Cricket 1888

JttttE 88, 188& ORIOEET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 238 compelled to resort to questionable measures in order to avoid a draw ; but the University captain was probably within his rights when he himself set his men the example of retiring, and instructed them to do the same, or end their innings as speedily as possible in any way they saw fit. It was this that roused the ire of Captain Sharp, and caused him to enter a protest against the game being counted. While he had no objection to the University men allowing themselves to be bowled, hitting their wickets down, interposing their legs to top straight balls, or purposely putting the phere in the air, he cfid object to the retiring act, beoause he thought that his men were entitled to the oredit of disposing of the side. Mr. W . G. Grace, who promises to be almost as prolific a contributor to cricket literature as he has been to the scoring of the period, has furnished an article for the July number of the Magazine o f Sport on the subject of “ Modern Batting.” The “ Grand Old Man’s ” opinions on a game in which he haa had no rival for a quarter of a century must always be interesting reading for cricketers, and his comparison of the play of to-day and the generation passing away is not the least instructive portion of his latest contribution to cricket teaching. It is satisfactory, too, to learn that Mr. Grace does not seem to have been sorely troubled with the subject of pad- batting, about whioh there was so much, and, tomy mind, not altogether reasonable, agitation during the winter. “ Scientific legging,” says Mr. Grace, “ has been vexing the oricket world the last year or two; it has increased, certainly, but not to the extent a great many imagine.” “ Shrewsbury,” the champion thinks, with many others, “ would give it up— (i.e., scientific legging) —on a good wicket and still score as largely without risking his wicket a bit more.” T h e following list is an authentic sum- mary of Mr. W . W . Read’s scores in county and other important matches this season: 1st 2nd inn. inn. May 7 Mr. Thornton's XI. v. Aus­ tralians............................ 18 18 36 May 14Surrey v. Australians............ 15 4 19 May 17 „ v. Gloucestershire... 80 — 80 May 31 ,, v. Notts ................. 28 — 28 May 24 „ v. Derbyshire.......... 8 6 — 86 May 28 Gentlemen v. Australians 109 — 109 June 4Surrey v. Essei .................. 129 — 129 June 7 „ v. Yorkshire ... ... 103 — 103 June 11 „ v. Kent ................. 3 4* 7 June 14 ,, v. Cambridge Univ. 4 — 4 June 18 „ v. Middlesex .......... 34 — 34 June 21 „ v. Oxford University 338 — 338 Total, 973 for fifteen innings (one not out). Average 69.7. A correspondent points out a curious coincidence—that Mr. Read’s Bcore at the Oval this week exactly equals his aggre­ gate in the six first-class county matches (Gloucestershire, Notts, Derbyshire, Kent, Yorkshire, and Middlesex) in which he has taken part this year. Mr. Read's many friends and admirers will regret that he was not fortunate enough on Tuesday at the Oval to get the seven runs required to establish his claim to the distinction of the highest individual soore in a first-class match. Up to 1876 tiie late Mr. W . Ward’s 278 at Lord’s in 1820 was the best record, but this was passed twice in the year just named by VIr. W. G. Grace, who made 344 for M.O.C. & G. v. Kent, at Canterbury, and a few weeks later 818 (not out) for Glou­ cestershire against Yorkshire at Chelten­ ham. Mr. P. E. Laoey scored 323 for Hampshire v. Norfolk last year, but the three above, as far as I know, were the only instances of scores of three hundred in important matches in England until this week. Mr. Read’s 338,1may add, is is by far his best performance for the county, or, indeed, in first-class matches of any kind, his previous best being his 247 for Surrey against Lancashire at Manchester in 1887. Surrey’s total of 650, the same as they made against Hampshire at the Oval in 1883, is, it will be of interest to know, the highest in a first-class match in England. The Non- Smokers made 803 against the Smokers at Melbourne on March 17, 1887, and New South Wales—which included 321 by Murdoch, the best individual score in a first-class matoh in Australia—775 against Victoria, at Sydney, in February, 1882. The best English record, though, prior to Tuesday, was Surrey's 631 against Sussex in 1885. M r . R ead ’ s batting has, naturally, no