Cricket 1887

MAY 5, 1887. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 105 down to the fact that the Victorian cricketers are nothing like as good as they have been, nor are they at all equal to the Sydney men. This is what he said:— ‘ ‘ The public interest will not be re-awakened until Victoria sends out a fresh lot of men. The best thing would be to look after the juniors. There is the nucleus of cricket. I do not think they are as carefully watched as they might be ; and from what I can learn a junior remains so much longer than is necessary, and when he would be of great use in first-class matches he is pottering about uselessly. Good junior men should be brought out, and tried on the best wickets. What tends to make the Sydney men better players is that they get all sorts of wickets—those which cut up rough, and good ones. This is beneficial in every way ; for every player has to keep his eye on the ball all the time, never knowing which way it is going to come. Bowlers and batsmen get up to all sorts of manoeuvres, and, therefore, they can play with safety on anything. Anyone can play on a good wicket; but a man has to know a lot about cricket before he does any­ thing off a bad one.” Shrewsbury does not approve of the system of stickingto the wickets for defence only, and says that that has had a good deal to do with the falling off of public interest. But a man of that sort proves very valuable in keeping up the wickets, and gives others, who are perhaps better men, a chance to score. He tires out the bowlers, and does a lot of good. He does not agree with a man giving chances and playing only to make runs, Wickets fall too quickly then. But on the other hand he hates to see a man block, block, block, all day long, and let the softest things go with­ out scoring. That ruins cricket. Six balls to an over would not do much towards reviving the game; and as for maiden overs being counted to the fielding side, he does not think such a plan would do at all, and is of opinion that the present system cannot be much im- E roved. In connection with their next visit, e said, “ A Sydney gentleman has guaranteed us against any loss. We shall have a very strong eleven—better than this—and this is the best which has ever been in Australia, far and away.” T h e Melbourne Leader gave some par­ ticulars of a rather noteworthy finish to an innings in a match between the Geelong Grammar School and Wesley College, played on'the 18th March. The Grammar School scored 83 and 207 for eight wickets. Wesley College started fairly well, Rush making 10, Willis 18, and Donahoo 24. After Trumble had scored 3 and Robb 4, however, a remarkable collapse ensued, not a single run being made by the re­ maining six batsmen, the Gramm ar School winning on the first innings by 16 runs. The following is a brief account of a Special General Meeting of the New South Wales Association, held in Sydney on March 23, to consider a telegram received from the Melbourne Cricket Club, on the subject of the visit of English cricketers to Australia next winter. The cablegram was as follows:— “ Would your association join venture with Melbourne Club amateur team. We have definitelysecuredRead, Roller, Hawke, Walker, Stoddart, Vernon, expect Studd, out of nine amateurs required. Negotiating with Grace. B. J. W a r d il l .” There were present: Mr. C. E. Riddell, in the chair; Messrs. Teece, Clayton, Beale, Gibson, Shepherd, Fuller, Gregory, Walker, Fairfax, Halligan.—Mr. Gibson moved, “ That the telegram from the M.C.C. be courteously acknowledged, and that hey be informed that this association does not feel inclined to take any part in the proposal contained therein.” Tne motion was carried unanimously. A letter was also read from the Victorian Cricketers’ Association, asking the New South Wales Association to consider the report of the Victorian and South Australian delegates to the effect that it was desirable to have six balls in an over instead of four in important matches, and that they could make no recommendation with regard to batsmen being given out l.b.w. for break bowling. It was decided to hold a special meeting to con­ sider the report. It will be interesting to the Secretaries of the County Clubs, at least to those who collect cricket curiosities, to know that they are likely, if the following statement in the Melbourne Leader is authorised, in course of time, to have a souvenir of the extraordinary run-getting match between Smokers and Non-Smokers, played in March, on the East Melbourne Ground. The following extract from the paper named is my authority :— During the interval on Saturday photo­ graphic views of the East Melbourne pavilion, on which the Smokers and Non-Smokers were grouped, were taken, “ Mac” having nailed