Cricket 1886

54 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. A p r i l 15, i88i>. A U S T R A L IA N SPO R T S AND P A S T IM E S . The following is an extract from an article under the above title in the Daily Telegraph of Monday last, from the pen of the veteran journalist, George Augustus Sala. That there may be people who find in the “ domains” and “ reserves” legitimate recrea­ tion grounds I have little doubt; but let us glance at the less questionable amusements of the Australians. Those amusements are almost exclusively athletic sports; and among these cricket has long since reigned supreme. The earliest Australian Cricket Club was, I believe, formed at Sydney about sixty years ago; at present cricket is patronised with almost delir­ ious enthusiasm from King George’s Sound to Torres Strait, and from Hobson’s Bay to the Gulf of Carpentaria. The achievements of the Australian Eleven in England are matters of history. Long magazine articles have been devoted to the record of Australian “ bighits” and “ long scores.” Feminine Australia is justly grateful to Mr. F. J. Ironside, of Sydney, N.S.W., who in 1875 invented an ingenious winter game called “ frisquette ”—“ rompette ” might have done as well—or cricket for ladies. I have the highest respect for cricket from the antiquarian point of view: is it not identical with the “ club-ball ” of the fourteenth century; and was not the original name of the game “ handyn and handoutte ” ? Practically my acquaintance with cricket is of an extremely limited nature. I never set foot in Lord’s Cricket Ground, and I am unacquainted with Kennington Oval in a cricketing sense. Many ears ago I had a house at Upton-cum-Chalvey y Slough, in Bucks, and many a time, crossing the playing-fields between Slough and Eton, on my way to Windsor, my elbow or my shin has made painful acquaintance with a hard cricket-ball flung from afar off, and a voice with a patrician drawl has been faintly audible saying “ Th-a-a-a-nk you.” This meant, I sup­ pose, that I should throw the ball back whence it came ; but I was thanked for nothing. I was never taught either to throw or to catch; I was only taught to work, and I used to let the ball lie in peace, cogitating on how much plea­ santer it must be to play cricket 011 a summer afternoon than to puzzle one’s young brains in a stuffy schoolroom over the niceties of the second aorist of that very defective verb “ tupto.” I never witnessed but one cricket- match in the whole course of my life ; and that was at Melbourne, a very few days after my landing in the Colonies. The match was be­ tween a Melbourne Cricket Club team and an English one; there was an immense crowd, and one stand was thronged by a bevy of splendidly —too splendidly—attired ladies, who seemed to know all about the game, and to take the livliest interest in it, so lively, indeed, that from time to time they applauded and agitated their handkerchiefs and their bouquets, just as an English audience would do after Patti has sung “ Cornin’ through the Rye,” or Sims Reeves “ My Pretty Jane.” For my part, after sitting out and smoking out about two hours of the exercitation—the heat might have tried the temper of a gas-stoker—I came away with my head full of that old story of the young Duchesse de Berri, who, during the Restora­ tion, happening to be at Dieppe, was invited to witness a cricket-match between some players who had crossed the Channel from Brighton and the English community domiciled at the French watering place. Her Royal Highness arrived on the ground at eleven, lunched at one; and, about four in the afternoon, rising with somewhat a fatigued aspect, in her barouche, inquired of her aide-de-camp whether “ ces Messieurs ” in white flannel had finished making their preparations, and when “ 1© criquet ” was going to begin. All this, I am well aware, will be high treason in the eyes not only of all Australians, but of a legion of clergymen, schoolmasters, schoolboys, doctors, lawyers, and cricketing men generally in England. It is not my fault if I am not in­ terested in the game of cricket. We are interested in that which interests us. Are you fond of bird-stuffing, or beetle-sticking, or physic-bottle collecting? Those may be my most congenial occupations. They may not be yours. TH E P A R S E E C R IC K E T E R S IN EN G LAN D , The visit of ateam of native Indian Cricketers to England this summer will give additional interest to a season more than ordinarily full of incident. The love of our national game is not a mere passing fancy among the Parsees. For some years past the Bombay Presidency has witnessed the steady development of cricket among the natives. Nor is their idea of a trip to England a thing of to-day. All arrangements had been made for their appear­ ance in this country some years ago. An excellent programme had been arranged, and they were on the eve of starting to England when political difficulties interposed. The summons of the Indian troops to Malta, by the late Lord Beaconsfield caused the tour to be abandoned for the time. The attraction of the Indian and Colonial Exhibition, to be held in London this year, however, offered a favourable opportunity for the revival of the project, and this season will be memorable as the occasion ot the first visit of a native Indian team to England. With a view to get some practice before their departure, the Secretaries of the Parsee Club intimated a desire that anEnglish professional should be sent out to Bombay to ensure four or five weeks good tuition. Hen­ derson, the Surrey cricketer, accepting the