Cricket 1888

D E C . 27, 1888. OBl'OKET s A WEEKLY KECORD 0 V THE GAME, 467 University played East Melbourne, the wicket being somewhat difficult. Roberts showed excellent form for his 55, but the ground helped Letcher considerably in obtain­ ing four wickets for 18runs. University scored 120, and East Melbourne 22 for one wicket. That one may sometimes bowl too well is a paradox. Yet the bowler whom I recently mentioned as likely to train on into a service­ able man, is one who may bowl too well, or, at any rate, too fast. In pace there is not much to choose between Spofforth and the Colt, and very few junior wicket-keepers can hold him at all. Last S.aturday he opened the bowling for one of the best Junior clubs, and with his third ball clean bowled a batsman. The remaining balls just missed the stumps, and the wicket-keeper as well, and as the extras began to look alarming he was requested to bowl slowly. Then the batsmen had revenge for broken shins and bruised elbows, and so he was taken off. The admission of the Sydney Club to tho N.S.W. Cricket Association, to which I have already alluded, was again brought on the tapis at a special meeting of the Association on Monday (5th) last. The trustees had rallied up all their friends and looked for victory, but they failed, and though three members of the club voted for themselves they were beaten by 10 to 7. The formation of this club has met with very general condemnation. It was arranged very much as follows :—Half a dozen juniors, who wanted to be seniors, but did not relish *•parting,” formed the founda­ tion of the club, to which was added a secre- tary who has not been a complete success in his cricket ventures. Then some ten or twelve recent recruits from the junior ranks, including one or two Inter-Colonial and International Junior players, were drawn away from the Senior Clubs by an offer of free wickets, and almost free everything, and the number of eighteen was reached. As no club can be admitted into the Association with­ out it has thirty members on the roll, a general canvass was made to get honorary members to fill up. So then were recruited a Judge of the Supreme Court, a Railway Commissioner, the chief clerk in the Money Order Office, half-a- dozen “ have beens,” two or three “ would- be’s,” and a handful of the best performers from other clubs (who, by the way, will never play with their new club) and the club thus fully fledged, was cast on the world. Its members pay nothing but a guinea a year, for what costs every one else six or seven pounds, and hence they have been denied access to tke Association. There have been many letters between the associations of this and the adjoining colonies as to the future programmes for Inter-colonial matches. Victoria somewhat selfishly wants all matches this season to be played within her limits. Our association, on the other hand, demands that the old arrangement of two home and home matches should be adhered to. It will be interesting to see which will back down. C it y A lb io n C lu b (M e s s rs . B ra d b u ry * G r e a t o r e x , a n d Co).—The annual dinner of this club was held on Saturday, Dec. 8, at the Holborn Restaurant. M r. A. P. Allen, in the unavoidable absence of Mr. H. J. Gardiner, occupied the chair. The number of matches played last summer was ten, out of which the club won six and drew two. The treasurer (M r. L. B. Harris) was also in a happy position, being able to show a respect­ able balance of £19. The majority of the singers were members of the house, the most notable being M r. Hicks, Mr. Steele, and Mr. Plater. In the course of the evening the fol­ lowing presentations were made : Gold sleeve links (given by Mr. Allen) to Mr. J. Castmel for the best batting average ; the bowling prize, a gold scarf-ring, was awarded to Mr. Robins, and presented