greater admirer than Mr. W. G. Grace, who writes of his younger rival with the characteristic generosity of a thoroughly good sportsman:—“Watch Mr.Read,” says W. G., “ and you will see how good or in­ different bowling ought to be treated in the first over. Like every good batsman, he has his characteristic hits. A long hop on the off he makes longer still, stepping back with his right foot and smiting it terrifically hard between point and mid-off; and on the leg side he is exceptionally strong in placing.” T he Lancashire eleven, who have during the last few years proved them­ selves singular adepts at playing an up­ hill game, have already this year, though the season has not yet reached its meridian, to their credit several excellent performances, which, whatever may be in store for them in the future, will stand out in bold relief among the records of County cricket in 1888. In three of the matches in which they have been success­ ful this summer, they have been less than twenty-five to the good at the finish, while in the only reverse they have suffered—to wit, the match with Kent, they were beaten by a narrow margin of 33 runs. Their latest success was over Oxford University at Manchester on Saturday, and the other two close contests to which reference has been made were at Manchester against the Australians, whom they beat by twenty-three, and at Lord’s against Middlesex, when they won by twenty-four. T he following eleven has been selected to represent Winchester in its annual encounter with Eton, to be played at Winchester to-morrow and following day: V. P. Leese (eaptain), J. W G. Clegg, J. H. Weatherby, T. B. Case, V. T. Hill, A. H. C. Barker, C. W. Little, H. F. Fuller, D. Carlisle, A. T. Boger, E. J. Neve ; twelfth man, B. J. B. Stephens. The Winchester eleven this year, I may add, has been most ably coached by Mr. M. C. Kemp, the old Oxford captain. I understand on the best authority that the Oxford Captain has already given their colours to nine of the ten who are to assist him against Cambridge. Mr. Rashleigh will have Messrs. Cochrane, Gresson, Philipson, Nepean, Lord George Scott and Forster of the old choices, and the Hon. F. J. Thesiger, Messrs. Simpson, Croome, of the new. The eleventh place will probably be filled by either Mr. C. Wreford-Brown or Mr. G. Fowler. There is no regular fast bowler in the team, but I am inclined to think that in spite of their apparently bad show against Surrey at the Oval, their bowling is on the whole by no means to be despised. F rom what I can hear the Cambridge captain has also settled ten of his eleven for Monday, and as I ventured to predict last week, Mr. E . Crawley is one of the ten. The other eight upon whom Mr. C. D. Buxton has fixed are Messrs. Thomas, Kemp, and Ford of last year’s eleven, and Mordaunt, 'Woods, Gosling, McGregor, and Butler, new to the team. In spite of their collapse against Lanca­ shire at Manchester on Saturday there is plenty of batting on the Oxford side, and I am inclined to think that if anything they have none the worst of a comparison in this respect. In Messrs. 'Woods, par­ ticularly if it is his day, Ford, and Mor­ daunt, Cambridge has three useful bowlers, but notwithstanding the punish­ ment it received at the Oval this week the Oxford bowling, though there is no one of any pace, is steady, and, on the whole, I fancy, to be relied on. F rom what I have seen of the out- cricket of the two elevens in London neither side is up to the best standard in this department, and on the fielding much will depend. Altogether, though, there does not seem to be on paper very much between the two elevens, and as far as any one can venture to prophesy on cricket, there seems to be every reason for predict­ ing an interesting match. B lackham and Sherwin bowl so rarely that it was certainly something of a coincidence for each of these famous wicket-keepera to be tried with the ball on Monday. And the singularity was in­ creased by the similarity of the result, each of the pair securing a wicket—an honour quite strange to them. Y orkshire cricketers will hear with deep regret, as have I, of the death of Mr. T. J. Anderson, who for ovef twenty years reported the principal cricket matches in the North for the Sheffield Daily Telegraph. A brother of George Anderson, the well-known Yorkshire cricketer, he was himself by no means a poor exponent of the game, and I can vouch myself, from a personal