Cricket 1887

APRIL 21,188?. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OE THE GAME. 69 The objection to curtailing the quantity is, I know, twofold. The ostensible reason being that you must show people good cricket and plenty of it, that your players must play together, and that your batsmen must keep in practice. This is not the real reason—if it were, it would be easy to say on the other side that possibly people may see a little too much cricket, and that practice matches might be played such as those of the M.C.C., where members play for a holiday, or for practice, but certainly not with any great notion of trying to win. Or you can have the free and easy champagne and lobster salad two-day matches, for those whose purses can afford, and whose tempers and stomachs can stand them. And lastly, with regard to playing together, it is doubtful whether this has so much importance as is sometimes attached to it (see the Australian Eleven in ’86), and what­ ever good there is in it, it could easily be picked up in a fortnight’s trial cricket. The second and real reason is that it does not pay to play only a few matches; I am here speaking more particularly of the leading counties, although all are affected more or less. Unless ten or twelve out and home matches are played, and good gates and plenty of them obtained, it does not pay the best professionals to play, nor can the very heavy expenses of the ground, ground men, &c., be met. I will confess that this is a real diffi­ culty, a practical one. None the less, I believe there are ways of meeting it, although it is not within the scope of this article to attempt to de­ termine the manner of doing it. At any rate the game would flourish very much more soundly without the money question dogging its every footstep. The cost of one three-days’ match alone is from fifty to sixty pounds for players’ expenses only. This is a very heavy charge, and is the only possible excuse for the craving shown for large “ gates.” The Committee of the Marylebone Club encourage the pursuit of the noble game in a very praiseworthy spirit, but I sometimes think they would promote its true interests more, were they to subsidise or make grants in some way towards the fostering of bona fide county cricket, instead of playing so many matches as they do—not of course to help counties to buy foreign talent, but to encourage them to unearth bowlers from their own dis­ trict, some such help as the Government gives to the Volunteer force. There is a further burning question in connection with the subject, namely the question as to the grounds on which one county refuses to play another, as if Renshaw should refuse to play me for the Lawn Tennis Championship, or Beach refuse to row me, or a pedestrian to run against me, supposing me in each case to have something like a fair chance of winning. There is something not uite right in this, but this is not the time to iscuss it. In conclusion, let me acknowledge that with all its faults, there is nothing, even now, to compare with this, the highest branch of the best of all games. Thank goodness there is no money stake played for as in years back, and practically no betting, no cup or gaudy orna­ ment to be put on a sideboard, or worn on a watch-chain, simply a plain unfait accompli , “ won by so many wickets.” And is it not extraordinary how keen the professionals are about the game, even at the end of a long summer like this of ’86 (truly the love of the game is inborn in Britons, and cannot be bought at a price.) I was on the top of the Pavilion at Lord’s when the Australians were playing an Eleven of England, on the 13th of September. I looked over the rail at my left on to the Players’ dressing room. One of the professionals, who had certainly been playing every day during the summer, was watching intently the progress of the game; on my right was an amateur, who had presumably come to Lord’s to see the cricket, sound asleep. Men are justly proud of playing for their county. At a rustic cricket match, you will see a young fellow nudge his neighbour, and say, pointing to some veteran, “ he used to play for his county.” Nothing more is said, but the old boy has a spice of romance about him after that in the yokels’ eyes. Let the rising generation of cricketers aspire to gain a permanent place in their county team, with all the struggles and hard work attending such an endeavour; it seems to me the best aspira­ tion for them, and the better the county the more honour to obtain a place. To follow anything up to its highest development is a just and proper ambition. Cricket is only a game, but that means a great deal in an Englishman’s constitution, and if it be played as it should be, with every nerve strained and every faculty employed, it will be found to be no unfitting preparation for the struggle of life. ENG L ISH T E AM S FOR C E N ­ T E N N IA L Y EAR . T h e following letter appeared in the Australasian newspaper of Melbourne— S i r , —Many prominent cricketers in the colony of New South Wales read with as­ tonishment from time to time the reports in the Melbourne papers respecting the controversy re proposed visit of the two