Cricket 1886

50 CRICKET: performance, he £'made, nevertheless, an excellent tutor. He was a slow bowler, and a pretty good one. He had a peculiar habit of bringing his hand from behind liis back immediately previous to his deliver­ ing the ball, a trick no doubt perplexing enough to an inexperienced batter. In his peripatetic lectures to the young students, Hall perpetually enforced the principle of keeping the left elbow well up (this charge was of course delivered to the right -handed hitters), and excellent instruction it was; for if you do keep that elbow well up, and your bat also upright (in stopping a length ball), you will not fail to keep the balls down ; and, vice versa, lower your elbow, and your balls will infallibly mount when you strike them. “ Beldham was quite a young man when he joined the Hambledon Club; and even in that stage of his playing, I hardly ever saw a man with a finer command of his bat; but with the instruction and advice of the old heads super­ added, he rapidly attained to the extraordi­ nary accomplishment of being the finest player that has appeared within the latitude of more than half a century. There can be no exception against his batting, or the severity of his hitting. He would get in at the balls, and hit them away in a gallant style; yet, in this single feat, I think I have known him ex­ celled, but when he could cut them at the point of the bat, he was in his glory; and upon my life, their speed was as the speed of thought. One of the most beautiful sights that can be imagined, and which would have delighted an artist, was to see him make him­ self up to hit a ball. It was the beau ideal of grace, animation, and concentrated energy. In this peculiar exhibition of elegance with vigour, the nearest approach to him I think was Lord Frederick Beauclerk. Upon one occasion at Mary-le-bone, I remember these two admirable batters being in together, and though Beldham was then verging towards his climacterie, yet both were excited to a competition, and the display of talent that was exhibited between them that day was the most interesting sight of its kind I ever witnessed. I should not forget, among his other excel­ lencies, to mention that Beldham was one of the best judges of a short run I ever knew; add to which, that he possessed a generally good knowledge of the game. “ Hitherto I have spoken only of his batting. In this department alone, he had talent enough to make a dozen ordinary cricketers, but as a general fieldsman there were few better ; he could take any post in the field, and do himself credit in it; latterly he usually chose the place of slip. But Beldham was a good change bowler too; he delivered his balls high, and they got up well. His pace was a moderate one, yet bordering upon the quick. His principal fault in this department was that he would often give a toss; taking him, however, as achange bowler, he was one of the best. He would very quickly discover what a hitter could do, and what he could not do, and arrange his bowling accordingly. Finally, although his balls were commonly to the length, he was much better calculated for a change than to be continued a considerable length of time. “ One of th e finest treats in crick etin g that I rem em ber, w as to see this adm irable man in, W’ith the beau tiful b ow lin g of Harris.” In one single wicket match against the bowi­ ng of John Wells Beldham made 131 runs; but he scorewasunfortunately lost. He retainedall his faculties to amost advanced age, and indeed, Mr. Arthur Haygarth, in “ Scores and Biographies,” tells how he walked on June 21st, 1852, when eighty-six years of age, from Tilford to Godalming, a distance of about even miles, to witness the match between England and Godalming. Beldham was the ast survivor of the far-famed Hambledon Club. Surrey has given birth to many cricketers of exceptional abilities. Beldham’s name, though, will remain fresh in the memo­ ries of Surrey men as one of the first of a long race of distinguished players. His place in a allery of eminent crioketers even atthe present me should be a prominent one. Our portrait, A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE which is taken from an engraving belonging to the Surrey Cricket Club, is said to be an ex­ cellent likeness. The author of the “ Cricket Field ” relates some particulars of Beldham, which appear to us to be sufficiently interesting to reproduce :— Of all the old players Fennex had ever seen (for some partiality for bygone days we must of course allow), none elicited his notes of admiration like Beldham. We cannot compare a man who played underhand with those who are formed on overhand bowling. Still, there is reason to believe what Mr. Ward and others have told us, that Beldham had that geniusfor Cricket, that wonderful eye, and that quickness of hand, which would have made him a great player in any age. Beldham related to us in 1838—and that with no little nimbleness of hand and vivacity of eye, while he suited the action to the word with a bat of his own manufacture—how he had drawn forth the plaudits of Lord’s as he hit round and helped on the bowling of Browne even faster than before, much to the confusion of the good men of Brighton, who thought that no one could stand against their champion, and Browne had boasted he would bowl Beld­ ham off his legs. This match of Hants against England in 1810 Fennex was fond of describing, and certainly it gives some idea of whac Beldham could do. “ Osbaldeston,” said Mr. Ward, “ with his tremendously fast bowling, was defying every one at single wicket, and he and Lambert challenged Mr. E. H. Budd with three others* Just then I had seen Browne’s swift bowling, and a hint from me settled thematch. Browne was engaged, and Osbaldeston was beaten with his own weapons.” A match was now made to give Browne a trial, and “ we were having a social glass,” said Fennex, “ and talking with Beldham of the match of the morrow at the Green Man, when Browne came in, and told Beldham, with as much sincerity as good humour, that he should soon send his stumps a-flying.