Cricket 1887

232 OBIOKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. JUNE 80, 1887. GRAND CRICKET MATCH k e n n i n g t o n o v a l , T his D ay , F riday and S aturday , Surrey v. Middlesex, A d m issio n to G r o u n d - - SIXPENCE J u l y 14, 15 and 16, G e n t l e m e n y. P l a y e k s . N EW B OOK ON C E I C K E T . At all Libraries and Bookstalls, Crown 8vo. 2/-• r P H E G A M E OF C R I C K E T . * By FREDERICK GALE (“ T h e O l d B u f f e r ” ) With a Portrait of the Author. C o n te n ts . I.—About an old Cricket ball. II.—A pipe in Fuller Pilch’s back parlour. III.—The cradle of Cricket. IV.—An old Cricketer’s tale. V.—Our connty cricket match. VI.—Scraps from old Supper-tables. VII.—Cricket Homilies. VIII.—Twenty golden rulesfor youngCricketers. IX.—The rights of wrongs of Cricket. The Sporting Life says—“ There is not a dull page in the entire book, and those who read a chapter or two will, we are sure, not rest satisfied until they have devoured the entire contents.” SWAN, SONNENSCHEIN, LOWREY & Co., Paternoster Square. COUNTY CRICKET. Sir,—The Morning Post gives the follow­ ing summary of the recent match, Notts v. Yorkshire, at (Trent Bridge •“ During the three days only 702 runs were made for the loss of 26 wickets, an instance of slow scoring which would scarcely be seen on any other ground m England than the Trent Bridge.” This is painfully true. Last Friday the Notts eleven were blocking and propping the whole of the day upon a good hard wicket for a total of 200 runs, or an average of under 30 runs per hour. Scores of balls were pitched up but the batsmen, instead of cracking them to the boundary, blocked or shoved them back to the bowlers or fielders, or put their legs in front to save the wicket. The spectators were tired and sick of it, and there is no wonder that the “ gate ” decreases at county matches even in this brilliant weather. Everybody is getting so disgusted that if this exhibition is repeated much longer nobody will go and see a county match. The local papers state that the wicket was difficult and the batsmen played with “ extreme caution.” It is rather remarkable that when tne Notts side are batting the wicket is generally re­ ported as being difficult or “ crumbling,” but directly their opponents get in, the wicket is represented as being good and easy. The Notts Eleven have been notorious for some time for always playing for a “ draw.” They are by this time so thoroughly accomplished in the praetice, that the Morning Post now gives them the prize for being the slowest scorers in England, even upon such a good hard wicket as Trent Bridge. This is a nice state of perfection for the champion county to have acquired. An eminent cricketer re­ marked at Lord’s the other day that times were sadly changed since we used to see the batting of Mr. R. Daft, George Parr, Oscroft, and others, and at the same time deplored that our professionals are setting such a wretched example, and that school boys are already beginning to copy them. At the re­ cent match between Middlesex and Notts at Lord’s, when the latter had nothing to fear, they began from the first, as usual, to bat as if playing for a draw, or (as the Notts local papers would mildly put it) to bat with 44ex­ treme caution.” Many sharp remarks were made upon Mr. Shuter’s action in the recent Surrey match. There can be no doubt he was strictly within his rights,.and though a Notts man myself, I think our county have brought it in a great measure upon them­ selves, by having practised so many times successfully the beautiful art of 4 playing for a draw.” The only objection to a side getting out purposely, as Surrey did, is that a mis­ leading record is made of both bowlers’ and batsmen’s averages, which would be avoided by the rule being altered so that a captain could resign the innings of his side, and put his opponents in when his judgment directed him so to do. In conclusion, I hope that the Champion county may not be seen again for a whole long day upon a smooth, hard wicket, getting 200 runs, as was the case last Friday, whilst in the same weather the Surrey Eleven, the