Cricket 1887

90 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME. APBIL 26,1887. remarkable feature of the Australian sea­ son just over; J. Perris, whose bowling contributed largely to the exceptional re­ cord of New South Wales ; H. Moses, E. Allen, G. Giffen, G. E. Palmer, J. M. Blackham, II. F. Boyle, and S. P. Jones. All these are said to be pretty certain, while T. W. Garrett and P. E. Spofforth, I learn, will probably go. A. Bannerman will also accompany the party if selected, while in reserve there are Lyons, W. Giffen, and Godfrey, all hailing from South Australia, T h e new men from Sydney have all earned high reputations this winter. Turner’s performances have been duly recorded in C r ic k e t , and on public form he should be the best bowler of the day in Australia. He is in addition a good hitter. Perris’ bowling, too, has been very successful. Allen also has played really good cricket, while Moses, who, by-the-way, has a younger brother in the Dulwich College XL , isareally good bat. He was remarkably successful against the English team now on their way home from Australia, and in fact he had the best record against them in representative fixtures, having an average of 32 for five matches. The first match of the season at Lord’s will take place on Thursday and Friday next, when the M C.C. and Ground wiil play 18 Colts of Middlesex, with Mr. I. D. Walker as captain. Eobert Thoms, who has sent me a list of the Eighteen, states that though he does not expect to unearth “ phenomenons” every year, yet he hopes and thinks that some of the Colts will again show good form, as on former occasions, when opposed to the trying ordeal of facing the celebrities of the M.C.C. and Ground. The Eighteen will be as under:—G. Bradley, H. Bryant, C. E. Bodden, C. Birch, W. Faraday, A. L. Kemp, C. D. Lucas, E. S. Lucas, G. Makeham, C. T. Vieusseux, C. C. Welch, A. Welch. Ashfold, Birch, Carver, Dixon, Halford, Hutchings, with Mr. I. D. Walker or Mr. P. M. Thornton as captain* T h e arrangements for the Hastings week have just lately been definitely settled, and I am now able to give the actual programme as completed by the Committee last Monday. The three fixtures will be as under:—- Sept. 8, 9, 10—North v. South. ,, 12, 13—Gentlemen of Surrey v. Gentle­ men of Sussex. „ 14,15—Gentlemen of Sussex v. Playeri of Sussex. The two later matches have been officially taken up by the Committees of the Surrey and Sussex Clubs respectively, and there is every reason for believing that the cricket to be provided for the amusement of the public at Hastings will be of a really good character. Emmett, I under­ stand, has the selection of the Northern elsven in his hands. T h e test practice of Surrey Colts, which now takes place annually under the direction and personal supervision of Mr. Frederick Burbidge, was begun at the Oval yesterday. So far as the first day was concerned, the talent was not of a very high order, but as it is to be con­ tinued to-day it is quite likely that the quality of the cricket may show an im­ provement. The Surrey ground will be opened, according to annual custom, on Monday next, and the cricket proper will commence on the following day with the trial match, in which most of the ground bowlers, as well as the best of the Colts, will be engaged. The new additions to the ground staff at the Oval consist of Harris, Lockwood, Sharpe, and Hardstaff, of Notts, Hulme and Davidson, of Derby­ shire, Cribden, Smith, Cupitt, Henson, Wallwork, Huish, Thompson, and Lowles, a wicket-keeper. T h e members of Shaw and Shrewsbury’s team, who left Adelaide on March 26, in the P. &O. steamer “ Massilia,” Homeward bound, arrived safely at Suez on Sunday last. They were only due there yesterday, so that, as far as one can judge, they must be before their time. The big Orient steamer “ Ormuz,” which left Australia nine days later, seems, unless I am mis­ taken, to have caught the “ Massilia ” up, so that the team, according to appearances, could have stayed several days later >n the Colonies without any disadvantage. As the mails by the “ Massilia ” are due on Monday next, should any of the team come over-land, they should be with us well before the next number of C r ic k e t makes its appearance. In the ordinary course, coming on by sea, they should be here at the end of next or the commence­ ment of the following week. D e t a il s of the [extraordinary scoring which marked the match between Smokers and Non-Smokers, begun on the East Melbourne ground, on March 17, are now to hand. The rate of run- getting throughout was very much above the average, and when the match ulti­ mately came to an end, after four days, it was found that 1,294 runs had been made for the loss of 24 wickets, an extraordinarily high average of 44 for each batsman. S h r e w s b u r y and Bruce began by scoring 66 in the first three-quarters of an hour, and at the end of the first day 422 runs had been got. These were the result of four hours and a quarter’s play, so that the runs were got throughout at the rate of about a hundred an hour. The fastest scoring recorded, though, during the afternoon was while Gunn and Shrews­ bury were together, and at one time during their partnership as many as 122 runs were obtained in the hour, an altogether phenomenal rate of scoring in such a match, particularly with such bowlers as Palmer, Briggs, Boyle, Flowers, and Lohmann in opposition. Not the least remarkable feature, too, of some extraordinary run-getting was that though 422 runs were placed on the score sheets on the first day there was not one extra, unmistakable proof of the excellence of the wicket-keeping. The total of 803, made by the Non- Smokers, it is hardly necessary for me to add, is the largest recorded in a match of importance. Until March last, the best record of the kind was the 775 mado by New South Wales against Victoria in 1882, so that the credit of the two most notable performances rests with Australian Cricket. Altogether the scoring I should fancy, is without a parallel, that is in a fixture of importance, and the scoring certainly justifies the confi­ dence expressed by the correspondent who has furnished the reports of the tour of the English Cricketers to the Sporting Life,in the excellent and lasting properties of the wickets on the East Melbourne Ground. I n a recent number of C r ic k e t , in noting the accession of Mr. F. E. Street to the Secretaryship of the Chiswick Club, I suggested incidentally that the pro­ gramme for 1887 had been arranged under his direction. I have reason to believe that I was wrong in this—indeed, I learn from a good authority that the match list of the Chiswick Club for this summer was completed by the late Secretary, Mr. F. B. Shadwell, before he gave up office. The card will this year be more interesting than usual, includ­ ing, as it does, the revival of an old and popular fixture—the match between Mid­ dlesex and Oxford University. Crirhel ut Cantbrrbgc. EMMANUEL COLLEGE v. OCCASIONALS. Played at Cambridge on April 25. E m m a n u e l C o l l e g e . G. F. Gerds, c Gray, b Warner .................. 4 J. H. Twam ley, b Jones.......................... 4 G. L . Hiley, o Jones, b W arner.................. 7 A. W . Thom pson, c Prendergast, b Ab­ ney .......................... 13 H. A. Crallan, c French, b Jones ... 56 A. Spicer, b Jones ... 10 H. Manley, l b w, b G rea v es................... 1 W . A. Lowsley, not out ...........................14 T. Edward, b Jones 1 R. H. M. Cooke, b Jones ................... 2 T. J. W illiam s, c Jones, b Warner ... 4 E xtras.................. 5 Total ...121 OCCASIONAL8. C. E.Hedges, c Gerds, b C rallan... ........... 7 E. B. French, c W il­ liam s, b Edward ... 1 C. B. Clapcott.bHiley 24 Warner,lbw,bEdward 5 E. W. T. Jones, run out ..........................23 G. Abney, c Gerds, b Total W illia m s.................. 0 P. G old did not bat. J. A. Prendergast, b Hiley ................... W . H. Greaves, b W illiam s................... H. A. Gray, not out A .F.W right, not out E xtras...................