Cricket 1888

458 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. ftov. 29 , 1888 . KENT COUNTY CLUB. The autumn meeting of the Committee of the Kent County Cricket Club was held at the Golden Cross Hotel, Charing Cross, on Tuesday, the 13th inst. Viscount Lewisham, the President of the Club, was in the chair, and there were also present Lord Harris, George Marsham, Esq., the Hon. Ivo Bligh, H. Knatchbull-Hugessenj Esq., F. A. Mackinnon, Esq., Sir Charles Oakeley, P. Hilton, Esq., Capt. Lambert, W . South Norton, Esq., W . B.Pattisson, E sq.,G. Furley, Esq., T. P. Hilder, Esq., Capt. Austin, the Rev. R. T. Thornton, and the Secretary. The Rev. C. E. Nepean, C. 5. Hardy, Esq.. Colonel Hartnell, and Charles Lawrie wrote regretting their inability to attend the meet­ ing. The financial statement for the year was read by Mr. Furley; it showed that the gross receipts amounted to £2,266 13s. 6d. (includ­ ing a balance of £50 10s. 9d. from last year) and the payments to £2,025 16s. 2d., leaving a balance in hand of £240 17s. 4d.; the accounts were considered satisfactory and were passed. The report of the Managing Committee on the past season was taken as read; it ran as follow s:— Tour Committee are justified in believing that the results of the past cricket season must be most gratifying to all supporters of Kentish cricket. Not since 1878 has the county been able to show such successful results, and not since the days of Willsher and Bennett if then, has the county been able to lay claim to two out of the four best bowlers—judging by analyses —in England. Yoar committee have no wish to underrate the sterling batting of Mr. Patter­ son and Mr. Fox, who have shown what cor­ rect and patient play can do in a year, when week after week the wickets were all in favour of the bowlers, but it cannot be ignored that the main cause of the county’s success has been due to the consistent and occasionally brilliant performances of the Kent profes­ sional bowlers. In all their efforts to bring the county to the front your Committee have in­ variably borne in view the absolute necessity of a back-bone of professional talent, and this has apparently at last been secured. It is, however, not less essential in the batting than the bowling department, and until this also can be found the county can hardly expect to see its eleven at the top of the tree. Your Committee can see no reason why the result should be unattainable, but to effect it the county club must have the co-operation of some of the local clubs near London. For some years the policy of the county club has been to play a few second eleven matches, be­ lieving that they would prove an opening for professional talent. Your Committee think the money so spent might be to some extent diverted into a more fruitful channel. The Surrey County Club has for several years col­ lected together during March and April, on the Oval, promising young cricketers, who get their good teaching from efficient instructors; and your committee recommend the county committee to adopt the same plan. Unfortun­ ately in Kent the want of a ground for practis­ ing on, near to London, is at once felt; and that it should be near to London is essential; not because the Canterbury ground is unfit in most respects, but that it is so in the most important. If young cricketers are to derive any benefit from this practice, their tuition must be at the hands o f compe­ tent practical cricketers ; and these are only to be found in any numbers in the neighbour­ hood of London. If any one or more of the clubs near London could spare a part of their grounds for practice during, say April, your committee believe that many of the Kentish amateurs would willingly give iip some time to “ coaching 9 the young cricketers; and two or three o f . the Kent professionals would doubtless be glad of an engagement to bowl to them during that month. The details could be arranged without difficulty if this one essential—a suitable ground—were forthcoming. This can only be by the assistance of some suburban club. Your committee do not advise, should this plan be carried, giving up the Second Eleven matches altogether ; some should still be played, as supplementary to the April practice, to test the “ Colts ” in the field as well as at the nets. It must, however, be clearly understood that this scheme will cost money : the preparation and repair of the ground, the engagement of the professionals, the out of pocket expenses of the “ Colts,” and cricketing articles of various kinds will be the chief items ; it is for the County Committee to say whether or not the funds at their disposal admit of the scheme being tried. On the subject of finance your Committee would, however, remark that a larger sub­ scription list should be obtainable than that the County Club now reckons on. A compari­ son of the total amounts received from East and West Kent, respectively, will show that approximately— East Kent finds..........................£300 West Kent ..........................