by Mr. W. Lowman ; and a special prize of a Gladstone .Bag was given by Mr. Gardiner, to Mr. P. Huntington. ANNUAL MEETING OF COUNTY SECRETARIES. On Tuesday, December 11, the annual meeting of County Secretaries, for the arrangement of the various programmes, was held in the Pavilion at Lord’s. Mr. Henry Perkins, the Secretary of the Marylebone Club, was voted to the chair, and as the names of the following will show, twenty-one County Clubs sent representatives:—Cheshire, Messrs. J. Horner,hon. sec., and S. H. Hollins; Derbyshire, Messrs. A. Wilson and S. Richard­ son, hon. secs.; Essex, Mr. M. P. Betts, sec.; Gloucestershire, Dr. W . G. Grace, captain; Hampshire, Dr. Russell Bencraft, hon. sec. : Hertfordshire, Mr. C. Pigg, hon. sec.; Kent, Lord Harris (captain), Hon. Ivo. Bligh, and Mr. A. J. Lancaster, sec. ; Lancashire, Mr. S. H. Swire, hon. sec., and Mr. E. B. Row ley; Leicestershire, Mr. J. Bonner; Lincolnshire, Mr.C.Booth; Middlesex, Messrs. J. G. Walker, I. D. Walker, and A. J. Webbe, captain ; Norfolk, Mr. W. F. Hansell; Northampton­ shire, Mr. T. H. Viall, hon. sec. ; Northumber­ land, Mr. S. E. Crawford and Mr. J. Thompson, hon. sec. ; Nottinghamshire, Messrs. W. E. Denison (president^, W. H. C. Oates (hon. sec.), and E. Browne, sec.; Somersetshire,Mr.H.E. Murray Anderdon, hon. sec.; Surrey, Messrs. J. Shuter (captain), 0. W. Alcock, sec., and W . W. Read, assistant sec. ; Sussex, Mr. G. Gold­ smith, sec. ; Warwickshire, Mr. W . Ansell (hon. sec.), and Mr. H. W. Bainbridge (captain); Yorkshire, Mr. J. B. Wostenholm, sec. As the newly-appointed Council had on the previous day dealt with the various proposals for modi­ fications of the existing qualifications for a County player, there was really no business before the meeting but the settlement of the fixtures for 1889. There was, too, no Austra­ lian team to add to the difficulties of the situation, and as aconsequence it was compara­ tively easy to agree in the matter of dates. The only visitors next year will be, as far as we know, the Gentlemen of Philadelphia. They are to leave New York on June 19, and their programme, which will consist of only twelve matches, will extend from July 2 to August 9. The whole of the proceeds which would go to the Philadelphians in the ordinary way, will be handed over to deserving institutions connected with England, and the members of the team will have no interest in the receipts in any way. The fixtures nave been made to last, two days, but the Philadelphians are most anxious that thoy should be played out. In the event of a draw on the second day they will be continued on the third, and this arrangement has been agreed toby the various English clubs interested. A reference to the fixtures which follow will show that the season of 1889 will be a very busy one. Every consideration has been shown by the different secretaries in keeping clear of the dates chosen for the representative matches, and there is little fear that the teams will not be represen­ tative. Lancashire is playing Warwickshire on the same day as Gentlemen and Players at the Oval, but the Hon. Sec. of the Lancashire Club has kindly undertaken that any of the County eleven required shall be available for the big match on the Surrey ground. Kent and Sussex are also down to play while Pilling’s benefit (North and South) is on at Manchester, but we feel sure, particularly for such a deserving object, that the two Southern Counties will be able to find some equally convenient dates during the summer, and so avoid interference with a fix­ ture which ought to be one of the most popular of the year. The season will open on May 2 at Lord’s with the match between M.C.C. and Ground and Middlesex Colts, and the list closes with the Inter-County fixture between Cheshire and Lancashire, to commence at Stockport on September 