Cricket 1889

70 CBICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME. APRIL 25, 1889, Can you suggest half-a-dozen cricketers -who would constitute a representative Selection Committee? “ I think so. First there is Murdoch, who has had wide experience, and who is a keen judge of the game; and Black­ ham, who has been to England oftener than any other Australian cricketer. They would represent Victoria. Garrett and McDonnell could act for New South Wales, Rock, who has played cricket for several consecutive seasons in England, could look after the interests of Tasmania, where there are said to be several first-class cricketers, and I suppose I would be asked to represent South Australia. This committee could select a team, and then I think it would be advisable if the eleven could play a match against each colony, with a game against the next best eleven to finish up before sailing for England.” Do you consider thirteen players sufficient to take home ? “ I do, especially if the Manager is wise enough to arrange a few less matches than some recent teams have had. The last team were fortunate in having so many matches finished in two days. If they had had such a dry season as we had in 1886 I am afraid some of them, and more particu­ larly the two bowlers on whom they relied so much, would have been knocked up before the end of the tour, which consisted of forty matches. Thirty matches are quite enough to arrange. If many of the earlier matches were finished, owing, perhaps, to wet weather, in two days, a few extra fixtures might be arranged for the last few weeks. Tho players ought to have an occasional three days’ rest. Then if less matches were arranged it might be possible, with the courteous assistance of the English county clubs, to play out the three matches against All-England. These are the test matches of the tour, and more than three days should be devoted^to them, because if the teams are anyway equally balanced and the weather is fine it is scarcely possible to finish in three days. Australians can ask for this concession with considerable confidence, be­ cause English teams visiting Australia are so fixed up that they can play out all their im ­ portant matches.” You did not go with the last team, but do you think it at all likely that you can make arrangements to go to the old country in 1890 ? “ It is quite possible that I will be able to do so if the best team Australia can pro­ duce is got together.” Then you will make it hot for All-England? “ So I think.” ROYAL ARTILLERY. F ixtures fo r 1899. May 22, 23—Aldershot, v. Aldershot Division May 29, 30—Woolwich, v. Green Jacket3 June 1—Woolwich, v. Non-Commissioned Officers June 3, 4-Woolwich, v. Royal Military Academy June 1°, 11—Woo'^ich, v Free Foresters June 13,14—Lord’s, v. M.C.C. June 21, 22 -Chatham, v. R E. June 2G, 27—Woolwich, v. Yorkshire Gentlemen June 2^. 23—WooUch, v. Incogniti July 5, 6—Woolwich, v. B B. July 8, 9—Woolwich, v. Harlequins July 17,18—Woolwich, v. Royal Marines July 19, 20—Chelsea, v. Household Brigade July 22. 23—Mote Park, v Mote Park August 2, 3—Woolwich, v. R.E. August 5, 6—Woolwich, v. I Z. August 12,13—Winchester, v. Green Jackots August 21 -Woolwich, v. Non Com. Officers “ How TO P lace a C kickbt F ie ld .” — J ust P ublished . T he N e w L aws of C ricket . —As revised by the Marylebonc Cricket Club, with five specially arranged diagrams “ How to Place a Cricket Field” as follows:—!. To Slow Bowler (either Rouad-arra or “ Lobs’r); 2. A slow or medium Left-handed Bowler (Round-arm); 3. To an Ordinary Medium-nace Bowler; 4. To a Fast Left-handed Bowler (Round-arm); 5. To a Fast Round-arm Bowler. Sent post free 2id. Wright and Co., 41, St. Andrew’s Hill, Doctors Commons, E.O. or from all dealers. CRICKET IN SOUTH AFRICA. MOTHER COUNTRY v. COLONIAL BORN This annual match was played at Cape Town on Saturday, March 2. The Colonial Born won on the first innings by_87 runs. M other C ountry . First Innings. Second Innings. Gunner Smith, b Ashley... 11 c Watermeyer, b Smuts.........20 Priv. Morrisey, b Theu­ nissen ............................. 1 b Ashley ......... 0 J. Dean, c Watermeyer, b Theunissen................17 b Ashley ........... 7 Surg.Young, lbw, b Ashley 0 lbw, b H. Forde 20 W. H. Milton, b Ashley ... 0 c Theunissen, b Forde .........49 Capt. Pocock, c Bisset, b Ashley...................... ..... j 0 b Theunissen ... 24 E. J. Stradling, b Theu­ nissen ............................. 8 b Theunissen ... 19 Rev. J. Hindson, b Ashley 0 st Steytler, b Theunissen... 2 Sergt.-Major Risk, not out 7 not out ......... 2 H. Hands, b Ashley.........10 b Theunissen ... 0 Priv. Middleton, b Ashley 0 Extras................ ... 6 Extras.........12 Total ... 60 Total ...146 C olonial B orn . E. Bisset, c Hindson, b Middleton .........25 E. S. Steytler4 run out ...................... 9 G. Richards, c Risk, b Middleton ......... 7 H. Ford, c Hindson, b Middleton ......... 2 H. Watermeyer, run out ...................... 4 C. L. van der Byl, b Milton ............... 0 J. Forde, b Smith W. O. Reid, b Risk N. Theunissen, Milton ......... W. H. Ashley, Risk ... ......... A. Smuts, not out Extras......... Total ... 29 ... 33 b ... 27 b ... 7 ... 0 ... 