Cricket 1886

26 CRICKET;: A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME. FEB. 25, 1886 Surrey County Club, will miss this season a form well-known to frequenters of the Surrey ground. Mr. L. E. Burrow, if I remember rightly,was first identified with the defunct Kennington Club, and on its demise became associated with the Vine, for which at times his bowling was of great use. Mr. Burrow, who was the Secretary of the National Union of Con­ servative and Constitutional Associations, died at Bournemouth oh the 81st of January. He had been ailing for some time. As it is possible that both Evans and Trumble—or one of them—may be in­ cluded in the thirteen players who are to represent Australia in England this sum­ mer, a few particulars respecting their performances with the ball in recent matches will be of interest to C r ic k e t readers. A g e , indeed, does not seem to have withered nor custom staled the infinite va­ riety of the former, who, veteran though he is, apparently retains most of, if not all, the wonderful precision which has given him such a lasting reputation not only in his own country but among all English cricketers who have visited the Colonies. In the Inter-colonial matches at Mel­ bourne, for Sydney, on a first-class wicket and against a strong batting side, he bowled with what one of the critics rightly describes as “ well-sustained energy and precision, keeping up an end and checking run-getting when no one else except Garrett could claim any marked success. He delivered 808 balls for 69 runs and four wickets, and it is worthy of remark that no less than forty-nine of the overs he sent down were maidens.” This JA an analysis which will speak.for itself. T r u m b le , though less fortunate in the matter of wickets, had even a better re­ cord in the subsequent match between the Australian team and the Victorian eleven. In the first innings the latter were, as will be seen from the report which appears in another part of the paper, only able to realise a small total of 135, a result due entirely to the good bowl­ ing of Palmer and Trumble. The former was credited with eight of the ten wickets, but Trtimble’s figures were in their way even more noteworthy than those of Palmer. His analysis -in all showed 120 balls (twenty-five maidens) fo r seven runs and one wicket. At one time he sent down no fewer than nineteen consecutive maiden overs, and considering that the ground was in excellent condition, this can only be described as an extraordinary piece of bowling. “ Felix ” in the Aus­ tralasian writes of him thusly— “ He maintained an excellent length, and bowled at times a beautiful leg-break, with lots of pace from the pitch, just the ball in fact to dispose of batsmen.” O x f o r d cricketers have just lost a good friend in the person of the late Dr. Craddock, the principal of B.N.C., who died recently. The Doctor was in­ variably to be seen in the Parks on the occasion of a University match, and took a keen interest in the personal as well as the athletic life of all those who played cricket or were partial to other sports. S om e very humorous stories indeed are told of the active sympathy he showed with all who evinced any skill in or apti­ tude for cricket. I can not vouch for the accuracy of all the anecdotes that I have heard to this effect, but it is quite certain that he took every opportunity of assisting in matters academical those who had obtained any prominence at or were fond of our national game. An old Oxford cricketer is my authority for the assertion that the Doctor took upon himself to ask the examiners to criticise leniently the performances of a prominent mem­ ber of the Eleven of 1882 who achieved a better record in one of the important fixtures of the year at Oxford than in a divinity paper which he had to tackle on the first afternoon of the match. It was, indeed, mainly due to his request that the candidate for Mods was able to make amends for a bad paper by a long viva voce and obtain his testamur. The fixture in question was against the Gentlemen of England, and the cricketer in question was able to get on to the ground just in time, when things were going badly for his side, to make a fine score of over seventy runs. My correspondent adds that this was only one of the small kindnesses which the late Doctor was in the habit of doing for all who were lucky enough to own his acquaintance. A n o t h e r Old Oxonian writes "When I myself went to see the Doctor after having Matriculated, his first question to me was—“ Well, Mr. ---------,-I hear you are a bowler; we want some bowling in the College badly.” He then asked me what sort of action mine was, and I showed him. They say, too, that one day whilst walking through the “ Quad ” he met T. C. Edwardes-Moss, who stroked the B.N.C. boat at that time, and he remarked to him : “ Well, Mr. Moss, I have got you a splendid No 7 this morning.” Another story showing his enthusiasm at cricket is this—one day I was bowling at the nets, on the old Magdalen cricket ground, at Oxford, which in those days was very bumpy, when Dr. Craddock went and stood behind the nets watching me. At last a ball I bowled flew right over the top of the net and caught him on the nose, knocking him down and causing the blood to flow freely. After being assisted to the Pavilion—he was quite seventy years of age then—he went home. The next day I called on him to see how he was and to say how sorry I was. He said: “ Never mind, Mr.