Cricket 1887

“ Together joined in cricket’s manly toil.”— By ron . N o 151 . VOL . V I . Registered lor Transm ission Abroad. THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 1887. PR IC E 2d DR. EDWARD RUSSELL OGDEN. D uring the last few weeks some correspond­ ence has been going on in the leading sporting papers representing the respective interests of Americans and Canadians, as to the com­ parative merits of the best elevens of the United States and Canada. Those who up­ hold the claims of the Canadians urge, and apparentlywith good reason, that the cricketers of America have had to admit the superiority of their rivals in the last three International engagements at least. On the other hand, it' is argued that America has latterly not been able for various and important reasons to put its full force into the field, and that the best team of Canada would not on their merits beat a fully representative eleven of the United States. What the exact capacities of the Canadian cricketers are we shall soon be able to judge for ourselves. The team which is to visit us this summer, too, it is gratifying to know, is a purely Cana­ dian one, consisting exclusively of cricketers all of whom were bom, even if they did not all receive their educa­ tion, in the Dominion. In three weeks now the Gentlemen of Canada ought to have already started on their voyage, and this day month should have reached Dublin, where they are to have a week’s practice before en­ tering on the first fixture of the tour. It is just now, therefore, an eminently suitable time to present C ricket readers with a portrait and biography of their Captain, a good all-round player, who has done very much of late years to assist in the develop­ ment of Canadian cricket. Edward Russell Ogden, M.D., was born in Oakville, near Toronto, in Ontario, on June 17, 1862, and is consequently now very near the completion of his twenty-fifth birthday. Joining the Upper Canada College, Toronto, in 1874, he soon began to profit by the opportunities afforded him for cricket there. The fall of 1876, indeed, saw him in the first eleven of that institution, and until he left in June, 1880, he continued to do good service, acting as Captain of the School team during the last three years of his residence. His reputation as an all-round cricketer, though, was not confined to his School, and the visit of the team of English professionals, under the management of Richard Daft, to Canada in the autumn o* 1879, enabled him to prove his capabilities at least as a bowler against some of the best pro­ fessional batsmen of the day. His perform­ ances against Daft’s team for Twenty-two of Ontario, as well as for Twenty-two of All Canada, were of considerable promise, so much so, that he was chosen in the following year as one of the Canadian eleven to oppose the champions of the United States in the International match at Philadelphia. He also took part in the International fixtures of 1881.and 1883, and in 1884 had the satisfaction of captaining the Canadian eleven on the occasion of the first victory Canada had gained over the United States in twenty-eight years. His own share,too, in this success was by no means a small one, for he scored himself 30 and 49 in each case by capital cricket. He had been since the year 1880, we may add, residing in Chicago, and not only proved one of the best scorers as well as one of the most effective bowlers of the Chicago Club, but also acted as its Captain with no mean ability. He was a member, too, of the successful Western Association team of 1882, and during the tour of that party in New York, Philadelphia, and the East, proved himself one of its very best all-round players. Twelve of the fifteen fix­ tures of that tour, we may add, were won, and the value of Dr. Ogden’s assistance can be estimated when we say that he had not only one of the best batting as well as bowling averages, but also kept wicket very satisfactorily. In 1883, besides bowl­ ing very effectively* he had the best batting average for the Toronto Club. That year altogether he was in ex­ cellent form, and inthe match between All United States and All Philadel­ phia in October, his was the highest aggregate represented by two scores of 49 and 18 not out. In 1884 he took the degree of M.D. at the Chicago Medical College, and it is somewhat strange that the captains of the three last elevens to visit England from over the sea should all have been members of the medical profession. Though owing to ill-health he played biitlittleihlb85,andwas not inhis best form for the samereasonthe following year, his bowling was at times very effective. Against the English Ama­ teurs under the management of Mr. E. J. Sanders in 1885, he did parti­ cularly well, and his analysis—32 overs, 10 m*iden°, 59 runs, and 5 wickets—was a highly creditable one. Mr. Ogden is a left-handed bat. He cuts and drives well, and in addition to good batting powers has excellent defence. Is quick and active in the field too, and a sure catch. He bowls medium pace round-arm (left hand) with considerable command over the ball. Canadian cricket has been much indebted to him for the advance made during the last few years. P laying for Wimbledon Cricket Club, on June 4, W. C. Chappell took ten of eleven wickets in the first innings of Wimbledon Golf Club for eighteen runs.