Cricket 1887

MAY 26, 1887. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 158 P a rticu la rs of a bowling performance very much out of the ordinary have been sent to me by a correspondent to whom I have more than once before been indebted for information of a similar character. In a match between the London Hospital and Blackheath Proprietary School, played on the School Ground on the 18th inst., the latter were dismissed for the small score of 15. G. A. Simpson was the bowler mainly instrumental in their destruction, and his analysis was of such an exceptional character as to deserve the distinction of a line to itself. Overs. Mdns.Runs. Wkts. 9 e 9 0 8 All his eight wickets I may add, too, were clean bowled. A n oth er, and almost as noteworthy an achievement with the ball was recorded on the same day in a match between Beckenham and Richmond, on the pretty ground of the former club. Richmond had only ten men to bat, and the Eev. F. R. Marriott, who, by the way, was a con­ temporary of Mr. H. B. Steel in the Repton Eleven of 1880, took all the nine wickets at a cost of fifty-five runs. Of these nine wickets three were got with successive balls. Law ton, who made such a promising dehut as a batsman at the Oval, on Thursday last, for Warwickshire against Surrey, ip, I hear from the best authority, at the present time professional to the Milnrow Club in Lancashire. Last year he played as an amateur with the War­ rington Club, as did his brother, who by the way, has also turned professor, being engaged this summer as a professional at Carlisle. Lawton, who was, I understand, born in Birmingham, is about twenty-four years o f age. He learned his cricket on the public parks, both Calthorpe and Cannon Hill, at Birmingham, as did Mr. Cranston, who was born opposite Cal­ thorpe Park, and received his first lessons in the game there. I have said Lawton made a promising debut at the Oval as a batsman, advisedly. In fact his fielding left very much to be desired, and he will do well to remember that runs have to be saved as well as made. M ention of Lawton’s exceptional per­ formance at the Surrey Ground last Thursday reminds me.'jthat there was a peculiar similarity in one respect between his score for Warwickshire, and that of Mr. W. G. Grace for Marylebone Club and Ground against Sussex, at Lord’s on the same day. Mr. Grace, who carried out his bat, though, was responsible for 81 out of 118 from the bat for M.C.C., Law­ ton for 97 out of 132 from the bat for Warwickshire. In the former case the other ten batsmen on the side were accountable for an aggregate of 37, in the latter for one of 35. The Rev. R. T. Thornton at Lord’s scored 16, but this was the only other double figure besides the two previously named in the two innings referred to. - Some weeks since I called attention to a new scheme, which bids fair to prove a boon to the hundreds of City men who frequent the Surrey Cricket Ground. The City and Southwark Subway has already passed the Committees of the two Houses, and now only waits the third reading in the House of Lords and the passage through some other formal stages before it becomes law. The work will then be put in hand as soon as the necessary arrangements as to capital can be made. The engineer informs me that there will be a station at the corner of Harleyford-street, within a few yards of the entrance to the Oval, and as, by means of this subway, passengers will be able to get from or to the heart of the City, viz., the Monument, in less than fifteen minutes, and at a cost of only twopence, I think it will be admitted that the visitors to the Surrey Ground will benefit considerably by this new addition to the means of transit. If the works are put in hand at the earliest possible time the line should be open for traffic in time for the cricket season of 1888. I t is positively refreshing to find that age, at least, does not seem capable of withering the infinite variety of two of the keenest and best cricketers we have ever had. Though each of tham can claim to have been before the public for upwards of twenty years, Messrs. W . G. Grace and A. N. Hornby—names to conjure with on the cricket field—to judge by the way they have begun the season, so far any­ thing but a genial one it must be owned, are likely to remain for long yet as con­ spicuous instances of the vitality and health-giving properties of cricket. For the information of the ignorant, very few I an inclined to believe, I may say that Mr. Hornby, who is over a year the senior of the Grand Old Man, was born on Feb. 10, 1847. He has consequently qualified to play for the Veterans in the second match of the Jubilee Week at Lord’s, which is more than can be claimed by Mr. Grace, who was born on July 18, 1848, and has still more than a twelve­ month to run before he reaches the forties. It may be of interest, too, to know that they were both introduced to Lord’s in the same year, indeed, in the same month. Mr. Hornby’s first appear­ ance on the ground of Marylebone Club was for Harrow against Eton on July 8, 1864, Mr. W. G. Grace’s for South Wales against M.C.C. and G., on July 21 of that year. Among those who have been fortunate enough to be selected by Her Gracious Majesty to be recipients of appointments in the distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, I notice the name of Mr. William Alexander Baillie Hamilton, who has been made an Ordinary Member of the Third Class, or Companion of the Order. Mr. Hamilton, who is an old Harrovian, will be remembered by many C rick e t readers as a keen cricketer, as well as a footballer. He acted as Secre tary to the recent Colonial conference. C rick et readers will be pleased to learn that her Majesty has, too, thought well to confer distinction on the Chief Magistrate of the City of London, who, as I have pointed out more than once, has been a liberal supporter of all kinds of athletics for many years. Rugbeians in particular will be glad to hear of the Baronetcy of which Sir Reginald Hanson, an old Rug, has just been the recipient. The Lord Mayor has for several years served on the Committee of the Surrey County Cricket Club, and only last winter effectually showed his interest in football, by the presentation of a handsome silver cup to assist the Charities of London. M r. W. A. M cA rth u r, who has just been elected to represent what, if I am not mistaken, is one of the most Radical constituencies in the Kingdom, the St. Austell Division of Cornwall, is one of a brotherhood of old Leysians, most of whose members have taken an energetic part in cricket, football, and, indeed, in athletic sports generally. The McArthur to whom I am referring particularly now, it may be remembered, had a very close finish at the general election for the Buck- rose Division of Yorkshire. He won by one run—I mean by one vote, through a mistake of his opponent, himself an elec­ tor, not voting, and was subsequently unseated on an appeal. Mr. B. W. G reen writes me as follows:— In reply to the letter written by Mr. W. Taylor m last week’s C r ic k e t with reference to the old match played between Bexley and Kent, I cannot account for the dates on which it was played differing bo materially in the two reports (his date being August 25 and mine Friday, September 30, 1805), as they evidently refer to the same match, though from different sources. If, by the way, the 30th of September fell on a Friday it would seem that the date given in the Sporting Magazine is correct, as it there distinctly mentions that the match was played on Friday. The two reports sent you by Mr. Taylor and myself otherwise differ materially as to who disposed of the different batsmen. Below I send report of amatch played between three of England and three of Surrey at Lord’s on Monday, September 16, 1805, and following day, for two hundred guineas. S u b k e y . Bls.Hts.Ens. Blls.Hts.Bns. J. Wells 86 587 b Bennett 65 52 2 b Bennett Robinson 10 52 bditto 129 1 b Fennex Beldham 34 245 b Fennex 18 15 1 b ditto 130 8714 95 76 4 E n g la n d . Blls.Hts.Bns. Bennett ............. 85 63 10b J. Wei Lord F. Beauclerk 102 80 14 b ditto Fennex ........ ... 2 2 0 c ditto 189 145 24 England won by one innings and six runs- I may starte that Mr. Arthur Haygartli, the compiler of “ Scores and Biographies,’ ’ reproduces the Bexley score from “ Bentley’s Book of Matches,” which gives the date as August 25, 1805. The American cricket season of 1887. opened on May 7, to judge by the number of fixtures which appear in The American Cricketer of May 12, bids fair to be a busy one. The first cup match of the season, played on the day named, showed . that the champions of 1886, the German­ town Club, are evidently bent on leaving