---------, I only hope you will knock the middle peg out of the ground as [cleverly as you caugnt me on the nose.” I give this anecdote to illustrate his admira­ tion of the game. There was hardly ever a College match at which he did not appear, and he was always to be seen on the B^N.C. barge when the Eights and Torpids were going on, an example followed by very few of the Heads of the Colleges. “ Tobby ” Watson, the Bursar of B.N.G.,- was his most frequent attendant on the. cricket-field. Old Crad­ dock was universally liked by all who Brase- nose men, on account of his love of sport generally, and he certainly did a great deal for the College both at oricket and boating. F IF T H A U S T R A L IA N T E AM FOR EN G LA N D . A ccording to the announcements which have already appeared, the thirteen players who are to constitute The Fifth Australian Team are to leave Melbourne in the Orient steamer Austral on the 19th of next month. For the first time in the history of these tours the management will be in the hands of a properly constituted body, under whose auspices the trip will be made, and who will take all the responsibility as well as bear the risk of the undertaking. The team just about to leave Greater Britain will therefore land in the old country under ciroumstances different to those which have marked the visits of their prede­ cessors. As is now well-known, the arrange­ ments have in the present instance been made by the Melbourne Club, the premier club of Australia—not only in letters but in faot—the^ M.C.C. of the Colonies. The Fifth Australian Team will therefore come under shelter of the name of, and with all the advantage of the^ popularity enjoyed by a olub which not only occupies the highest position in Australia, but. by the generous hospitality it has always, shown to our cricketers, whether amateur or professional, deserves thoroughly well of the; English public. We have ourselves system­ atically deprecated the idea so industriously circulated in a few quarters that an Australian team visiting England this summer would be coldly received. In this view we have in no way ignored, nor had any idea of extenuating, the unwise and unsportsmanlike action of the leading spirits of Murdoch’s combination to the English professionals who starred in the Colonies last winter. On the contrary, we have never failed to express our opinions and in no mild tones, in disapproval of their attitude. The suspension of the Victorian section by the Association managing the cricket of that colony, though, was a severe penalty, and were there no other reason this would, we are of opinion, have carried with it a penalty quite sumoient to satisfy whatever feelings of resentment may have been felt on either side, here or in the Colonies. At the same time the fact that the Melbourne Club is not only the promoter and organiser of the trip just about to commence, but also solely responsible for the monetary part of the arrangements, it must be admitted has done much to allav any slight feeling, if indeed it did exist at all, which might have disturbed the minds of a certain section of the British public. The inclusion of Blackham, Spofforth, Palmer, or, indeed, of the majority of the last team, would not in any case have been badly received here. The opinions of a large number of the most influential English cricketers have only tended to corroborate the view we have taken throughout. None the less we are ready to admit that coming as they will under the authority and charge of so popular a body as the Melbourne, the only possible likelihood of friction will have been removed, and we are confident that the Fifth Australian team will meet .with a hearty reception at the hands of the British public. Curiosity has been considerably whetted as to the probable composition of the team. The universal wish has been that it should be a thoroughly representative one, capable of maintaining the high reputation won by their predecessors. Latest advices from the Colonies lead to the belief that these hopes will be fully gratified. It is not likely of course that the thirteen will be actually completed until shortly before the departure of the team. The two or three last places are sure to give cause for discussion and indeed there are so many likely candidates of about equal merit that the task of selectionwill be by no meansan easy one. A recent telegram from Melbourne states that ten of the thirteen had at the time of its despatch been actually fixed. These ten consisted of Horan, Blackham, Spofforth Palmer, Bonaor, Giffen, Scott, Jarvis, Bruce and M’llwraith. Of these all but the two las Next Issue Narch 25-