Cricket 1889

JAN. 24, 1889. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. CRICKET IN AN IND IAN H IL L SCHOOL. [F rom a C orrespondent .] Perhaps to the readers of your journal during the dead season, an account of the doings of a school in the Himalayas may not prove uninteresting. Darjeeling is situated about 7,400 feet above the sea level, and commands one of the finest views (Dr. Hooker, the eminent naturalist, says the finest view) in the world. Midway between the station and Jalapahar, the military cantonment, stands St. Paul’s School. The site isa veryhilly one, and though the grounds cover 60 acres, there is hardly a level 22 yards. The'chief amuse­ ment of the boys used to consist in catching butterflies and beetles, but six or seven years ago, a ground 85 yards by 50 yards was cut out of a “ Khud ” and cricket introduced. The game has now obtained a firm hold in the School. A former master, Mr. Moore (now an assistant superintendent of police at Dinage- pore), took a great interest in the game. Himself a fine free bat, splendid field, and good fast bowler, he spared no efforts in coaching the boys, and the result has been that the School for some time past has turned out teams able to hold their own with the best clubs in the country. Until lately the game was played on the bare ground, removed of rocks, &c., and the batsman and field had to watch the course of the ball very narrowly, but now coir matting is used for the pitch, and works very satisfactorily, though the ball gets up higher than on grass. Darjeeeling has an average rainfall of 124 inches ; three years ago the rainfall was over 140, this last year but 89. A match is often played in a mist or rain that would drive county elevens to the pavilion, but here the rain seems to produce far less uncomfortable effects than what one would expect. The players also soon get accustomed to the rapid variations of light and shade. The game may be proceeding in the full glare of a tropical sun (though the thermometer seldom rises above 74 degrees in the shade) and a minute afterwards the whole ground is enveloped in a mist. A shadowy form is seen gliding up to the wicket, a smack is heard, and everybody peers through the mist for the ball. On three sides the ground is enclosed by banks, on the fourth by railings, a hit over which commits the striker to “ self destruction.” This rule is necessary, as the ball often travels a hun­ dred feet below. The weather during the last year was the finest ever remembered. Only 89 inches of rain was recorded, and most of this fell during the night. There were not thirty days between April and Nov­ ember on which cricket could not be played, and the matting would have been envied by many a victim to the treacherous wickets at home. School is always over at two o’clock (work is done between half-past seven and this hour), and very pleasant it was at the wickets day after day with a cloudless sky overhead, and Mt. Kunchinjunga forty miles away, towering over 28,000 feet. The usual opponents of the School are the Station and the Military. (Just as I am writing this, Dec. 23rd, an earthquake lasting at least a minute occurs. The whole building shakes, doors bang, and the rafters creak. It is far more severe than usual, and I should not be sur­ prised to learn afterwards that it affected a large area of Bengal). To resume, the matches take place on the Shrubbery Ground attached to the Lieutenant Governor’s residence, and it is on very rare occasions that the Sohool is beaten, as their opponents do not practise together. This last year, the war in Sikkim with the Thibetans took away several cricketers to the front, and but few matches were played. The School last December took down an eleven, comprising four past players, to play a series of matches in and around Calcutta. The journey is rather a tiresome one. The first forty-eight miles is on the Himalayan Railway, which is a wonderful piece of work with its sharp curves, zig-zags and turnings in the shape of a figure eight. The guage is only two feet. The rails often run within a few inches of tremendous precipices. After travelling 370 miles, they appeared on the following morning, December 8th, on the Ballygunge Ground to play the H owrah C lub . The School wras pretty strong in bowling with Vaughan and Clarke, both left-hand with a leg-break (the former often breaks a foot on matting), Sowerby (captain), a fast bowler with a slight break from either side, and Smyth, a consistent good length bowler. In batting it was considered exceptionally strong, and the boys’ fielding has always been noted for its smartness and accuracy. The School won the toss and went in. It was soon apparent that the travelling and strangeness of a grass pitch told on the players, and the small score of 98 saw the last wicket fall, of which number Hay Fox and Ansell contributed 21 and 28 respectively. The Howrah Club soon passed this score, as the bowlers were evidently not at home on the wicket, and at the dose of the day’s play had totalled 145‘ for six wickets, Watkins 37, Cox 41 and Kilgour 25, playing good cricket. On Monday, the 10th, the game was resumed, and the remaining four wickets only raised the score to 160, the School thus being in a minority of 62. Their second venture was productive of far better results, Ansell and H. Fox again being the chief scorers with 54 and 40, the former cutting very clean and the latter playing a sound defensive innings. Fox was not unknown to the Howrah players. Last cold season, when only 15 years old, he played for them against Jamalpur, and in both innings went in first and carried out his bat for scores of over 40. Indeed, throughout these matches he displayed wonderful patience and defence, and never remained at the wickets at any time under an hour and a half. The last two wickets put on 60 runs, and the School’s second innings closed for 206. Howrah had now 145 to win and two and a half hours to get them. The first two wickets played a fast game, but after Paine (33) left, they fell rapidly, and 64 only was reached, thus leaving the School winners by 80 runs. FIRST MATCH.