engagement offered, left London at the end of February, and arrived in Bombay in the middle of March to commence his work. Two of the Parsee Team were in readiness to receive him when the steamer got into the docks at Bom­ bay, and under their care he was duly located in the Esplanade Hotel. He writes in grateful terms of the great kindness shown to him by the Parsee cricketers, and altogether he seems to have met with most hospitable treatment. Aii extract from a letter of his received by the Secretary of the Surrey County Cricket Club will be read with interest, containing as it does some practical remarks on the form of the Parsees’ Cricket. “ They have a very good fast right hand bowler of the name of Muncherjee, and two medium pace bowlers who are likely to train on; they have also four very fair bats, but are out of practice at present. The ground that we play on is very large, being about three times as large as the Oval, it is called the Esplanade Ground. The pitch that we play on is much better than any other part of the ground as it belongs to the Gymkana Club, the leading club of Bombay. The members are Europeans, and Mr. F. D. Gaddum, the old Rugby and Cam­ bridge cricketer, is captain. I am standing the climate very well, but it is very hot in the day. In time the Parsees will be very good cricketers, as the ground I have mentioned is literally covered with Parsee boys playing in the evening, and some of them shaping very well indeed.” The team have already booked their passages on the mail steamer leaving Bombay on the 23rd of this month, and as they intend to come direct to London, should reach “ the little village ” 011the 18th or 19th of May. A letter from Bombay dated the 26th March, states that Henderson has been giving great satisfac­ tion, and that the team have been having a very busy time of it under his care. On their arrival in London the party, which will consist of fifteen persons, will go to the Glendower Hotel, 17, Harrington-road, South Kensington, which will in fact be their head-quarters during their stay in England. The following is the programme arranged, for their visit. It consists as will be seen of twenty-six matches. May 27 Lord’s, v. Marylebone Club. May 31 Oval, v. Surrey C. & G. June 2 Prince’s, Prince’s C. and G. June 4 Chiswick, v. Chiswick C. & G. June 7 Leyton, v. Essex C. & G. June 9 Harrogate, v. Harrogate & District. June 11 Ashton-under-Lyne, v. Ashton & District. June 14 Derby, ▼. Derbyshire C. & G. June 1G Leicester, v. Gentlemen of Leicestershire. June 18 Elland (Leeds,) v. Elland & District. June 21 Hull, v. Hull & District. June 23 Middlesborough, v. North Riding. June 25 Northampton, v. Northampton C. & G. June 28 Birmingham, v. Warwickshire C. & G. July 2 Oldham, v. Werneth Club. July 5 Liverpool, v. Liverpool C. & G. July 7 Edinburgh, v. Gentlemen of Scotland July 9 Huddersfield, v. Huddersfield. July 12 Nottingham, v. Gentlemen of Notts. July 14 Southampton, v. Hampshire C. & G. July 16 Portsmouth, v. United Services. July 19 Hastings, v. Hastings & District July 23 Gravesend, v. Gentlemen of North Kent July 26 Manchester, v. Manchester C. & G. July 28 Scarborough v. Scarborough & District July 30 Stockport, v. Cheshire C. & G. Aug. 2 Brighton v. Sussex C. & G. All these matches are for two days. LANCASHIRE COUNTY CLUB. F ix t u r e s fo r 1886. May 7, 8. Werneth,Lancashire v.Eighteen County Colts May 14, 15. Enfield, Lancashire v. Eighteen County Colts May 17,18,19, Lord’s, Lancashire v. M.C.C. & G. May 27, 28, 29. Manchester, Lancashire v. Derbyshire May 31, June 1, 2. Manchester, Australians v. North of England June 3, 4, 5. Nottingham, Lancashire v. Notts June 7, 8, 9. Oval, Lancashire v. Surrey June 10, 11, 12. Oxford, Lancashire v. Oxford University June 14, 15, 16. Manchester, Lancashire v. Aus­ tralians June 17,18,19. Manchester, Lancashire v. Kent June 24, 2», 26. Manchester, Lancashire v. Sussex June 28, 29, 30. Manchester, Lancashire v. Oxford University July 1, 2, 3. Liverpool, Lancashire v. Surrey July 5, 6, 7. Manchester, Australians v. England July 8, 9,10. Manchester, Lancashire v. Yorkshire July 15,16,17. Manchester, Lancashire v. Essex July 22, 23, 24. Manchester, Lancashire v. Glou­ cester July 29,30,31. Dewsbury, Lancashire v. Yorkshire Aug. 2, 3. Manchester, Lancashire v, Cheshire Aug. 5, 6, 7. Manchester, Lancashire v. Notts Aug. 9,10,11. Brighton, Lancashire v. Sussex Aug. 16,17,18. Derby, Lancashire v. Derbyshire Aug. 20, 21. Stockport, Lancashire v. Cheshire Aug. 23, 24, 2). Maidstone, Lancashire v. Kent Aug. 26, 27, 28. Clifton, Lancashire v. Gloucester Aug. 30, 31, Sept. 1. Leyton, Lancashire v. Essex MANCHESTER CLUB. F ix t u r e s fo r 1886. April *24. Old Trafford, v. Whalley Range April 28. Old Trafford, v. Bury May l. Old Trafford, v. Sale May 5 . Old Trafford, v. Longsight May 12 . Old Trafford, v. Sefton May 15 . Old Trafford, v. Bowdon May 19 . Old Trafford v. Broughton May 21, 22. Liverpool, y. Liverpool May 28. Cheetham Hill, v. Cheetham Hill June 5. Longsight, v. Longsight June 12. Castleton, v. Castleton June 21. Old Trafford, v. Leyland June 23. Birkenhead, v. Birkenhead June 30. Bowdon, v. Bowdon July 12,13. Old Trafford, v. Cheshire Gentlemen July 14. Leyland, v. Leyland July 19. Old Trafford, v. Bryn-y-Neuadd July 26, 27. Old Trafford, v.'Parsees July 28. Old Trafford, v. Castleton July 31. Lytham, v. Lytham Aug. 11. Bury, v. Bury Aug. 13,14. Old Trafford, v. Old Cliftoniane Aug. 19, 20. Old Trafford. v. Incogniti Aug. 25. Old Trafford, v. Rusholme Aug. 28. Old Trafford, v. Cheetham Hill Sept. 1. Broughton, v. Broughton