Cricket 1887

APRIL 21, 1887. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME. 78 England, in 1876, will be glad to hear a good account of one of the best fellows of the twelve forming that party. I refer to the Tasmanian, G. H. Bailey. Not long after his return home he was un­ fortunate enough to break his arm, and was for a time incapacitated from cricket, During a recent visit to Western Australia awell-known Melbourne player met Bailey at Albany, and in the best of health. His broken arm, indeed, was thoroughly right, and did not incommode him in the least. He was reported to be in the best all­ round form, playing a not-out innings nearly every time he went in. He was taking at the time great interest, with the other cricketers of Albany, in the proposal to send a Western Australian team to plav in Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia in 1887-88. T h e same paper contains particulars of a good performance by another member of that same First Australian Team, Frank Allan, “ the bowler of a century.” In a recent match at his native place, Warmambool, he showed that he still re­ tained most of his old skill with the ball. On an excellent pitch he sent down 58 balls for 18 runs and eight wickets, not a bad record for an old ’un. I see, too, he is reported to have batted in good form , though my recollection of his style does not justify me in accepting this last state­ ment in the strictest sense. I a m glad to see that the Committee of the Incogniti Club have just repeated their gift of last year to that deserving institution, the Cricketers’ Fund,which will again benefit to the extent of ten guineas. It does not redound to the credit of the great body of cricketers that the Society, which has for its object the support of men who work hard for the game, should not receive more general assistance. The Cricketers’ Fund is a national institution, and I should much like to see a day set apart throu ghout the country to assist its funds. My good friend, T. Horan, the genial cricket critic of the Australasian , seems to be most hopeful of the future of Australian cricket. Every C r ic k e t reader, I am sure, will be only too gratified to find that the expectations contained in the following remarks have been fully realised. I have said on previous occasions, and I re­ peat it, that New South Wales has reason to be proud of Turner and Ferris. These two bowlers have appeared in the arena just at the right moment. They are both first-class, and long may they remain so. It may be said that they had wickets to suit them, but then they proved themselves far better on those wickets than the other bowlers who had a trial on those wickets. Spofforth and Evans are going down hill, as well, indeed, they might after their long years of splendid service, and it is eminently satisfactory to see two such really really excellent bowlers as Turner and Ferris alreadyin the van worthily filling the places of the veterans, and ably maintaining the prestige of Australian'cricket. The New South Welshmen have this season beatenVictoria twice, and the pick of England's professionals twice. These are wonderfully good results, and show beyond a doubt that New South Wales is now represented by a grand team—a team second to none that has ever been sent into the field by the mother colony. T h e annual general meeting of the Marylebone Club will be held in the Pavilion at Lord’s, on Wednesday, May 4, at 6 p.m. The annual dinner is to take place in the tavern on the same evening. The annual general meeting of the Surrey County Club is fixed for the following day, at 5.30 p.m. A special general meeting, for the consideration of several alterations in the rules, is fixed for three-quarters of an hour earlier, to take place, of course, as is the general meeting, in the Pavilion at the Oval. Mr. S t a n l e y C h r is t o p h e r s o n , the well- known Kent Amateur, eldest surviving son of Mr. Derman Christopherson, of Grove House, Kidbrooke, Lee, was married on Saturday last at St. Jude’s, South Kensington, to Miss Margaret Isabel Leslie, second daughter of Mr. George Leslie, of South Kensington. C r ic k e t readers will wish them all happiness. A n o t h e r keen cricketer and withal thoroughly good all-round sportsman has, too, just ceased to belong to the order of Bachelordom. Mr. Norman Coles Bailey, well known for many years in connection with the Streatham Cricket Club, was married yesterday at St. Barnabas, Addi­ son Road, Kensington, to Miss Sarah Alice Grierson, daughter, unless I am mistaken, of the Manager of the Great Western Railway. A number of prominent cricketers and footballers invited Mr. Bailey—who enjoys the rare distinction, only, I