Cricket 1889

480 CEICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OE THE GAME. SEPT. 26,1889. (P. F., unless I am mistaken) usually figures in the winning team, of whichhe is, indeed, a crack bat. On this occasion, though, he was absent, owing to inflam­ mation of the left eye, and the chief credit of Kandapolla’s success restedwith the Captain, A. C. Chamberlin—a name with a familiar sound—who not only made the highest score in each innings, but, at the close, fairly won the game with his “ lobs.” SOUTH SAXONS. Matches played, 86 —won 26, drawn 1, lost 9. BATTING AVEEAGES. Times Most in Inns, not out. Runs, an Inns. Aver A. 3-5. Sutthery 5 ,.. 0 .... 233 ... 92 ... 46 3 H. Pigg ..........25 . .. 3 ... 813 .,.. 107* ... 36 21 R. S. Wilson ... 5 ... 1 ... 118 ... 54 ... 29.2 F. H. Walker ... 6 . 1 ... 143 .,.. 56 ... 28.3 A. H. Tievor ... 7 ... 0 ..., 169 ,... 72 ... 24.1 A. C. Co’es ... 25 .... 5 ..., 414 ... 65* ... 20.14 R. H. Ferard ... 7 .... 1 ... 122 .,.. 40 ... 20.2 Morris (pro.) ... 32 ... 4 ... 531 .,.. 98 ... 18.27 F.G. Chichester 28 ... 5 ... 434 ... 76* ... 18 C. J. Smith ... 38 ... 1 ... 287 .... 60 ... 16.15 H. S. Persse ... 7 ,... 2 .... 83 ,... 35 ... 16.3 C. H. Young ... 10 ,... 0 ..,. 149 ... 46 ... 14.9 G. K. Papillon 19 ,... 0 ..,. 287 ... 46 ... 14.7 A. F. Smith ... 25 .„. 0 ... 357 ,... 87 ... 14.7 W. Leigh Smith 17 . 3 .... 188 ... 66* ... 33.6 P. R. Papillon 5 ,... 0 ..,. 66 ... 36 ... 13.1 F. fi. Maturin . 13 ... 2 ... 143 ... 53 ... 13 F. G. F. Jones... 12 ... 1 .... 115 ... 36 ... 10.5 J. C. Walsham 9 ... 2 .. . 72 ... 30* ... 10.2 D . A. J. Bacon 30 ... 3 ..,. 278 ... 61 ... 30.8 W. Beasley ... 13 ,... 0 ..., 131 ... 38 ... 10.1 R H. Nuttall ... 9 ,... 0 .... 85 ,... 21 ... 9.4 W. Carless ... 8 ... 1 ..., 60 , ... 41* ... 8.4 Rev.G.Wilkinson 6 ... 2 ... 37 ... 36 ... 9.1 H. S. Johnstone 6 ... 2 „ . 37 ... 15 ... 9.1 H. G. Atkinson 8 ... 1 ..,. 56 ... 19 ... 8 C. M. Kennedy 7 ... 0 .... 47 ... 33 ... 6.5 C. R. Chance ... 8 ... 0 ... 49 ... 27 ... . 6 1 A .E . Young ... 6 ... 1 ... 23 ... 16 ..., 4.3 G. H. Webb ... 5 ... 1 ... 10 ... 6 ..., 2.2 Thirty-seven more members, who have played 4innings or less, have taken part in the matches. BOWLING AVEBAGE8. Oppnt’s Wkts. Aver. wkt. Innings taken. per Innings^ H. P igg.......... ... 25 91 3.16 Morris (pro.) .. 27 90 3 9 C. Young ... .. 10 34 3.4 A. M. butthery .. 5 17 3.2 A. F. 8mith... .. 17 43 2 9 W. Beasley ... .. 8 19 2.3 D. A. J. Bacon .. 4 8 2 R. H. Nutta.l .. 7 11 1.4 It. S. Wilson... .. 5 6 3.1 C. B. Chance .. 8 9 11 W . Leigh-Smith 7 7 1 fluns per wicket incompletely kept. CEICKET CHATTER. [From the Daily Telegraph of Sept 25.] [FROM A MIDDLE-AGED CRICKETER.] The cricket season is over, and the old pavilion at Lord’s is no more. Next year, when the new season begins, we shall;have a brand-new edifice, with its foundations and its superstructure more secure, let us hope ; but also with the ancestral implements and curious cricket pictures carefully preserved. But what-' ever be the nature of the building from which we are to view the game, its incidents will not cease to be an eternal possession, nor shall we grow weary in discussing the various points of interest and controversy which are bruited from time to time among enthusiasts. There has been, I observe, some talk about the celebrated hit of C. I. Thornton, when he was playing for his old school, and one commentator has made remarks concern­ ing a hit of Bonnor, the Australian. Bonnor was a good and stalwart man, and for aught I know he may have made the stroke to which your correspondent refers; bat I remember M‘Donnell hitting C. T. Studd over the pavilion, for I recall to this day the curious sensation of seeing the ball flying over my head, andhearing it pitchwellinto some garden at my back. That was in 1884, a cele­ brated year, when the British Lion was more than a match for the Kangaroo, and in three decisive battles at Lord’s overthrew Murdoch’s Australian team. No cricketer in his senses would venture to dispute the position of Grace as the first batsman of this or any other age ; as an all-round man, bowler, fielder, and hitter, he never has had an equal. But for one briefmoment in that year of 1884 A. G. Steel was the better man of the two. In M.C.C. v. Australians he got 134; for the Gentlemen of England against the same enemies his score was 44 and 35 (not out) ; and in the great match of England v. Australia, which England won in a single innings, he made 148. What a superb cricketer he proved himself, to be sure! The Australians had got all their men on the off side, and no luns were to be made in that direction ; but Steelmanaged to play the balls round, time after time, to the on, and when Spofforth got