6. In all probability, though, the important matches will not come to an end here, as we believe it is intended that the Hastings week shall follow the Scarborough Festival; and in this case tho first fixture at Hastings will begin on September 9; the Gentlemen will meet tho Players at the Oval on July4 and two following days; at Lord's on July 8, 9, and 10; the Oxford nnd Cam­ bridge match will be played at Lord’s on July I, 2, and 3 ; Eton v. Harrow, on July 12 and 13; and Rugby and Marlborough, on July 31 and August 1. A match between North and South, to be played on May 27, 28, and 29, will be added to the Marylebone programme, which will have for its Whit Monday attraction a County match—Middlesex v. Kent, a great improvement on the arrangement of recent years. There will be three other fixtures between North and South—at the Oval, on May 16, 17, and 18; at Manchester, on July II, 12, and 13 (for Pilling’s benefit); and on September 5, 6, and 7, at Scarborough. TheYorkshire Committee have decided to give the proceeds of the Surrey match at Sheffield on July 1, 2, and 3, to L. Hall, and the receipts of North v. South, at Lord’s, will be handed to another Yorkshireman (John West), who has been a faithful servant of the Marylebone Club for many years . The matches for next year as arranged will be found below. A hearty vote of thanks was given to the Marylebone Club for their hospitality, as well as to Mr. Perkins for presiding. The following are the principal fixtures for 1889 as arranged :— MAY. 2—Lord’s, M.C.C. and Ground v. Middlesex Colts 6—Lord’s, Colts of the North v. Colts of the South 9—Lord’s, M.O.C. and Ground v. Lancashire 13 -L ord ’s, M.C.C. and Ground v. Yorkshire 13-O val, Surrey v. Hampshire 16—Lord’s. M.C.C. and Ground v. Sussex 16—Oval, North v. South 20—Lord’s, M.C.C. and Ground v. Derbyshire 20—Cambridge, Cambridge University v. M.C.C. and Ground 20—Leicester, Leicestershire v. Lancashire. 20—Nottingham, Notts v. Sussex 20—Oval, Surrey v. Essex. 20—Oxford, Oxford University v. Gentlemen of England. 23—Lord’s, M.C.C. and Ground v. Notts 23—Bristol, Gloucestershire v. Warwickshire 23—Manchester, Lancashire v. Sussex 23-Oxford, Oxford University v. Surrey 23 -Cambridge, Cambridge University v. Gentle­ men of England 27—Lord’s, North v. South (West’s Benefit) 27—Lincoln, Lincolnshire v. Staffordshire 30— Lord’s, Middlesex v. Notts SO—Oxford, Oxford University v. Lancashire 3 )—Oval, Surrey v. Leicestershire 31—Leyton, Essex v. M.C.C. and Ground JUNE. 3—Lord’s, Middlesex v. Gloucestershire 3—Cambridge, Cambridge University v. York­ shire 3—Birmingham, Warwickshire v. Staffordshire 3—Nottingham, Notts Colts v. Yorkshire Colts 6—Lord’s, M.C.C. and Ground v. Kent 6—Oxford, Oxford University v. M.C.C. and Ground 6—Oval, Surrey v. Gloucestershire 6—Leicester, Leicestershire v. Yorkshire 6—Manchester, Middlesex v. Lancashire 30—Lord’s, Middlesex v. Kent 10 —Brighton, Sussex v. Gloucestershire 10—Derby, Derbyshire v. Yorkshire 10 —Northampton, Northamptonshire v. Cheshire 10 —Birmingham, Warwickshire v. Leicestershire 10 —Nottingham, Notts v. Surrey 10 —Manchester, Lancashire Colts’ Match 13—Manchester, Lancashire v. Kent 13—Oval, Surrey v. Cambridge University 13 —Scarborough, Lord Hawke's Eleven v. Sher win’s Eleven. 17—Lord’s, Middlesex v. Surrey 17-Sheffield, Yorkshire v. Warwickshire 17—Leyton, Essex v. Derbyshire 20—Lord’s, Middlesex v. Yorkshire 20 —Brighton, Sussex v. Cambridge University 20—Manchester, Lancashire v. Oxford University 20—Oval, Surrey v. Derbyshire 21—Stoke, Staffordshire v. Somersetshire 21—Lord’s, M.C.C. and Ground v. Cambridge University 24—Bradford, Yorkshire v. Sussex 24—Nottingham, Notts v. Lancashire 24—Derby, Derbyshire v. Leicestershire 24—Birmingham, Warwickshire v. Somersetshire 24—Oval, Surrey v. Oxford University NEXT ISSUE, JANUARY 24.