Cricket 1890

MAY 8, 1890. CBICKET: A WEEKLY EECOED OF THE GAME. 105 many and practical proofs, is one of the most pleasant recollections of a connection with cricket extending over a longer period than I sometimes care to think of. The following, taken from “ Forty Years of Cricket,” will be an interesting reminiscence to many who, like myself, had some knowledge of the enthusiasm Mrs. Grace showed for cricket. As a link with the cricket of Clarke’s time it will, I am sure, be read with interest. At the conclusion of the match Clarice pre­ sented my mother with a copy of “ Cricket Notes, by W. Bolland, with a letter con­ taining Practical Hints by William Clarke.” He had remembered my mother’s enthusiasm the year before, and the group of boys who gathered round when he talked to her, and in his heart he thought, “ This will give her and them a moment’s pleasure.” I have the book in my possession now; it is before me as I write, and his handwriting stands out dis­ tinctly :— PRESENTED TO MBS. GRACE, B Y W ILLIAM CLARKE, SECRETARY, ALL-EN GLAN D ELEVEN. You can guess how that book was treasured and read by the younger members of the Grace family. “ Felix on the Bat ” had been in my father’s possession since 1852—it is in mine now—and up to 1854 it was the best- thumbed book in our village home. The coloured drawings, woodcuts, and vignettes charmed my youthful fancy; and I have little doubt I turned over page after page, shook my head, and made believe to read and under­ stand. But that was laid aside. Clarke was now the great authority, and every word he had written was gospel. M r . W. E. R oller , it will interest C ricket readers everywhere to know, will make his first appearance [this year in a County match at the Oval on Thursday next, against Essex. A very interesting addition has just been made to the extensive picture gallery of the Surrey County C.C., in the shape of a large oil painting in which Mr. Roller is the principal figure. He is represented in the act of descending the Pavilion steps on his way to the wicket, and the likeness is an excellent one, con­ veying his pose and appearance most happily. The painting, which is the work of Mr. G. C. Roller, a younger brother, who, by the way, has a picture in the Academy this year, has been generously presented to the Surrey County C.C. by Mr. Roller’s mother. Surrey cricketers and frequenters of the Oval will be very pleased that the Club possesses a per­ manent souvenir of one who has done such good service to Surrey cricket. W. G. ’s admirers all over the world will be very gratified to notice that his fame as an athlete is likely to be perpetu­ ated for one generation at least. His eldest son bids fair to prove, in one branch of athletic sports at least, a worthy suc­ cessor of our Grand Old Man. At the Clifton College sports, held on Friday and Saturday last, young W. G. had a high old time of it. No less than five prizes fell to him during the meeting. He did the hundred yards in IX seconds, the half­ mile for boys under sixteen in 2 minutes 12 seconds, and won the open half-mile in 2 minutes 11 seconds. Through not yet sixteen years of age he stands six feet high, so it will be seen that he is a chip of the old block in build. W . G. junior, too, is a first-rate scholar, and as famous in the class-room as on the running-path. T h e South African Cricket Association, which has been in contemplation for some time past, became an accomplished fact on the 8th of last month. At least, at a conference of delegates from all districts the Association was duly formed, and with every chance of a useful and success­ ful career. The rules provide that clubs shall have representation in the local Unions to be formedin “Western Province, Eastern Province, Griqualand “West, Natal, Orange Free State and the Trans­ vaal. Each Union is to have three dele­ gates and three votes on the Association. The head-quarters are to be at the centre which holds the champion trophy for the time being, with the proviso that the Association shall be able to call meetings at other convenient places. M r . C a d w a lla d e r , who is now located in Cape Town, is the Hon. Sec. of the new Association, which, to judge by the development of South African cricket since the visit of Major Warton’s team, is likely to have an extensive sphere ofaction. At the inaugural meetingmentioned above, it was stated that Mr. W . H. Milton, the old Marlburian, and moving spirit of the Western Province C.C. of Cape Town, had received letters from both Lohmann and Briggs, offering to bring cricket teams from England at the end of this summer, so that South Africa is evidently regarded just now as a fruitful bgise of operations by English cricketers;rrAs I stated last week, it is very doubtful indeed whether the Australian team will accept the offer of the Johannesburg Wanderers to play a series of matches in South Africa on their way home. In this case it would seem to be probable that an English team will try their luck on that continent. In Mr. E. Smith, whose all-round cricket was such a noticeable feature of the Seniors’ match at^Oxford this week, many C r ic k e t readers will remember the Cliftonian who did good service with both bat and ball for the Clifton College in 1887, during the captaincy of H. S. Schwann, who, by the way, also played on the same side at Oxford this week. Mr. Smith, who is a fast bowler, repre­ sented Yorkshire against Kent at Maid­ stone last year, but the ground was not in his favour as a bowler, and certainly not as a bat. In the match at Oxford to which reference has been made he scored 106 in the one innings he had for Mr. J. A. Gibbs’.side, and took ten wickets at an aggregate cost of 99 runs. A p e c u lia r instance of mistaken identity in the matter of a cricket ball has come under my notice. It occurred during a match between the Grecian and Brockley Clubs at Brockley on Saturday, a score of which appears, I believe, in another part of the paper. During the Grecian innings a ball was hit into the outfield, and a couple of runs were scored before it returned into the possession of the bowler. Then, however, one of the batsmen noticed that the wrong ball had been thrown in, and calling his com­ panion, two more runs were added before the proper sphere could be substituted. F r a n k N eed h am , the young Notting­ ham professional, of whose bowling not a few judges, as I can vouch, think highly, seems to have begun the season in good fashion, to judge by his performance in the opening match of the Notts Cricket League, on the Trent Bridge Ground. Commencing the bowling against the Notts Forest C.C., he took a wicket with his first ball, and continued so well that at the close of the innings his analysis gave the following remarkable figures :— lOo. 10m. 0 runs 7 wickets (6 clean bowled) I may add, too, that it was not a bowler’s wicket, as the ground, which had had no rain for weeks, was as hard as it usually is in August. A c o r r e s p o n d e n t (Mr. G. F. Robinson, of 77, High Street, Portsmouth) has sent me the bowling figures of Lohmann, Briggs, Peel, and Attewell in first class matches during the last three seasons. I have placed them in the order of their respective aggregates O. M. R. W. Aver. Lohmann .. 4898 2166 7398 565 13 53 Briggs.. .. 4083-2 2041 5343 414 12 375 Peel .. .. 3974-3 1816 5617 374 15'7 Attewell .. 4038 2312 4028 320 12 188 S t i l l another excerpt from “ Forty Years of Cricket.” The following epitome of the chief incidents in the early history of Cricket will, I venture to think, be of use as well as of interest. I have traced the game from its earliest beginnings down to the end of 1862, and now give a short reswme of the important land­ marks in its history:— Club-ball was played in the 13th Century. Hand-in and Hand-out was played in 1477. The word crieket was first used in 1550. Cat and Dog was played in Scotland in 1700. The oldest recorded match in existence in Kent v. England in 1746. The old Hambledon Club was formed in 1750, and continued until the year 1791. Laws were in existence about the year 1700. 'Ihe Marylebone C.C. was formed in 1787. The Gentlemen v. Players matches began in 1806. Bound-arm bo wling was in use in 1827. The I Zingari Club was formed in 1845. The All-England Eleven was formed in 1846. The United-England Eleven was formed in 1852. The first English team visited Canada and United States in 1861. The first English team visited Australia in 1862.