Cricket 1887

426 C R IC K E T : A W E E K L Y RECORD OB TH E GAME . SEPT. 22,1887. elevens. Add to this that large schools and colleges and important clubs have one or two professional players ; and it will be seen that there is plenty of room for a goodly number of professional cricketers, who in fact form a tolerably large and (judging by the interest taken in their doings) a not unimportant class of men. Professional cricket, however, is a hazardous trade, and but a very small number who follow it get the prizes. The beginning of a professional generally is as a “ colt,” who eventually becomes a ground bowler on some private or public cricket-ground. The colts early in the season can offer themselves for trial when accredited to tho county club by the captain of some local country club; or else youngsters who have acquired fame on some open green or common, and see an advertisement asking colts to offer themselves for approval, come up on the chance. The captain and a few good judges have them up and put them through their paces ; and sometimes make up sides and sort them out, and set them to work in batting, bowling, and fielding. Some aspirants come up with a good deal of “ side ” and pretence, but, though heroes on their own village green, prove them­ selves valueless. Others who have no style or form give evidence of having the making of a cricketer in them. After the first batch have all been tried, some are advised to try again next year, others are told to come again next day. All receive some small pay for expenses, and have something substantial to eat and drink; and possibly one or two are taken on trial and placed on the books as ground bowlers, and are played occasionally in club matches of minor importance. There is no royal road to success as young professionals. Civility, attention, and anxiety to improve are the best roads to future fame; but, unless they have cricket in them, their end will be “ pegging away” at a wicket day after day as a practice bowler, and their posi­ tion will never bo better than that of a Buper at a theatre. If they are good their talent is sure to come out in a large club where members are practising every afternoon. Still, a young beginner who means business has a fair chance of going up pretty quickly, if he has patience and ability. The instances are innumerable of the sudden bound from aground bowler to eminence. Jupp was a ground bowler at the Oval, and fielded as a substitute for Hayvrard, the celebrated Cambridge­ shire cricketer who was hurt in a match, Cambridgeshire v. Surrey, in 1802; and astonished the spectators by his brilliant fielding, and especially by an impossible running catch which is still historical. He was put into a North v. South match the next day just at the close of the season; and was imported into the Surrey eleven of 1833, and had an unbroken career until his retirement. Lohmann, the most celebrated bowler of the day, who was long kaown only as a hard-working ground professional, broke out into full bloom when he had his first chance. Pougher, of Lsicester, who had never been heard of in London, bowled for Leicester in 1886 and floored the Surrey eleven for a ridiculously small number of runs; made a good show in the return at the Oval; was put into an eleven afterwards against the Australians; and was sent for to Lord’s this last season, and is now one of the main stock bowlers in the Marylebone matches. Shacklock, again, was aground bowler at the Oval, and got jleave to go away to help his county, Derbyshire; made a great mark against Yorkshire, taking thirteen wickets, amongst his many performances ; and was adopted by Nottiugham, and is now one of that cele­ brated eleven. When a youngster has made his mark before an enormous crowd, he has won his spurs. The grades of professionals are many. For a young man, no matter how good, who has no trade to fall back on, there is no better introduction than being on the staff of the Marylebone Club, as he has the advantage ol playing in the club-and- ground matches before an audience of the best gentlemen cricketers in England,and, if good enough, may eventually get into tho Players’ eleven against the Gentlemen. He will, however, not get there among the front ranks unless he has proved his metal for his county. Steady, respectable cricketers establish for themselves a good position. Some of them keep cricket warehouses of their own, or are connected with cricket out­ fitters, bat-makers, &c,; and every con­ siderate gentleman cricketer who wants a bat or bag or pads gets them through a professional, on his club ground, as he is sure to get what he wants good; while the player, of course, has his commission from the warehouse, Southerton, the late celebrated bowler, was off to his barber’s shop at Mitcham the moment a grand match was over for the day ; and you might see him bowling all day in Gentlemen