Cricket 1889

s<Toge ther joined in cricket’s m an ly toil.”— B y ro n , B j & e 2a2& T r S S r o a a . T H U R S D A Y , S E P T E M B E R 5 , 1889 . p r i c e 2d. M R . F R E D E R I C K G A L E . T h e Old Boys among the onlookers at a cricket match unfailingly present a feature full of interest to their neighbours, especially those old .boys who have been thoroughly familiar with the game from early boyhood, who follow the progress of the match from behind “ a yard of clay,” “ Serenely critical of slows, t . And wise with all the weight of years.’' It would be difficult to find a better representative of this good old class than the distinguished authority on England’s national sport, “ the noble game of cricket,” whose por­ trait, with the accompanying brief notes on his career, we now present. Mr. F. Gale was bom at Wood- borough, in Wiltshire, on the 16th of July, 1823, his father being the Rev. Thomas Hinxman Gale, Vicar of Milton Lillbourne, Wilts, and afterwards of Godmersham, Kent. His connection with the game com­ menced in 1835, at Winchester Col­ lege, where he was educated—and an association with cricket of over half a century entitles him, it will be admitted, to speak of it with some authority. In addition to being known as a hard-hitter, he was then specially noted for his fielding, a branch of the sport to which he took a strong liking, and in which he displayed great profici­ ency, his favourite positions being long-stop, point, short-slip, and mid-off. At that time, Mr. Gale says, every young Wykehamist had at least two seasons of cricket-fag­ ging, without touching a bat, before reaching the junior eleven. He was in the Winchester elevens of 1840 and 1841, but only appeared at Lord’s in the latter year, circum­ stances preventing him playing in 1840. His home was then, as his family’s has been since 1829, in Kent, and consequently he became intimately associated with Kentish cricket—mainly in the Eastern divi­ sion. Up to 1845 he played a great deal with the Gore Court Club, near Sittingboume, and also in the Canterbury district. At that time he had the advantage of receiving practical in­ struction in the sport from the famous Fuller Pilch, for whom, as our readers are probably aware, Mr. Gale cherishes the warmest re­ spect and admiration. Fuller Pilch was then manager of the Beverley Club, at Canterbury, many years. As a result of his consistently careful search after latent talent, he is entitled to claim the cricket sponsorship of, amongst others, Harry Jupp, R. Humphrey, and George Jones, of Mitcham—names well-known m Surrey cricket. He was greatly impressed by Jupp’s form the first time he saw him play, in a country match, in 1860, when, he says, “ the young cricketer went in first, scored eighty-seven runs, bowled, and long- stopped when not bowling to a greased-lightning bowler without letting a bye.” On his sixtieth birthday Mr. Gale wound up his cricket in characteristic style. It was at the Oval, when he invited all the ground bowlers present (eleven in number) to bowl to him, a dozen balls at a time, with a shilling on the wicket every ball, and he received 235 balls at a very small pecuniary loss. It is as a litterateur , though, that Mr. Gale is perhaps best known, and will be long remembered. Over the signatures of “ F. G .” and “ The Old Buffer,” he has written largely and delightfully on most English sports, and cricket in particular. He still contributes to Baily'8 and other magazines and news­ papers, and had the honour to be selected to write “ Country Cricket ” in the cricket volume of the “ Bad­ minton Library.” His most recent work is “ The Game of Cricket,” of which a Daily News critic (himself a graceful writer on the sport! wrote, “ It is a most refreshing book; a cool wind blows through it from the past into the present, out of the dead past, over the daisied graves of ancient cricketers.” There is a peculiar charm about Mr. Gale’s writings, a quaint and racy humour, which harmonises admirably with his subject. The series of papers appearing in the Sporting Life , en­ titled, “ From the Old Buffer’s Armchair,” are a pleasing example of his style. Mr. Gale—whose height, it may be interesting to know, is 5ft. 8fin. —is proud of being known as one of the strongest cricket Tories of the old-fashioned school, which is not unnatural in one who was intimately acquainted with Mr. Felix, Mr. William Ward, Alfred Mynn, Fuller Pilch, and others of that race of giants, at a time when they were taking part in active cricket. He has loving remembrances of old-time vil­ lage matches, where, after a long day’s play, and at his suggestion Mr. Gale, in 1845, was given the opportunity of showing his form in some first-class matches — amongst others Kent Club v. South of London, Gentlemen of Kent v. Gentlemen of England (at Lord’s), and Kent v. Notts (at Canterbury). Cricket at that period, though, was a very expensive amusement for amateurs, as they paid their travelling (no light item in those days) and other expenses, and Mr. Gale felt compelled to relinquish his participation in public matches. In after years, from 1860 up to 1883, he took an active part in Surrey cricket, in which connection he has been long distin­ guished for his watchful interest in young players. He has captained the Colts of the County on several occasions, and was the skipper of the Mitcham eleven from 1866 for