—v. HOWRAH. Played on December 8 and 10. S t . P aul ’ s S chool , D arjeeling . First Innings. Second Innings. L. Fox, b Plowden ......... 5 c and bCameron 7 H. Fox, lbw, b Bremner ... 21 b Plowden.........40 A. Thomas, c Cox, b Plow­ den ............................ 6 b Kilgour......... 8 M. Stephen, c and b Cameron ...................... 4 c and b Plowden 14 A. Sowerby, b Cameron ... 1 c Cameron, b Lawton ......... 6 P. Vaughan, b Cameron... 0 c Coleman, b Paine .........16 H. Godfree, run o u t......... 0 b Cameron ... 23 H. Ansell, b Plowden ... 28 c Paine, b Plcw- d e n ............... 54 C. Clarke, st Lawton, b Kilgour ...................... 14 run out ........... 0 H. Strong, c Smith, b Paine............................ 11 notout ...........18 J. Smyth, not out ......... 2 G. Smyth, b Lawton ... ... 7 Extras...................... 6 Extras.........13 Total ...................98 H owrah . First Innings. W. Lawton, b Vaughan ... 1 C. C. Cameron, b Sowerby 2 F. T. Paine, b Clarke ... 9 C. B. Watkins, c Stephen, b Clarke ......................37 E. T. Cox, b Ansell .........41 A. W. Kilgour, c Strong, b Vaughan ....................... 32 G.C.T. Coleman, c Strong. b Sowerby......................19 H. Bremner, b Sowerby... 6 W. Strong, not out ......... 0 H. Smith, b Vaughan ... 6 C. C. Plowden, absent ... 0 Extras ........................ 7 Total ... ........... 160 Total ...206 Second Innings, b G. Smyth ... 1 c and b Sowerby 3 c Strong, b Vaughan.........35 Sub., b Sowerby 2 b.Sowerby......... 0 not out ......... 8 b Sowerby run out ......... c Stephen, b G. Smyth ......... c Stephen, b G. Smyth ......... lbw, o Sowerby Extras Total ... 64 The next match played was one against A M ilitary T eam raised by Capt. Rawlinson, an old Etonian, and a keen cricketer. He has often played against the School in Darjeeling. The Military won the toss and began to score very rapidly agai; sb the somewhat loose bowling of the School. It was not before 103 runs had been put on that a separation was effected between Rawlirson and Bell. The latter had obtained 49 by steady play. After the captain had been disposed of for a finely played innings of 70, with the exception of T)avis and Pollard, no one made a stand and the innings eventually closed for 195. At the end of the day’s play the School had obtained 71 for four wickets, Hay Fox as usual playing correctly for 25. His brother, L. Fox, in the meantime had a very unusual piece of luck by a ball going clean through the top of the stumps without even disturbing a bail. On the following day, Sowerby, the School captain, played a fine innings of 98, and was well supported by Smyth and Thomas. In a minority of 32 the Military began their second innings. The bowling and fielding of the boys was now very good, and no one save Rawlinson played the deliveries of Vaughan and Sowerby with success. His score of 58 (as well as his 70 on the previous day) was chiefly obtained by clean leg-hitting and hitting and cuts. I have since learnt that he made 229 for the United Services during Christmas week in their match against Calcutta, who had all their best bowlers. On this recent form he cannot be far off from being the best batsman in India. I believe the above is the highest individual score yet obtained on the Calcutta Ground, though C. Mitchell (a present Crystal Palace player) obtained 216 a season or two back. I, however, speak only from memory, as, strange to say, the Calcutta Club, influential though it is, keeps no record of its games beyond the ephemeral score books. Surely a few of its chief matches and a general summary might adorn the back pages of “ Lillywhite’s,” or “ Wisden’s Annual.” Please excuse this digres­ sion. The School had 83 to win, but as only a quarter of an hour remained the stumps and game were drawn. Below is the score :— SECOND MATCH.—v. M ILITARY TEAM. Played on December 12 and 13. M ilitary . First Innings. Second Innings. Capt. Rawlinson, lbw, b Smyth............................ 70 b Smyth ...........58 Priv. Bell, run out .........49 run out ......... 2 Lord Bingham, runout ... 0 b Sowerby......... 2 Col. Welchman, b Clarke 7 run out ......... 9 Corp. Davis, b Vaughan 23 b Vaughan ... 2 Mr. Pollard,' c Stephen, b Ansell ......................28 lbw, b Vaughan 0 Sergt. Rogers, c Stephen, b Ansell ...................... 2 not out ......... 6 Priv. Kerwin, run out ... 0 b Vaughan ...10 Priv. Kenna, not out......... 1 b Sowerby...........13 Priv. Ryan, b Vaughan ... 0 b Sowerby......... 2 Capt. Foulerton, absent... 0 b Sowerby.......... 7 Extras......................15 Extras........... 3 Total ............... 195 S t . P aul ’ s S chool . Total ...114 H.Fox, lbw, b Kerwin 25 L. Fox, b Rogers ...10 H. Godfree, b Rogers 0 M. Stephen, st Raw­ linson. bWelchman 8 A. Sowerby, c Davis, b R ogers............... 98 H. Ansell, b Rogers ... 4 G. Smyth, b Kenna... 28 A. Thomas, lbw, b Rogers ................. 34 P. Vaughan, c Bing­ ham, bWelchman 16 H. Strong, c and b Welchman ......... 1 C. Clarke, not out ... 0 Extras................ 3 Total .........227 On the two following days the School played T he C alcutta C.C. on their beautiful ground situated just outside the city. The premier club had almost its full strength in batting (Rawlinson was a notable absentee), and fully so in bowling. The first few wickets played well, especially Rice, Bignell and Swinhoe, and the eighth and ninth also gave considerable trouble. With NEXT ISSUE, FEBRUARY 21.