and Players before a crowd of many thousands of spectators, and at eight o’clock in the evening hard at work in his shop. Tom Hearne, the veteran, who played for Middlesex for many years under the Walker brothers, and who was a tailor, always had his measure with him and did a rare good trade in cricket trousers. In fact, a man who is steady and industrious and obliging has a large field open before him for making friends, and will be treated with the greatest respect and courtesy by men of all ranks. The danger to professional players is that of becoming in the worst sense “ public men.” There are plenty of foolish idlers about every ground who court their society and are for ever thrusting them­ selves on the players for the sake of saying, “ I saw Tom That or Dick This yesterday, and he said,” etc. These men are the ruin of many a weak young fellow who is not above flattery. The right thing for a cricketer to do is to keep good company, and to avoid having even the semblance of a “ sporting man.” If he is about with betting-men, and always play­ ing cards on wet cricket days, and “ loa fin j” at drinking-bars, there will be rumours about him which many people will believe. No man’s good character is more valuable to him than that of a good cricketer. It is as important that he should be honest, sober, and free from the suspicion of “ roping,” as that he should be able to “ smite ” hard, stop everything that comes, and make his balls break on either side of the wicket when he pleases. A first-rate professional whose book is full for the season can earn from ten to twelve pounds a week, out of which he pays his travelling and inn expenses. Many of them seek regular employment when the season is over ; and, if popular, on retiring from public cricket have a benefit which oftons brings in a very good nest-egg of some few hundreds to start on a new life. Then, of course, there are the indirect advantages of an enormous “ con­ nection” to a man who keep3 a shop or has a trade. Altogether, those who are in the front-line of Players do not make at all a bad thing out of their “ profession.” It need hardly be added that the difference between the gains of the few who are very successful and the many who are only moderately so is just as great in cricket as in other vocations.— St. James' Gazette. XII. PLAYaES OP MIDDLE SB X, ESSEX SURREY, &c., v. XX. GENTLEMEN OF BARKING AND DISTRICT. Played at Barking on September 12. For the Gentlemen Shread bowled i overs, 2 maidens, 7 runs, 5 wickets, and he accom­ plished the “ hat trick ” with the last three balls. Pickett, the Essex professional, bowled well for the Twelve, taking thirteen wickets for 32 runs. P r o f e s s io n a l s . Nuttall (Kent), b Barton (Middx.), ran out .......................23 Low les (Surrey), b P a tm ore...............12 Ruston (Middx.), c Taylor, b Patm ore 11 West (Middx.), c Mor­ ton, b Patm ore ... 6 Devey (Middx.), not out ...................... 15 Pickett( Essex),c Tay­ lor, b Patm ore ... 8 C. Harris (Middx.), b P a tm ore................ 7 G e n t l e m e n . A. Patmore,bPickett H. Shread, b Pickett A. S. M orton, not Shread C. Roberts (Hants),b Shread ................... P. Dunkley (Middx.), cBurrows.bShread J. Bray (Kssex), b Shread ................... Featherstone(Essex), c Tucker, b Shread B 1 , lb 1 ........... Total W . Hook, b ^Roberts 21 H. Axford, b Pickett 19 E. Perry, b Devey ... 44 H. Sherras, b W est... 3 C. Tillsou, c and b Devey .................. 2 F. Smith, c Pickett.b Devey .................. 0 J. Adam son,bPickett 7 JT. Taylor, b Pickett *0 A. Sayer, b P ick ett... 0 W. Scott, b Pickett... 4 A. Bridges, b Pickett 0 A. Clamp, b Pickett 0 out G. Burrows, b Harris G. Camper,b Pickett J. Tucker, b Pickett VV. Barnett, lb w , b Pickett ... *........... A. Slierras, b Pickett 91 B 9 , l b l, w l ...1 1 Total ...126 B i c k l e y P a r k C i.u b . —In the statistics of the above club which appeared in C r i c k e t last week, the following was omitted among the innings of a hundred made for the club— Mr. J. N. Tonge, v. Chatham House Wan­ derers, Aug. 1, 125. This was the fourth hun­ dred Mr. Tonge made for the Club. N o r t h o f t h e T h a m es C h a lle n o e C u p .— The final tie in this competition took place on Monday and Tuesday at Tufnell Park. The Bees and the Dartmouth Park Clubs furnished the contending elevens, and the former won by 78 runs. F. A. Bishop, the Essex amateur, had much to do with the Bees’ success. He was credited with thirteen wickets of the Dartmouth Park for 67 runs. In their first innings he got three batsmen with successive balls. . T h e S o r r r y E le v e n is a l l M a tc h e s .—Mr. M. P. Bow den’s figures were unfortunately om itted from this list w hich appeared in last w eek’s paper. His sum m ary w as— Inns. Not out. Runs. Most inInns. Aver. 17 0 183 41 10.13 N E X T IS SU E , OCTOBER 27.