Cricket 1889

MAY 80,1689. CRICKET: A WEEKLY EECORD OP THE GAME. 159 claimed in the matter of throwing the crioket ball have been—and with reason —troubling some of the Colonial critics, who have spared no pains to verify the performance of the native, Billy, at Clermont, Queensland, in 1873. In reply to a correspondent of the Brisbane Courier, who some weeks since asserted it to be a well known fact that the tape used on the occasion had been shortened, the Editor of the Sydney Mail wrote to Mr. W. B. Steele, of Winton, from whom the tape had been borrowed to measure the throw, with the following result:— D e a r S ib , —I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your favour of the 27th ultimo, re cricket ball thrown at Clermont in 1873, 140 yards, by an aboriginal named “ King,” also stating that the tape used for measurement was borrowed from me. This is perfectly correct, and the throw was witnessed by Mr. Murray, police magistrate; Mr. Graham, Peak Downs Telegram ; Mr. Lyons, Malvern Downs, Peak Downs; with many other gentlemen and myself. I believe that Mr. Donald Wallace, late member for Clermont, was also present. As to the statement that the tape had been cut and thereby shortened, this is utterly fallacious, and it is the first intimation of such a trans­ action being brought to my notice. The ball when thrown by “ King,” was seen to soar to a tremendous height, and seemed to sail for a considerable distance before descending. The blaok boy was a native of New South Wales, and was in the employ of a publican in Cler­ mont.—I am, &c., W . B. S t e e l e . No wonder that the cricketers of Ire­ land are grieving over the prospective departure of Lord Londonderry from Dublin Castle. His Excellency, the Lord Lieutenant, is not only a liberal supporter, but an active follower of the game, and it goes without saying that the loss of one who has taken such a personal interest in cricket will be severely felt in Dublin. Last Saturday the Viceregal Club played the Working Men’s Club on the Viceregal ground, with the result of an exceedingly pleasant and well-contested game. The fusion of the classes and the masses was productive of the best of feeling, as was only to be expected. Matches of this kind can have no other effect, and are well worthy of general encouragement. I t may be of interest to the historians of the future to know that the first appli­ cation in Ireland of the new rule, enabling a captain to end his innings, took place in Dublin on Saturday. I have the authority of Irish Sport, at least, for the statement that the closure was used for the first time on an Irish cricket field, in the match between the University and the Garrison of Dublin on that day. When the former’s total had reached 279 for three wickets, the innings was de­ clared ended, leaving the Garrison with 178 to make in an hour and a quarter. The “ little game ” of the University captain did not, however, quite come off, as although G. C. Hallowell, who, by the way, is just offto California, got four of the best batsmen out for only six runs, the Garrison held out to the last, having lost seven wickets for 44 runs. J. B urns , C.C.—cheery cricketer, that is to say, for I am not referring here to the County Councillor of the same name —seems to have had a providentially speedy recovery from the injury to his arm, which prevented him bowling a ball for Essex in the recent match with Surrey at the Oval, when a little more change would have not been without its value. Burns does not appear to want much more power to his elbow, if one may judge from his performances on the two last Saturdays for the Essex Club at Leyton. On the 18th, he made 85 against Walthamstow, and on Saturday, 261 against the London Hospital, so that his aggregate for the two afternoons was 846. As, too, he was not out on both occasions, his average for the Essex Club bids fair, to use a phrase dearly loved of cricket reporters, to be of a phenomenal character. It will interest many C ricket readers, no doubt, to know that the John Burns of the County Council is not, by any means, unknown in the world of athletics. Like his namesake, the Essex professional, the Councillor has sought the bubble repu­ tation at the cannon’s, I mean the foot­ ball’s mouth, though the similarity ends there, as the latter has preferred the Bugby to the Association game. John Burns and his brother Alec, according to the Star, are not only football players, but can also take their own part with the gloves. The elder, too, used to be pro­ minently connected with the Yarra Cricket Club at Clapham, and, as the Star adds, “ until the cares of the State got hold upon him was a frequent visitor at Kennington Oval.” T he Parsee cricketers, in no way de­ terred by the financial ill-success of their two trips to England, appear to be bent, if possible, on exploring new worlds. A correspondence has been taking place this spring between Mr. P. D. Kanga, the cap­ tain of the Parsee team which visited us last year, and Mr. G. G. S. Lindsey, who personally conducted the Gentlemen of Canada through the United Kingdom with such success in 1886. The sugges­ tion that the Parsees should land at Vic­ toria, and cross the American continent from the Pacific Slope, Mr. Lindsey states, had called for requests from several of the leading clubs in the terri­ tories, and Moosomin, Lethbridge, Bran­ don,andWinnipeg had allarrangedfor sig­ natures in the event of a visit to the Great North West. The eastern clubs, as far as St. John’s, New Brunswick, too, were apparently desirous of meeting Mr. Kanga and his party, had the tour come off this year, as it was at first thought would have been the case. F inding , however, that the best part of the Canadian season was from July to September, and not, as he had errone­ ously fancied,from December to February, as in Bombay, Mr. Kanga has not been able to make any arrangements for this year. There seems to be, however, just a chance that if something like satisfac­ tory guarantees can be secured the Par­ sees may visit Canada in 1890. C ricket - readers will learn, with regret, that, ac­ cording to Mr. Kanga, there was an actual loss of more than £2,500 over tho visit of the Parsee team to England last year. It may be of interest to some to mow that Mr. B. D. Cooper, the best batsman of that team, was playing for the Surrey Club and Ground against Dulwich College, at Dulwich, yesterday. E ditors who think it a wise policy to allow full scope to every writer desirous of securing a cheap advertisement, whether he is responsible or otherwise, can hardly complain if such licence reduces the value of their correspondence to a minimum. The adsurdity of giving free hands to every irresponsible person anxious to ventilate his opinion has never been more forcibly illustrated than in a recent controversy, to use the title applied to a discussion in one of the sporting dailies. Professing originally to deal with a perfectly simple and straightforward question ofa particular qualification which was really to all intents and purposes, and one would have thought finally, settledlast December, it has served as a peg for any number of critics, mostly anonymous be it added, to air their views on every pos­ sible subject in connection with County Cricket. N ot the least amusing, though, of the many correspondents, is a gentleman who has at least the courage, some would consider it under the circumstances temerity, to affix his name to emphasise his opinions on the regeneration of county cricket. He takes, too, severely to task another contributor to the dis­ cussion who ventured in all humility to suggest that Shacklock was not born in Nottingham, and is virtuously indignant at such hopeless ignorance of what he calls facts. Under such circumstances perhaps it would be impertinent of me even to hint that he is himself in fault, that in truth Shacklock is a native of Crich in Derbyshire, as will be found by reference to his biography, which appeared in C ricket of April 29, 1886. Moreover, this most matter-of-fact of critics reveals his lack of knowledge still further by ask­ ing the question whether the Messrs. Shuter were not born in Kent. Fortu­ nately I can answer him, and on authority which can not be gainsaid, that Messrs. L. A. and J. Shuter were both born at Thornton Heath, which is generally believed to be in Surrey. It may, indeed, be of interest to some of those who are so anxious to be informed in such matters that of the eight leading counties, Glou­ cestershire, Lancashire, Middlesex and Surrey can alone at the present time claim to have captains born within the county. T he Oeylon Times in a recent number gives particulars of what it calls, and with good reason I should fancy, a new de-