angry and bowledlikethedemonhesometimesproved himself to be, the harder he pitched them in, the harder Steel hit them, till the Australian was fain to acknowledge him- Belf vanquished. There was not a man in England who did not recognise that the Cambridge champion had won that match ; and there is no critic of sense nowadays, who does not recognise that far and away the best thing that has ever been written about cricket is the chapter on bowling which the same doughty hero has contributed to the Badminton series. The demolition of the old pavilion at Lord’s sends one’s thoughts far afield, and I cordially concur in Sir Spencer Ponsonby-Fane’s hope that “ we shall have as much fun in thenew structure as in the old.” But a cricketer’s memory, like the same mental function in other less impressionable beings, is proverbially capricious, and if I attempt to recall scenes as they occur to me I shall doubt­ less for many readers omit the very things whichtheymost keenlyremember. These things, however, •*lie on the knees of the gods,” and whether I sin by acts of omission or commission, I must take the bitter with the smooth, But where shall I begin? I will let my memory wander back to one of the earliest things I can recall, when in 1862 a curious scene was enacted, not, however, at Lord’s, but, at the Oval. The match was between Surrey and England, for at that time the prosperous and still distinguished county was able to hold its own single-handed against theunited strengthofthe country, andI thinkI am rightin sayingthat itwas thefirst encounter inwhich 500 runs were ever made in a single innings. The M.C.C. were anxious at the time to re­ introduce the old rule that the bowler should not raise his arm above the level of the shoulder, and old Lillywhite was chosen to be umpire on the occasion. Willsher and Jackson began bowling for England, the former being notorious for the way in which, raising his arm high above his head, he used to dash the ball on the ground. JohnLillywhite, as soon as Willsher commenced his usual prac­ tice, opened the campaign by no-balling him no less than six times running. "Willsher, in high dudgeonat this cavalier treatment, flung the ball on the ground and walked away, followed by all the professionals engaged in the match. Two gentlemen, however, C. G. Lyttelton and V. E. Walker, who were playing in the England team, remainedtill time was up, and initiated a consultation, in which it was ultimately determined that Willsher should^ be allowed to go on the next daj^ and the M.C.C. gave up their abor­ tive attempt to restrict the action of the bowler’s arm, G. Street assuming, in the place of Lillywhite, the duties of umpire. After this digression to another field, I return to Lord’s, where, in 1870, Occurred that celebrated bowler’s match, in which, after a close finish, Cambridge managed to defeat Oxford by two runs. I shall never forget the excitement of that sc#n of which Cobden, the light blue bowler was the hero. Oxford in their second innings wanted three runs to tie and four to win, with one batsman well set. Hil received the firstball fromCobden’s over, and hit it so hardthat every one supposed the ball would have gone to the boundary and finished the match, But Bourne, with one hand, succeeded in stopping it, and only one runwas scored. Thencame Cobden’striumph. Butler was caught off the next ball, and the two remaining Oxford batsmen were each bowled first ball. Cobden told me afterwards that he was so excited that he never saw the wicket he was bowling at, but only “ pitched them in ” as hard as he could. Oxford had its revenge, however, in 1875, when in its turn it won by the narrow margin of six runs. That was when Ridley, of Christ Church, was captain. The match had lasted well into the third day, and as matters were getting serious, the old Etonian was persuaded to go on to bowl with his famous lobs, which no doubt won the match. Bidley got con­ siderable praise for having the pluck to put himself on; as a matter of fact, how­ ever, hewas very unwilling to do so, and only finally yielded to the imperative entreaties of W. H. Game. It was during those years from 1870 to 1873 that C. J. Ottaway made his reputation, a notori­ ously steady bat, and the only man, probably, who ever got double figures in everymatch he played for Oxford. Poor Ottaway! He has now joined the majority, and I verily believe that he died from sheernervousness. He caught a bad cold which settled on his lungs, lost all heart, and constantly declared that he should die. Peace to his ashes ! He had to struggle against some un­ popularity in Oxford, I believe, but a more trustworthy bat was never owned by the University on the Isis. NEXT ISSUE, OCTOBER 81.