to the door the startling record of the Smokers’ innings, 9—46—803. Mr. Beaumont, who operated, secured two or three different views, copies of which Mr. H. H. Budd informs me he intends forwarding to the various county secretaries in England as a seuvenir of the highest first-class score on record, and no doubt as a little advertisement of the ground upon which it was made. The occasion was such as to amply justify such pardonable pride on the part of the E.M.C.C. executive, and after providing the players with such a won­ derful wicket they deserve to have the fame of their ground perpetuated in the old country. A r e m a r k a b l y close finish in the matter oftime was recorded in the match between Bickley Park and Erith, played at Bickley Park on Saturday. The last batsman of Bickley was at the wickets, and thelast ball but one (the fourth) of the over w as bowled. This passed the longstop, and in trying a third run one of the batsmen was run out. Immediately afterwards the clock struck six, the time to draw, so that the Erith, who proved by this piece of rashness the winners by 82 runs, had not much the advantage of the evening at the close. T h o m s tells rather a good story of the hitting powers of Mr. W. J. Ford, brought to his memory by a letter he has recently received from that gentleman in New Zealand, extracts from which appear in another part of the paper. I give the incident in R.T’s. own words :— In a match at Birkenhead Park, this gentle tapper, playing for the Incogniti, was in extra good form, to the delight of the hundreds of spectators who thronged the park, his splendid driving excelling anything that had ever been seen in that locality by the oldest inhabitant. He had smashed up two bats, and on my shouting, “ bring out another bat,” one of the crowd cried out, “ bring him a tree.” He caused so much enthusiasm—for spectators do like anything out of the common in the hard­ hitting line—that the crowd surrounded him, patted him, and he had difficulty to reach the pavilion. Thoms, by the way, had a subtle distinc­ tion of his own in the titles he gave to the two greatest hitters we have had of late years. Mr. Ford, in the language Robertian, was the “ mammoth smiter,” Mr. C. I. Thornton the “ extra blocker.” The following announcement, taken from the Standard of Thursday last, refers, unless I am mistaken, to a well- known cricketer:— F o w l e r — D e w h u r s t . —April 20, at St. Peter’s, Oughtrington, by the Rev. W. H. G. Mann, assisted by the Rev. W. G. Knocker, Howard, second son of William Fowler, Esq., of 38, Grosvenor Square, to Frances Eva, eldest daughter of George B. Dewhurst, Esq., Oughtrington Park, Lymm. I think, indeed, I can scarcely be wrong in connecting the bridegroom with the vigorous hitter of Oxford and Essex fame. The following will take part in the Seniors’ match, to be commenced on the University Ground, at Cambridge, to-day. The elevens will be arranged respectively by Mr. F. Marchant, the Captain, and Mr. C. D. Buxton, the Hon. Sec. of the University Club:— F. M a r c h a n t ’ s S id e . —W. C. Bridgeman (Trinity), H. E. Crawley (Trinity), A. R. Cox (Trinity), G. A. Coulby (Trinity), L. B. J. Ford (King’s), W. L. Hayter (Queen's), T. Lindley (Caius), J. C. Mackinnon (Trinity Hall), H. Orr (Jesus), A. H. Studd (King’s), and A. M. Sutthery (Jesus). C.D.Buxton’s S id e .—E .M. Butler (Trinity), W. Greenstock (St. John’s), H. F. Hayhurst (Trinity), H. W. Hutson (Jesus), J. Le Fleming (Clare), L. Martineau (Trinity), F. Meyrick-Jones (Trinity), E. F. Slocock (Jesus), J. B. Stork (Selwyn), A. L. Watson (Trinity), and W. W. White (Selwyn). I h a v e it on good authority that, should his services be required, C. Toppin, the University fast bowler, who has now a mastership at Malvern College, would in all probability be able to play for Cam­ bridge in the later fixtures of the season— that is, at the Oval and Lord’s. The Cantabs open their season to-day, as I have already said, and in a few days we shall be able to get something like an idea of the form in which the principal cricketers are in, and possibly an insight into their chances for the year. By the way, while on this subject, I may point out a good performance of the Repton Captain of 1886, L. G. J. Ford, who on his school form ought to be one of certainly the most likely Freshmen. Playing for King’s against Queen’s last week he took five wickets—four clean bowled—in five balls. C rick e t critics, like doctors, disagree, as most of us know too well. It is not a little awkward, though, when the subject in question is a record, and consequently a matter of historic interest. As many C rick e t readers are aware, several years John Lillywhite'8 Cricketers' Companion contained full particulars of a match