Cricket 1890

28 CRICKET: A WEEKLY EECORD OP THE GAME. FEB. 27 1890. KENT COUNTY CLUB. The annual general meeting of the above body was held at W illis’s Room s, K ing-street, St. James’s, on the 13th inst., under the presidency of Lord Harris. The annual report stated that the K ent Eleven had not retained the position it held in 1888, when bracketed second w ith York­ shire, but drew attention to the fact that this position was partly due to the unaccountable collapse of the Notts team , which has regained the place it had held for so m any years am ongst the leading counties. Kent, however, was only able to place her full strength in the field in August, and the plan adopted last season of playing as m any.m atches as possible during that m onth worked admirably, and its continuance was recomm ended as far as possible. The system of choosing teams, how ­ ever, broke down, and it was suggested that the captain for each match should be selected at least a m onth beforehand, and that he should be made responsible. T he report referred to the visit of the Australians in 1890, and though the Comm ittee recommended the enlargement of the fixture-list, could only suggest the addition of one m ore county (which has been done, contests having been nxed with W arwickshire). In some quarters an idea appeared to prevail that because the eleven succumbed to Lancashire and Surrey in the m iddle of the m onth it had got stale—this was an utterly erroneous idea. In the first place, if it had been the case, the eleven ought to have fallen off the m ore after these two matches, whereas they w on their m ost brilliant v ctory after playing nine matches consecu­ tively. In the second place, if they were not playing county m atctes, all the professionals and m ost of the amateurs would have been playing in one and two-day matches, which, as, a rule, entail harder work than first-class matches. The continuance of the Second Eleven and Colts practice matches on the same lines as in 1899 was suggested, while, turning to the financial position of the club, 155 new members had joined during the past tw elve months, whioh was very satisfactory com pared with previous years. There are now 590 members, against 475 at the end of 1888, while the gate m oney was £824 3s. 6d. at Canterbury, and £505 16s. lOd. on other grounds, the N ottingham match at Becken­ ham yielding over £200, a sum that had not been approached in a Kent County m atch, except at Canterbury, for about fifteen years. The total funds invested and in hand were at the end of 1886, £640 3s. 2d.; 1887, £ 30 3 17s. I d .; 1888, £494 3s. 8 d .; 1889, £1114 11s. 3d. Under these satisfactory circum stances the Council strongly recommended that arrange­ m ents should be made before next Canterbury week for m ore convenient means of exit from the ground than at present exist, and also that m ore sitting accomm odation should be pro­ vided there for the public. In view o f the possibility of a m atch w ith the Australian Eleven at Canterbury this year, they thought it as well to append a com ­ parative statement of profits on the first match in Canterbury week in the last five years. A n idea prevailed that the counties bene­ fit pecuniarily by the visits of the Australian E leven. The follow ing statement shows that so far as Kent is concerned, and where only one m atch is played, there is no pecuniary advantage over an ordinary county m atch. He CANTERBURY WEEK —(First Match cilone). A u stralian Y e a b s . In 1886. In 1888. £ n. d. £ 8. d. Receipts at gate and stand 682 13 5 631 8 6 Paid to Australians .......... 271 2 3 287 9 6 Half expenses of the week.. 177 9 2 179 0 9 Profit on Australian match 184 2 0 164 18 3 £582 13 5 £631 8 0 O b d in a ry Y e a r s . In 1885. In 1887. Ill 1869. £ s. d. £ 8. d. £ s. d. Receipts at Gate and stands ... 350 6 0 850 14 9 322 8 0 Loss half ex­ penses of the week .......... 178 5 9 168 18 5 165 12 5 Profit on first match ..........£172 0 3 £181 16 4 £156 15 7 The report ®ontinued:—W e cannot conclude this report without alluding to the departure of Frank Hearne to South Africa. F or some years under serious disadvantages through ill-health, he has nevertheless worked hard for the county, and done m ost useful service, whilst occasionally his perform ances have been brilliant. W e are sure that it would have been in accord with the wish of the members if we could have arranged that he should have had a benefit match as a return for his good play and invariable good behaviour; but his decision to leave England was com e to so late that we thought it better to try and raise a subscription for him by in ­ dividual efforts, and we are happy to say that a m ost ready and generous response m et our applications. W e have to deplore the loss by death of two gentlemen, Mr. C. A . Absolom and Mr. A lfred Penn. Their services at a tim e when the county was not in its present flourishing condition will be in the grateful recollection of all who took an interest in county cricket at that time. On the m otion of Lord Harris, seconded by Mr. H ilton, the report was carried, the chair­ man stating that, acting on the report, they were m aking arrangements for additional exits on the Canterbury ground, and also for the erection of a stand for members and a friend introduced by them , which would be covered to protect from wind and rain, and accomm odate about five hundred. The accounts were also