Universities, and the Veterans at Lord’s, were all playing very different sort of cricket. —I am, sir, &c., C ricket . I think a very large majority of cricketers will quite agree with the suggestion, which, I may add, appeared in these notes just after the match in question, that a captain should have the right to terminate his innings when he feels so disposed. In view of his benefit match at Sheffield on Monday, which everyone hopes will be a bumper, the following particulars of Ulyett’s records in first-class cricket, kindly sent by a Sheffield correspondent, will be of interest:— C R IC K E T SH IR TS . The “ CLUB” Shirt, specially prepared coarse WHITE CANVAS with collar and pocket .................................................4/6 Flannel Shirts, twice shrunk, with collar and pocket ..................... 5/6 do. best Saxony Flannel............10/6 A^orsted Twill Shirts, with or without Silk Collars .............................. 12/6 Carriage Paid toanypart of the United Kiyigdom. N o t ic e . —Gentlemen are cautioned againstbuying so called Unshrinkable Flannels, but as in all cases our materials are shrunk twice in water before being made up, they will be found in after wear to shrink very little if at all. STRUTHERS & Co., M a n u f a c tu r e r s , 83, Finsbury Pavement, London- CRICKET, LAWN TENNIS, &c. James Lillywhite, Frowd&Co., t h e old e st a b l ish e d MANUFACTURERS & OUTFITTERS, L o n d o n : 2, 4, & 6, NEWINGTON CAUSEWAY, S.E, Manufactory. - 69 to 74, BOROUGH ROAD, S.E West End Branch —24, HAYMARKET, S.W. Speciality for Best-Class Goods. M o d e r a te P r ic e s a n d L ib e r a l D isc o u n ts . Special Terms to Large Buyers. S e v e r a l N o v e l t ie s f o r t h e C o m in g S e ason . Illustrated Price Lists post free. J. L. F. & Co. are publishers of James Lilly- white’s Cricketers’ Annual, and sole Patentees and Manufacturers of Frowd’s celebrated“ Special Driver ” Cricket Bat,nowused by all the “ cracks ” and universally dubbed the “ King of Bats.” W . J . P I L E (L ate GANN & CO.), Athletic Outfitter and Club Tailor, To the Assyrian, the London Athletic, the Black­ heath Harriers, and other Clubs. Also by Appointment to the F o o tb all A ssocia ­ t io n , and many other Leading Football Clubs. S e c r e t a r ie s K in d l y W r it e fo r L is t . 1 7 1 , F e n c h u r c h S t r e e t Clubs supplied with every requisite. QUALITY GOOD. PRICES LOW. S h r u n k F l a n n e l T r o u se r s ... 10/6,12/6, 14/6. h r u n k F la n n e l S h ir t s ............ 7/6 and 9/6. OUR OWN MAKE. RUBBER-FACED (ROUGH) (PATENT) WI CKET GLOVES. 44I think very highly of your new design for Wicket Gloves.”—The Hon. A. L y t t e l t o n . “Empire’’(patent)fi/ir/A/G gloves As S p e c ia l l y M a d e f o r t h e A u str a l ia n T e a m . c om b in a t io n non j a r r in g b a t s . A lso o t h e r SPECIALITIES AND ALL REQUISITES FOR CRICKET, TENN IS , FOOTBALL, Etc., Manufactured by the Old-Established (1815) Firm, E. J. P A G E & Co., KENNINGTON, LONDON. Wholesale. Export and Retail. Cricket: A WEEKLY BEOOBD OF THE GAME 41, 8T. ANDREW’S HILL, LONDON, E.O. THURSDAY, JUNE 30 th , 1887. The abstract and brief chronicle of the time.— Hamlet A c o r r e s p o n d e n t has sent me the following noteworthy performance by Mr. J. S. Haycraft, for the Stoics Club:— Against Bedford Grammar School, on June 11, J. S. Haycraft went in first and carried out his bat for 88 out of a total of 202. On the following Thursday, playing for the same club v. Ardingly College, he again carried his bat through the innings for 157 out of a total of 361. Again, on the following Monday for the same cluo, he went in first and carried out his bat for 74, thus going through the innings three times in less than ten days. A p r o m in e n t member of the Notts County Club, and a liberal supporter of the game, has sent me a copy of the following letter written by him and pub­ lished recently in the Nottingham Guardian, with a request that I will find space for his remarks in C rick et. As most cricketers will be thoroughly in accord with his opinions I have much pleasure in reproducing them :