Cricket 1887

JUNE 16, 1887. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME. 201 A n o t h e r somewhat peculiar occur renco, which took place in a match between the Sellindge and Loughborough Clubs, played at Sellindge on June 1, is recorded in the Kentish Express and A shford News of Saturday last. The Loughborough eleven were dismissed for small totals of 28 and 27, and no-one on the Sellindge side had a hand in the down­ fall of any of the twenty wickets but the two bowlers, Messrs, Smail and Webbe. Of the twenty six were bowled by the former and seven by the latter. Smail caught and bowled four, and he also caught two from Webbe’s bowling. The twentieth batsman was leg-before- wicket to the latter. I t will interest the executive of the Middlesex Club to know that Mr. A. S. Johnston, who was tried for the County in some of the later matches of last season, is just now full of runs. His last four innings for the Hampstead Club have been as follow :— v. Christ’s College, Finchley .. 84 v. Uxbridge...................................98 v. Kensington Park .. .. 120 v. Woodford Wells........................184 S e v e r a l correspondents have written calling my attention to an extraordinary batting performance of Mr. J. A. Knight, a member of the Croydon Cricket Club. Going in first wicket down he has carried his bat through in every match this season. The following are the scores:— April 30 —v. Mitcham, 20 not out. May 7 —v. Charing Cross Hospital, 27 not out. May 14— v. Shepherd’s Bush, 127 not out. June 4 —v. City Eamblers, 51 not out. June 11 —v. Norwood, 71 not out. These figures will show that he has so far this season made 296 runs for the club without being once out. For the last thirty matches Mr. Knight has played for Croydon, he has an average of 70 runs per innings. I d o not think any C R icK E T -read er can remember a better—even if he is able to recall one as good—performance than that recorded to the wee bowler of Lancashire, John Briggs, on Wednesday of last week. Mr. A. N. Hornby took advantage of the completion of a ground recently laid out and situated in close proximity to his residence at Parkfield, Nantwich, to open it with a match between an eleven of his own and four­ teen of Church Minshull. With a view to celebrate tlxe occasion in a fitting manner he introduced into his team Barlow, Briggs, Watson, Bobinson and Billing of the County eleven, as well as Mr. E. Boper, of Liverpool renown. Briggs, too, was in no way backward in doing full honours to the inauguration of the new pitch, and he succeeded so well that the highest score in either innings of the locals, who were dismissed for sixteen and twenty - five, was only five. Altogether Briggs made himself thoroughly at home, for he not only was credited with seventeen wickets at a cost of e le v e n runs, but with 96 of a total of 171 from the bat. Up to lunch-time he had secured all the ten wickets without a run being scored from him. He took five wickets with successive balls, and the next ball he sent down after lunch he dismissed another batsman. Thus he had taken eleven wickets without a run being made off him, and six wickets—all clean bowled, too—were captured with successive balls. His analysis, which I have reproduced from the Athletic News, m the first innings of Church Minshull is as under :— • w • w W • w w w 2 w w w 2 1 I n a match played recently at Habber- ley Yalley, near Kidderminster, between the Silver Street Bovers and the Red Star Clubs, one of the former was given run out by the umpire of the latter. The Bover most interested objected to the decision, and a long and animated dis­ cussion took place between the rival parties. The game threatened to come to a premature close, when a happy thought occurred to the Bed Star captain. “ Look here ! ” quoth he to the Bovers, “ do you think the umpire would have given him out if he had not been out. Why! he’s (the umpire) only just been confirmed.” This settled the question conclusively, and the contestants resumed the game without further argument. My correspondent suggests that some of the older clubs might take a lesson from this, and secure the services of umpires who have been confirmed—confirmed in the sense referred to, of course—if they want fair play. I h e a r that Mr. John Shuter has been the recipient of a souvenir from a Not­ tingham sportsman, in commemoration of his captaincy of the Surrey eleven in their recent match against Notts at Trent Bridge. It has taken the shape of a leather medal. T h e Clapton Club, one of the oldest o Metropolitan clubs, by the way, has been doing something big in the way of run- getting during the last fortnight. Here is the record for the three matches played since June 4, showing an aggregate of 1,117 for fifteen wickets : June 4. v. Upper Clapton (8 wickets) ............... 248 June 11. v. Norwood (1 w icket)..... .........................305 June 14. v. Croydon (6 wickets) ............................564 On Saturday last fl. Boytonmade 136, and on Tuesday 210, both times not out. In the last match the wickets fell as under: 1 2 3 4 5 6 154 201 334 414 414 542 The runs were made between 12.30 and 7 p.m., with quite an hour and a quarter intervals for lunch and refreshment. In the Norwood match the 305 runs were got in two hours and three quarters. were playing Mr. Clements Eleven, an 1, going in first, scored 137. Mr. Clements Eleven had made 135 runs for six wickets when the umpire announced that the last over had arrived. A hit for three was made but one short was called, and as nothing else was got the game was left unfinished, as unsatisfactory a draw as anyone can possibly conceive. T h e following are the teams selected to represent the Players of the North and those of the South at Beckenham oa July 7, 8, and 9. The former have bee i chosen by Mr. A. N. Hornby, while Dr. W. G. Grace has selected their opponents. Given fine weather this should prove one of the most interesting matches of tho season, as it is many years since tho Southern professionals have been able to place such a strong team in the field:— N o r th . S ou th . Barnes. Abel. Bates. Bean. Briggs. Bowley. Chatterton. J. Hide. Emmett (capt.) G. G. Hearne (capt.) Flowers. F. Heame. Gunn. Lohmann. Preston. Painter. Sherwin. M. Bead. Shrewsbury. Wood. Ulyett. Wootton. A c u r io u s draw was witnessed on the Sussex County Ground at Brighton on Friday last. The Early Bisers of Brighton I h a v e received the following letter in reference to a paragraph of mine last week, on the question of Mr. H. W. Bainbridge’s eligibility to play for Warwickshire:— D e a r S ib , —One portion of your remarks in last week’s O kicicet , touching the case of Mr. H. W. Bainbridge, is slightly misleading. I refer to the clause which states that the Sec. of the M.C.C. has already decided against him. As far as I know, the protest has not been formally raised by Leicestershire yet, or at any rate if it has, we have not been asked to state our case. It is difficult therefore to see how he could be disqualified by the M.C.C. when only one side has had a hearing. Up to the present no communication at all has passed between the Warwickshire Counly Committee and Mr. Perkins. With respect to the wisdom or otherwise of the Warwick­ shire Committee in the course they have adopted, perhaps you will allowme to say that we fully believe Mr. Bainbridge is entitled to play under Eule 3, and that if he be disquali­ fied, it will be in direct opposition to the meaning of the rule, and simply because usage has accustomed the cricketing fraternity to regard a two years’ residence as absolutely necessary in all cases. In playing Mr. Bain­ bridge, and throwing the onus of proof against him on those who object, we are simply doing what nearly every county in the Kingdom does at the present time. We are in fact following the general practice. Mr. P. H. Morton’s case may be exactly parallel, but how can we possibly be guided by that, when we know very little of the facts and argu­ ments and absolutely nothing of the point upon which the decision turned. 'Whether it was upon the word occasional or not we are unable to say, and could not therefore be expected to relinquish the services of a goo l man on such insufficient grounds. Let me, however, state that if the' question be takc.i up, whether as a test case or otherwise, and a formal decision given by the M.C.C., we shall not fail in our duty when the right time comes, but abide loyally by it.—Yours faith­ fully, 79, Bristol Eoad, W. A n s e l i ,, Edgbaston. (Hon. Sec., W.C.C.C.)