—‘ Hold there,’ said Beldham, fingering his bat; ‘ you will be good enough to allow me this bit of wood, won’t you ? *—‘ Certainly,’ saidBrowne.— ‘ Quite satisfied,’ answered Beldham; ‘ so to­ morrow you shall see.’ ”—“ Seventy-two runs,” said Fennex,—and the score-book attests his accuracy,—“ was Beldham’s first and only innings; ” andBeagley alsojoined with Fennex, and assured us that he never saw a more com­ plete triumph of a batsman over a bowler. Nearly every ball was cut or slipped away till Browne hardly dared to bowl within Beldham’s reach. Beldham was at that time fifty-four years of age. Let any one only picture to himself one of our superannuated players thus doing what he pleased with the fastest bowler ever known, and at his best day. As to the age of cricketers in early days, the players had a long reign before they were superseded. For, in 1810, a match was played between the old and the young—the young being limited to the age of thirty-eight ; whereas now you can hardly name an All England man as old as thirty-eight, so large is the choice of players. We desire not to qualify the praises of Beldham: but when we hear that he was unrivalled in elegant and brilliant hitting, and had that wonderful versatility which cut indifferently, quick as lightning, all round him, we cannot help remarking, that such bowling as that of Freeman or McIntyre renders imperatively necessary a severe style of defence, and an attitude of cautious watch­ fulness which must render the batsman not quite such a picture for the artibt as might be seen in the days of Beldham and Lord F. Beauclerk. UPPINGHAM ROYERS. F ix t u r e s fo r 18SG. June 30 and July 1. Uppingham, v. The School July 2, 3. Uppingham, v. Kutland Aug. 2, 3. Birmingham, v. Warwickshire C. & G. Aug. 4, 5. Leicester, v. Leicestershire Aug. C, 7. Liverpool, v. Liverpool C. & G. Aug. 9,10. Southampton, v. Hampshire Aug. 11,12. Portsmouth, v. United Service C. & G. Aug. 13,14, Eastbourne, v. Eastbourne C. & G. GAME. APR It 15,1886. (ferespffitbeiite. [We are not answerable for the opinions expressed! by our Correspondents.] A WARNING TO SECRETARIES. To the E ditor of “ C rick et .’ * D ear S ir , —As a warning to many of your readers who may be Honorary Secretaries or Secretaries of cricket clubs, I should be obliged* if you wall insert the following in your next issue. At the beginning of last season a man living; in a town some distance from London, who> describes himself as a “ Dealer in Cricket,, Football, Tennis, &c.,” sent me two bats and. two balls as samples of his goods, and asked1, me to try the same and if found suitable for my purpose he would be glad if I would give him an order. As requested, I tried the bats; and balls and they were not, in my opinion, of; the best quality. I wrote to the dealer and told him what I thought about the goods, andi he immediately sent me a bill for i ‘l 13s. 6d.. Of course not having ordered the goods I declined to pay, and took no further trouble ini the matter. About a fortnight ago he threatened me with legal proceedings unless I remitted the money by a certain date, where­ upon I wrote to him and explained that I declined to pay on -the ground that the goods were not ordered by me or any one in connec­ tion with my club, that they were sent on his own account and on the chance of his getting an order from the club. I thereupon receive a memo, from the dealer in which he says “ I am perfectly well aware you are not liable for payment.” This after he had threatened me with legal proceedings. As it is possible some of your readers may be favoured with samples from this “ dealer ” and perhaps be frightened into paying for what they did not order and did not want, I trust this letter will put them on their guard against being imposed upon. I may as well add his last memo, to me was exceedingly abusive and insolent. I am, dear sir, Yours faithfully, A S ecretary . THE INTRODUCTION OF ROUND-ARM BOWLING. To the E ditor of “ C r ic k e t .” S ir , —As the “ Old Buffer ” asks me some questions, I venture to send answers which you may scarcely think satisfactory enough to insert. I believe he is right that “ Mynn and Redgate were the first two round arm bowlers who delivered the ball at agreat pace with the arm straight and hand level with the shoulder.” That mode was imperative at the first intro­ duction of round bowling. For hand above the shoulder the Umpire called “ no ball.” The delivery of these two great bowlers was, I should say, very different. As far as my recol* lection serves, Mynn was quiet, took a very short and not fast run, and gave the pace from the very power of the shoulder. Redgate, on the contrary, ran violently, threw his whole body into his work, and bowled with great effort to himself. Redgate, I see by the list of Gentlemen v. Players’ matches, played for the time at Lord’s in ’35. The “ Old Buffer” asks my opinion of A. Lowth’s bowling. I only knew A. L. as a little cricketer at Eton before he migrated to Win* Chester. I left England early m ’36, and so did not see the match that year when lie waft so successful against the Players, bowling 7 and getting two caught. I still beg some of your readers to answer my questions “ When was round bowling first introduced at Lord’s, and when and where were pads first used ? ” I am, Sir, your obedient servant, S eptuagenarian .