unstinted liberality in the cause of our national game. “ F. G.” has sent me the following in reply to a paragraph of mine in C eioket of October 28th, on the prospects of Oxford cricket in 1887 COMING OXFORD CRICKET. To t h e E d it o r or “ C b ic k e t .” S ir ,— In your last you insert remarks about next Oxford Eleven from a well-informed cor­ respondent, in which he says “ Bowliog, as usual, will be the weak point,” and later on “ . . . . The bowling department,unless Buckland nnd Whitby can be prevailed upon to play, will be sadly deficient.” The italics are mine. This (nt time of writing), is October 28th, and the Oxford and Cambridge matol* will not be played for two-thirds of a yeaj' off„ and 1 cannot help thinking if the Oxford meu would set a new fashion of this day—-following, an old fashion of the past—they might have, plenty of change bowling. H&W- you will say.. I will tell you. If they wpwld have the “ Uni. versity practice wic,kut,” a, single stump with, one bail baloACed th,e top, with some one, with the gloves (which is an admirable guide.* and would all practise without any batsman pitching a length steadily, with bowling creasy marked, and bowling the exact distance, I’lii eat ray bat tw.d digest the buckle if they won’t Next Issue December 30