believe, equalled by the celebrated Queen’s Parker, Mr. C. Campbell, of playing in ten successive International football matches—to a friendly dinner last Friday, when occasion was taken to present a handsome bracelet, part of a testimonial subscribed by Mr. Bailey’s many friends, intended for the fair lady who now bears his name. Mr. and Mrs. Bailey enter on their married life with the heartiest good wishes of the many friends N.C. has made during a long and distinguished career as an athlete. M r . F. G. S p y b e y , the compiler of the Annual Register of Notts County Cricket, calls my attention to a peculiar fact con­ nected with the recent colts’ match on the Trent Bridge Ground. He points out what is certainly a strange feature in the long series of contests, that the game con­ cluded last week is the only one of the twenty-eightmatches in which two innings a side have been completed. More than that, it is the sole occasion, during the twenty-six years, on which the Colts have been victorious. M r . F ra n k D e r r y , of 74, New Street, Bowden, has been good enough to fend me the following communication on the subject of the Gentlemen v. Players matches:— This is the age of Statistics. I ha\re amused myself, and whiled away some hours of this winter’s evenings by ascertaining the averages of those who have figured most prominently in the Gentleman v. Players’ matches during the last 40 years, i.e., since the match was played annually. I am principally indebted to the Rev. J. Pycroft’s little work for my figures. The most striking features of the analysis are Dr. W. G. Grace’s wonderful performance of the last 21 years, and the almost marvellous quantity of “ Not outs ” for Mr. V. E. Walker. GENTLEMEN. Grace, W . G. ... Read, W. W . ... Yardley, W . Studd, C. T. ... Lubbock, A . ... Steel, A. G. Grace, G. F. ... Longm an, G. H. H ornby, A. N .... Ridley, A. W . ... M itchell, R. A. H. Lucas, A. P. ... W alker, I. D. ... Walker, R. D. ... Penn, F ................ Lyttelton, Hon. A. W alker, J. Lyttelton, C. G. Green,C. E. ... Cooper, B. B. ... M iller, F. Grace, E. M. ... Tylecote, E . F. S. Harris, Lord ... Benthall, W . H. W alker, V .E . ... Inns Tim es not out. Runs. Aver. 83 ... 5 ... 3529 .. . 45.19 11 ... 1 ... 394 .. . 39.4 15 ... 3 ... 435 ..,. 36.1 12 ... 3 ... 313 .. . 34.7 13 ... 2 ... 355 .. . 32.3 21 ... 4 ... 497 ..,. 29.4 39 ... 6 ... 927 ..„ 28.3 12 ... 0 ... 293 ., . 24.5 48 ... 1 ... 1101 .. . 23.20 22 ... 1 ... 491 .. . 23.8 11 ... 1 ... 235 .. . 23.5 33 ... 3 ... 684 .... ‘22.24 34 ... 5 .... 639 .,,. 22.1 18 ... 1 .... 362 . .. 21.5 14 ... 2 .... 253 ... 21.1 14 ... 0 .... 279 ... 19.13 18 ... 3 .... 260 .. 19.5 21 ... 0 .,.. 398 ... 18 20 11 ... 2 ... 163 . 18.1 11 . !. i ... 188 ..,. 18.8 23 ... 2 .... 377 .... 17.20 25 ... 1 .... 417 .... 17.9 27 ... 2 .... 432 .... 17.7 22 ... 1 ... 341 . .. 16.5 14 . .. 0 . ... 215 ... 15.5 46 ... 14 ... 482 ..,. 15.2 Hayward, T. ... Hearne, T. Ulyett, G. Barnes, W. Parr, G.................. Daft, R.................. Shrewsbury, A. M ortlock, W. ... Bates, W. Carpenter, R. ... Wisden, J. Lillywhite, Jno. Lockw ood, E. ... Jupp, H ................ Humphrey, T .... Stephenson, H. H. Flowers, W. Lockyer, T. Willsher, E. Caesar, J. Emm ett, T. Barlow, R. G. ... M cIntyre, M. ... Pooley, E. Oscroft, W. Grundy, J. PLAYERS. Times Inns, not out. ... 17 16 44 27 24 39 27 17 23 26 20 38 55 62 17 24 17 27 34 ■4 48 33 15 48 29 0 ... 3 ... 2 ... 4 ... 2 ... 2 ... 3 ... 1 ... 3 ... 3 ... 1 ... , 0 0 ... 2 ... 2 ... 3 ... 11 ... 1 ... 7 ... 1 ... 1 ... 3 ... 0 .. , 2 ... Runs. 552 .. 474 .. 140) .. 695 .. 618 .. 925 .. 663 .. 398 .. 522 .. 599 .. 390 .. 338 .. 1179 .. 1321 .. 331 .. 424 .. 285 .. 422 .. 497 .. 235 .. 691 .. 534 .. 226 .. 7( 8 .. 451 .. 410 .. Aver. . 36.12 . 33,12 . 31.41 . 28.23 . 282 . 26.15 . 26.13 . 26 8 . 26.2 . 23.24 . 22.16 . 22.8 . 21.45 . 21.19 . 19.8 . 19.6 . 19 . 17.14 . 17.8 . 18.1 . 16.35 . 16.22 . 16.2 . 15.23 . 15.16 . 15.5 I h a v e received the following from an old friend of mine, as indeed of most C r ic k e t readers, well known by his initials of “ F.G.” S ir , —I read, in your last, the Australian cricketers’ notions about the increase of the number of balls in the over. If Spofforth says he cannot bowl six balls, any man in England ought to be able to, as I suppose no bowler ever takes more out of every nerve and muscle in his body than “ The Demon ” does in his delivery. I should be afraid to say how many of the bowlers in England I have asked whether they could not bowl five as easily as four balls,” and almost without exception they have answered “ yes.” If the M .C.G would make a law, adding one ball to the present over, it would save five overs in every