Cricket 1887

D CR IC K E T : A W E E K L Y RECORD OP TH E GAME . 471 if only for the information of the curious, to have full details of this achievement properly substantiated. I n an interesting lecture on cricket, given recently at the Upper Chelsea Institute, the head-quarters of the Sloane Park Cricket Club, in which he takes an active interest, Mr. C. R. Seymour, the well-known Hampshire cricketer, to illus­ trate the universality of the game* read an extract from a letter written by a young midshipman, a cousin of his, at present quartered in the Friendly Islands, on board the “ Opal,” at one of the group called Tonga. The letter ran Yesterday we played tlie natives at cricket; the game was introduced some time ago, and the natives fell into such a passion for it, that they did nothing else but play crioket. They played all day and every day to the neglect of all their business in life, so that the Tongan government had to pass a law only allowing them to play two days a week. They play wonderfully well, are extremely active, field beautifully, and never miss a catch with either hand; their howling is tremendously fast and straight. We never believed they would be so good, and got horribly beaten. Their clothing is scanty and they do not know what gloves and pads are like, and yet the wicket-keeper, who was a sight to see, stood close up to the wicket. M r . H ayman , who brought the team of Aboriginal cricketers from Australia to England twenty years ago, demonstrated thoroughly how quickly the raw material could, by careful working and systematic tuition, be brought into shape, and it would seem as if there were plenty of good stuff in these Tongan natives capable of being moulded into cricket form. In any case it is clear that theremight be worse pitches and certainly less fertile fields for labour for an enthusiastic cricketer than this Tongan group. I commend the picture to my trusty friend and—I was going to say pitcher, but that is more suggestive of base-ball—ally “ The Old Buffer.” B oth the English teams appear to be having a high old time of it in the Colonies, and it is doubly gratifying to see that each in its own way is maintaining tlie'reputation of English cricket. The reception of Shrewsbury’s partywhen they disembarked at Sydney by the New South Wales Association was of the most enthu­ siastic character, and, in fact, the members of both combinations have reason to be pleased with the welcome they have had everywhere. At the formal reception of Shrewsbury and his men by the New South Wales Association on the evening of their arrival, the chair was taken by Dr. Wilkinson, who'I take to be none other than the excellent j|all-round cricketer, W. C. Wilkinson, who was prominently identified some years ago with University College Hospital, and did good service also on a few occasions for Middlesex. From some private letters written by Mr. C. A. Smith, |I am able to state that the captain of Shrewsbury’s team appreciates thoroughly the kind treatment he has met with everywhere on the occasion of his first visit to the Colonies. T he Sydney Referee gives particulars of a very singular occurrence recorded in connection with Sydney cricket during the month of October last. In a match on the Domain in that city, H. Donnin, who played if I remember rightly fo~ Eighteen Juniors of Sydney against Shaw and Shrewsbury’s English team last winter, obtained 118 not out for the second eleven of the Warwick against the second eleven of the Belvedere Club. This score was made on a Wednesday afternoon, and on the following Saturday at Parramatta he repeated the perfor­ mance, making 118 not out again, against the Coates team. “ It is a most singular coincidence,” the cricket writer of the Referee adds, “ for one batsman to make two scores of three figures exactly similar and not out in each innings in the one week and I never heard of such a thing happening before.” “ I say ditto to Mr. Burke, I say ditto to Mr. Burke.” Cbicket readers will have been pleased to notice among the names of those selected for the distinction of Companion­ ship of the Distinguished Service Order, two whose owners have acquitted them­ selves with great credit on the battlefield of Cricket. The list of Companions published in the Standard of November 26 includes Lieutenants Henry Ernest Stanton of the Royal Artillery, and Edward George Wynyard of the King’s (Liverpool) Regiment. Unless I am mistaken the former is the old Marlburian who played in 1878 against Rugby. I need hardly say that Lieut. Wynyard is the old Carthusian who showed such fine cricket for Hampshire against Surrey at the Oval last May. The latter, whose portrait by the way was given in Cricket of June 16, I learn on good authority has either already returned or is now on his way back to India. D eath has been unusually busy with the fraternity of cricketers during this winter. The captain of Mr. Vernon’s team is at the Tresent time on his way home in the “ Ormuz,” called back by the news of the sudden death of his father, Lord Hawke, on the fifth of this month. Two good old Surrey cricketers have, too, recently passed away in the persons of John Constable of Croydon and Fred Harwood of the Mitcham Club, which, by the way, has also lost another great supporter in Mr. Lawrence, the oldest member of the club. Not long ago Mr. George Wells, one of the most active members of the Committee of the Surrey County Club, joined the majority, and since I wrote last, Surrey CfiiCKET-readers will regret to hear, another vacancy on the executive has been caused by the death of Mr. Hubert Scott. Mr. Scott, who was in his day a good all-round cricketer, will be greatly missed, as lie had been a liberal supporter of Surrey cricket and cricketers for many years. The death of Mr. Algernon Haskett Smith, who played for Eton and sub­ sequently (in 1879) for Oxford against Cambridge at Lord’s, has also to be recorded during the last few weeks. The following announcement, taken from the Standard of Dec. 14, cannot fail to be of interest to CRicKET-readers generally. On the 12th Dec., at St. Matthias, Rich- mond, Surrey, by the Rev. Llewellyn W. Bevan, brother of the bride, assisted by the Eev. Canon Proctor, Joseph Hugh, eldest son of J. B. Brain, of Stoke Bishop, near Bristol, to Eva Emily Mary, youngest daughter of the late Thomas Bevan. of Ystalyfera, Swansea, and of Mrs. Bevan, Cardigan Road, Richmond, grand-daughter of the late James Poole, Esq., J.P., of Wick House, Bristol, M r . B rain , who, it is satisfactory to know on the authority of one who assisted at the ceremony, bore himself with com­ mendable fortitude ,and becoming resigna­ tion on the occasion, had the support of r o less than three members of the Oxford eleven whom he led to victory at Lord’s this year. Mr. G. W. Ricketts was best man, and Messrs. K. J. Key and E. H. Bucklandwere also present, in the capacity of friends of the Court—I might have said the Caught. Mr. and Mrs. Brain, who carry with them the best wishes of cricketers, intend to take up their home, I understand, at Ely near Cardiff. And what is perhaps better news to those who take an interest in the Gloucester­ shire Club, the Oxford Captain of 1887 has every intention of still identifying himself with county cricket. I t is satisfactory to hear that it has at last been definitely decided to make the Hastings week a regular feature of the cricket programme, At a meeting held in the Town Hall on the 14th inst., under the presidency of the Mayor, a reso­ lution proposed by Mr. Wilson Noble, Member for the Borough, and seconded by the Mayor, “ That in view of the success of the recent cricket week, it is desirable in the opinion of this meeting to make it an annual fixture,” was carried unani­ mously. A committee consisting of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Messrs. J. Howell, jun., Stanton, Pigg, Lydgate, Humphreys, Carless, J. Phillips, and Councillor Weston was subsequently formed to carry out all the arrangements for the ensuing year, so that it will be seen the management is in experienced and competent hands. As was only to be expected, no definite was done in the matter of th vexed question of leg-before-wicket at th meeting of the newly formed County Council held at Lord’s in the early part of this month. The discussion of the subject was, however, certainly materially ad­ vanced by the expressions of opinion from experts of the past as well as the present. There are,however, obviously many impor­ tant points to be weighed before anything like a satisfactory settlement can be arrived at, and there is no reason to doubt that the matter will be considered in all its bearings by the various County Clubs before the meeting convened for February next to consider the several proposals to amend the laws. N E X T ISSUE , JANUARY 26.