£208 Whilst from outside come .. £56 Out of a subscription list of .. £564 Such a comparison can hardly be satisfac­ tory to West Kent, certainly the wealthier half of the county. Your Committee believe that this is not due to any lack of well wishers in West Kent, but rather to the County Cricket Club having omitted to adopt a systematic method of application for subscriptions, and recommend that this should be adopted. This report would not be complete without some reference to the system of selecting teams, tried last year for the first time. Upon the whole it may be said that it has worked fairly well, considering the difficulty the Managing Committee is always under, of not having a central place of meeting; but it has, in your committee’s opinion, proved incon­ testably that without some such headquarters the final selection—and it frequently happens that places have to be filled up at the last moment—must bein the hands of an individual. Subject to this your Committee recommend that the system should continue under trial another year. Signed, H a r r is , Ivo B lig h , G e o r g e M a r sh am , P h il ip H il t o n . It was resolved that the report of the Man­ agement Committee be adopted; and that it be referred to the Managing Committee to report in detail on the recommendations therein contained at the first meeting in 1889. It was decided that the same Counties be met as in 1888, namely: Lancashire, Yorkshire, Notts, Gloucestershire, Surrey, Middlesex, and Sussex; this was carried unanimously ai*d it was decided to play Lancashire at Canterbury during the annual Cricket Week, Surrey at Blackheath, Notts and Sussex at Maidstone, Yorkshire at Gravesend, and Middlesex at Beckenham. It was also decided to play a match at Town Mailing, between the Gentlemen of Kent and the Gentlemen of Philadelphia, and to give the gate-money to the Cricketers’ Fund Friendly Society or the Mynn Memorial Fund. It was decided that Walter Wright should be engaged at the Mote Park aud Walter Hearne at Canterbury as Ground Bowlers for season 1889. Lord Harris was elected the delegate to represent Kent on the County Cricket Council. The Committee expressed themselves strongly in favour of Lord Harris’ proposal for the County Council, “ That, for purposes of Cricket,. County Boundaries are not affected by the Local Government Act, 1888.” TH E P R IN C IP A L C LU B S IN 1889 LIST OF SECRETARIES. THE COUNTIES. C h e s h ir e —James Horner, Stockport. C u m b e rla n d —L. G. B. Dykes, Dovenby Hall, Carlisle, D e r b y s h ir e — Arthur Wilson, Melbourne, near Derby, and S. Richardson, 1, Bab- ington Lane, Derby. D u rh a m — R. W. Mallett, 7, Lorne Terrace, Darlington. E s s e x —M. P. Betts, Essex County Cricket Ground, Leyton, E. G lo u c e s t e r s h ir e —Dr. E. M. Grace, Thom - bury, Gloucestershire. H a m p s h ir e —Russell - Bencraft, and R. K. Grierson, Hants County Cricket Ground, Southampton. H e r t f o r d s h i r e —C. Pigg, 4, Green Street, Cambridge. K e n t — J . A. jJ . Lancaster, 21, Watling St., Canterbury. L a n c a s h ir e —S. H. Swire, 26, Barton Arcade, Manchester. L in c o ln s h ir e —S. B. Carnley, Alford L e ic e s t e r s h ir e —T. B. Burdett, Aylestone, Leicester. M id d le s e x —P. M . Thornton, United Univer­ sities Club, Suffolk St., London, W . N o r f o l k —C. J. E. Jarvis, Middleton Towers, Kings Lynn, and W. E . Hansell, Thorpe, Norwich. N o r t h a m p t o n s h ir e — T. H. Vialls, 7, Wood Hill, Northampton. N o t t in g h a m —W. H. C. Oates, Langford Hall, Newark-on-Trent. N o r t h u m b e r la n d — John Thompson, 24, Charles Street, Heaton, Newcastle-on- Tyne. S o m e r s e t s h ir e —H. E. Murray Anderdon, Hemlade House, Taunton. S t a f f o r d s h i r e — A. H. Heath,Madeley Manor, Newcastle, Staffordshire. S u r r e y —C. W . Alcock, Surrey Cricket Ground, Kennington Oval, London, S.E. S u ss e x —G. Goldsmith, 11, Prince Albert St., Brighton. W a r w ic k s h ir e — W . Ansell, 78, Bristol Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham. W o r c e s t e r s h ir e —H. C. Jobson, Dudley. THE UNIVERSITIES (Captains). C a m b rid g e —F. G. J. Ford, King’s College, Cambridge. O x fo r d —H. Philipson, New College, Oxford. (To be Continued.) A t the Warwick meeting last week Mr. Henry Grace’s Gloucestershire won the Arden Nursery Handicap Plate. W e regret to state that the Penge Club is now defunct, their ground having fallen into the hands of the cormorant-like builder. The draws for the London and Suburban Association Challenge Cup have been made as under: First draw, May 14; ties to be played on May 25 Second draw, June 4; ties to be played on June 15 Third draw, June 20; ties to be played on June 29 Fourth draw, July 4; ties to be played on July 13 Fifth draw, July 30; ties to be played on Aug. 10 T h e C r ic k e t F ie ld , by R e v . Jam es P y c r o ft . The Standard Work on the Game. Ninth Edition, 2/6; post-free 2/9. C on tain sO rigin of the Game of Cricket; The General Character of Cricket; The Hambledon Club and the Old PJayers; Cricket generally established as a National (Jame by t he End of the Last Century; First Twenty Years o f the Present Century ; A Dark Chapter in t h e History of Cricket; The Surrey—its History ; T h e Zingari—their Origin; Battalogia, or the S cience and Art of Batting; Hints against Slow Bowlin g, A Chapter on Bowling; Hints on Fielding ; T i e Gentlemen and Players’ Matches to end of 18 i 6. Wright and Co., 41, St. Andrew’s Hill, Docto it' Commons, E.C. NEXT ISSUE, DECEMBER 27.