7 ...147 The following are the results of the Mother Country v. Colonial Born matches played since 1880:— November 14th, 1880, -Colonial-Born won by 27 runs.1 December 27th, 1880, Colonial Bom won by an innings and 6 runs. November 7th, 1881, Colonial Born won by 5 runs on the first innings. December 26th, 1881, Mother Country won by 48 runs on the first innings. November 6th, 1882, Mother Country won by 85 runs on the first innings. December 23rd, 1882, Mother Country won by 17 runs on the first innings. November 19th, 1883, Colonial Born won by 33 runs on the first innings. December 2Gth, 188-*, Colonial Bom won by 7 runs on the first innings. November 17th, 1881, Mother Country won by an innings and 24 runs. February 21st, 1885, Mother Country won by £8 runs on the first innings. November 23rd, 1885, Colonial Bom won by 2 runs. January 1st and 2nd, 1886, Mother Couniry won by 54 runs. November 13th, 1886, Colonial Bom won by 96 runs. January 1st, 1887, Mother Country won by two wickets. January 3rd, 1887, Colonial Born won by 95 runs on the first innings. December 3rd, 1887, Mother Country won by 41 on the first innings. January 2nd and 3rd, 1683, Colonial Born won by five wickets. March 3rd, 1688, Colonial Born won by 112runs on the first innings. December. 1888, match left unfinished owing to Ihe rain stopping play; the scores being—Co o- nial Born, 114; and Mother Country, 06 for two wickets down. December 8th. 1888, Colonial Born won by 59 runs and one wicket on the first Innings. iMarch 1st, 1889, Colonial Born won by 87 runs oh the first innings. ! It will thus be seen from the above record that, since 1880, the Colonial Born have ■v^on twelve matches and lost eight. The Ludlow Cricket woek 'begin* on Mon­ day, July 29. l THE ENGLISH CRICKETERS IN SOUTH AFRICA. T h e following remarks on the tour of the English Cricketers just returned home from the Cape, written by a thoroughly good judge of the game resident in South Africa, will be read with interest:— After playing the two matches here the English went into Kimberley to play their return. Smith could not go with them, as he was laid up here, and he was not even well enough to get down to Capetown in time to play in the final match. At Kimberley the English ran up a long score and some really good form was shown. Briggs at last did himself justice in the batting line, and, I am told, hit very freely. He and Fothergill put on 57 for the last wicket, Briggs managing to keep nearly all the bowling for himself by running a series of most impudent runs. Abel as usual played a tho­ rough innings, and Read and others all helped to swell the total. The Kimberley bowling got into a series of knots, and only Seccull—a fast bowler of the uncertain order —came off at all. The Kimberley fielding also was not up to their usual standard, which is a high one. In batting, Kimberley did not do so well in their first match, but they had to go in against a lot of runs and had a fearful light to play in at the end of the third day. Their last wickets again scored, and all things considered, I think they did rather well to make a draw of it. Tancred played a good second innings and kept up his reputation of being the safest run-getter in the Colony. The English then travelled down to Capetown for the last match—v. the S.A. X I.—and tho result has sent them away on good terms with themselves. They won the toss and stayed in nearly all day. Abel played an absolutely perfect innings of 120. I never saw him play a ball wrong or take a single libertj', and with this care he did not let much off but hit well and freely. His innings was a model to Colonials of how cricket should be played. Wood made59 by good strong hitting, about the best innings he has played here. The rest did not do very much. Ashley bowled steadily and got seven wickets, Innes was dead out of form, Vintcent bowled better than he has done during the tour, but without much success, while Theunissen, of whom great things were expected, simply could not bowl a decent ball. The English have always said be would not get wickets with eleven in the field, but the fact remains that in the first three matches he clean bowled several men and got others caught behind the wickets. Of one or two innings I should pre­ fer not to speak. Briggs apparently wanted to do something sensational to wind up with, and he did. He got his length at once, and bowling a fast ball—coming with his arm and doing a good many inches—he beat one man after another with the pace and break. It was extraordinary bowling, and the English pro­ fessionals will bear me out in saying that he probably never bowled better in his life. Tancred was the only man who could do any­ thing at all, and he played a most correct and pluckv innings, carrying his bat through for 26. t am sorry that we got such an awful thrashing, as it may make people despondent about our Gricket, and they will forget all about the undoubtedly fair form shown pre­ viously by the colonials in this overwhelming defeat. The tour has without doubt been a success from a cricket point of view, ard will, I hope, bear good fruit. The team had a very hard programme to get through, as they had a Jot of travelling and very little time to do it in. It was a case of travel, cricket, banquet, with no breathing time. Anv future team must have a little more rest tnan these men have had. Financially the tour was not so suc­ cessful, i.e., to the promoter, and I hear the Major does not come out quite right. This is, no doubt, largely owing to the expense of getting XTlyett out as an extra man,