English teams during the centennial year. It would appear from these reports that the Melbourne Cricket Olub was treating with the New South Wales Cricketing As­ sociation, endeavouring to make arrange­ ments to bring out one team of English­ men only, and that our Association have not met them in the friendly spirit such a proposal deserves. I desire to point out, for the information of the cricketing public of Victoria, that the New South Wales Cricketing Association have no­ thing whatever to do with the profes­ sional team of Englishmen or any other team, and no negotiations have taken place with that Association and the Melbourne Club, except to request its patronage. The Melbourne Club have been in communication, I believe, with the trustees of a public recreation ground in Sydney, known as the Association Cricket Ground. These trustees, it is commonly reported, have entered upon some venture with Messrs. Shaw, Lilly- white, and Co. The New South Wales Cricket Association have no control at the present time over that ground, and 20 per cent, of the takings is demanded from the Association by the trustees in the intercolonial matches played in Sydney. These matches are the only source of revenue for the New South Wales Association. From all the Eng­ lish matches played in Sydney the Association receive no benefit, the trustees taking it by charging the percentage for ground. I trust, in fairness to our cricket association, the action of the trustees of the Association Cricket Ground will not be confounded with those of the New South Wales Association. Any Victorian who has any knowledge of cricket in Sydney knows the dissatisfaction existing with the management of that cricket ground, and if the New South Wales Association had any voice in who should manage it, the present management would cease to exist in a very short time. There have been disputes relative to the owner­ ship and management of this ground, between the association and trustees, but as they are legal in their nature your readers could not be interested. A final settlement must be arrived at before the visit of any team in the centennial year, or the financial result will be disastrous to those most interested. The Melbourne C.C. have, I venture to state, nothing to fear with the Sydney public if a good team be brought out, and no difficulty need be anticipated with the trustees of our public recreation ground whilst the New South Wales Cricket Association is in existence. This association, fortunately, controls and directs cricket in Sydney still, and unless equal concessions be ex­ tended to rival teams an appeal to that body might remind the trustees that it is possible for trustees to exceed the powers and trusts legally delegated to them.—I am, &c. B o u n d A r m . Sydney, Feb 3. WARWICKSHIRE COUNTY CLUB. F ixt u r e s for 1887. April 11,12—County Ground, v. Eighteen Colts A pril 33—County Ground, v. M itchells May 2—County Ground, v. Kenilworth May 7—Gentlemen v. Players May 9—County Ground, Queen’s College May 11—Oratory Ground, v. Oratory May 14—County Ground, v. Nuneaton May 19, 20, 21—Oval, v. Surrey M ay 21—County Ground, v. Handsworth Wood May 23—County Ground, v. Small Heatli Langley May 25—Rugby, v. Rugby May 27, 28—Huddersfield, v. Yorkshire May 28—County Ground, v. King Edw ard’s School M ay 30, 31, June 1—County Ground, v. Leicester­ shire June 2, 3, 4—County Ground, v. Surrey June 6—Small Heath, v. Small Heath Langley June 8—County Ground, v. Stoke Green June 11—Coimty Ground, v. Oratory June 13—The Cape, v. Mitchells June 15—W arwick, v. W arwick School June 17,18—N ortham pton, v. Northamptonshire June 18 —County Ground, v. Calthorpe June 21—Aston, v. Aston Unity June 21—County Ground, v. Edgbaston June 22—Leam ington, v. Leam ington College June 25—County Ground, v. King’s Heath June 27,28—Stoke, v. Staffordshire June 30—County Ground, v. Oscott College July 2—County Ground, v. Yardley July 4,5-L iverp ool, v. Liverpool C and G. July 6 -C ou n ty Ground, v. W arwick School July 7—County Ground, v. Five W ays Grammar School July 9—County Ground, v. Smethwick July 11,12—County Ground, v. Yorkshire July 16—County Ground, v. Sutton Coldfield Jaly 18—County Ground, v. Aston U nity July 20—Chadwick, v. Chadwick Manor July 23—Senior Semi-Final Cup Tie July 25—County Ground, v. Tamworth July 27—County Ground, v. W arwick Old C.C. July 28, 29, 30—-County Ground, v. Somersetshire Aug. 1, 2—County Ground, v. Northam ptonshire Aug. 3, 4—County Ground, v. Old Reptonians Aug. 4—Kenilworth, v. Kenilworth Aug. 6, 8—County Ground, v. Birm ingham and District Cricket Association Aug. 10—County Ground, v. Rugby Aug. 11,12, 13—County Ground, v. N ottingham ­ shire Aug. 15,16,17—Leicester, v. Leicestershire Aug. 17,18—County Ground, Gents of W arwick­ shire v. Gents of Canada Aug. 20, 22—Senior Final Cup Tie Aug. 24—Stratford, v. Stratford-on-Avon Aug. 25,26, 27—Taunton, v. Somersetshire Aug. 27,29—Junior Final Cup Tie Aug. 31—County Ground, v. Crosswells Sept. 3 -Sm ethw ick, v. Smethwick Sept. 7—Browne’s Green, v. Handsworth W ood Sept. 10,12—County Ground, v. 16 of Junior Asso­ ciation Clubs Sept. 17—Ground Bow lers’ Benefit M atch