passed on the m otion of Capt. Lambert, seconded by Gen. Denne. Mr. W . B. T . Pattison asked leave to w ith­ draw his m otion re the accomm odation at Canterbury, as the comm ittee, by their action, had rendered it unnecessary. This was granted. Mr. Cornwallis was chosen the president for the present year, and for the vacancies on the comm ittee Mr. W . H , Patterson will take the place of M r.A. Penn, deceased ; Lord Thornley the seat vacated by E arl Sondes, while Mr. P. H ilton, Rev. R. T . Thornton, and Col. Hardy are reappointed, and the other seats filled by Messrs. F . M archant and S. Christopherson. In replying to a hearty vote of thanks pro­ posed by M ajor Lawes, Lord Harris stated that he should continue to take the greatest interest in the doings of the club, of the comm ittee of which he was still a member, and that his advice was still at their service. THE CAKE OF CRICKET GROUNDS. B y R . B e a l e , F.N.C.S. It is impossible to en joy a game of cricket on a bad piece of turf. Good pitches are, however, in a m inority everywhere. H ow few cricket fields receive proper attention at this, to them , the m ost important season ! Even where a ground has been properly drained, turfed, and cut for years, there are certain duties of importance that should be performed at once, if the turf is to last well next cricket season. Good turf, which has been w ell-laid on a d iy foundation, will keep on improving, toughening, and thickening for many years till it gets to be as thick and full of fibry roots as a door-m at. Guano and stimulating artificial manures are out of place for improving turf. They make the blades of grass grow fast, it is true, and give the turf a deep green colour, but this is effected at the expense of the roots. T urf needs to be kept warm, especially in M arch, %when the keen, dry, piercing winds prevail. It also requires nourishing food, which will work in amongst the roots and help to thicken both the roots and the turf. Turf m ay be thickened from above by a judicious use of surface dressings. It also thickens of itself as the roots penetrate into the rich loam on which it is, or should be, resting. The best surface dressing for turf should be of a kind that can be spread thinly all over the surface, that w ill work in quickly, and that w ill furnish the proper kind of food for strengthening the roots of the turf. Farm yard manure, spread on in the autumn and worked and knocked about all winter, does very well and serves to keep the ground warm till the spring. It seldom, though, gets well worked in, and much of it needs to be raked or brushed off again as the season com es near. It also gives the ground an untidy appearance. Spent hot-bed manure, spent mushroom soil, and fresh loam worked up together and spread on are very acceptable to the turf. It is not always possible to get these, however, and where five or six acres are to be dressed it takes a large quantity of material. The cost of such a top-dressing for say five acres, allowing twenty tons to an acre (a light dressing only), carting, spreading, brushing and rolling included, would be about £50 if done cheaply, by one’s own m en. Still, it would well repay the outlay, even if it were tw ice that amount. A material half way between farm -yard and artificial manure should be just the thing for turf at this season. E very secretary, honorary or otherwise, and every groundman likes to hear his ground praised. Patches which have been worn bare will have either been returfed or require to be taken in hand soon by the careful manager. Good tough turf to begin with is m ost im por­ tant. In patching, the best of turf should be used, and it should bo borne in m ind that turves laid now are apt to shrink considerably when dry weather comes, so it is essential that they are not laid loosely. It is a good plan to take out some of the soil before re­ laying, and to lay down some fresh sweet loam for the new turves to root into. A good opportunity will offer early in April of sowiDg with grass seeds thin places on the turf which can be left to rest till about m id­ summer. A light covering of some sweet and rich material will help to give the seeds a good start, and the groundman must not be in a hurry to top them over with the machine when he sees that they have begun to grow. N ew grass is best cut with the scythe for two or three tim es. Repairing practice pitches, brushing about worm casts, and rolling on dry days are all necessary duties that should be attended to at once. A stitch in tim e saves nine. M r . W . J. F o r d is now a master at W est­ minster School. T h e first weekly summer number for 1890 will appear on April 17. T h e new pavilion at L ord’s is expected to be ready for the use of members on M ay 1. T h e Annual General Meeting of the Surrey County C.C. is fixed for Thursday, May 8, at Kennington Oval. T h e Comm ittee of the Mal-ylebone Club have kindly prom ised the use of Lord's on September 8, 9, and 10 to the Australians, for a m atch the whole proceeds of which are to go to the Cricketers’ Fund. T h e Corporation of the City of London has contributed £105 towards the fund being raised by the Essex County C.C ., the M er­ chant Taylors’ Co. £21, and Sir Reginald Hanson, Bart., £20. To T h e D e a f . — A Person cured of Deafness and noises in the head of 23 years’ standing by a simple remedy, will send a description of it F r e e to any Person who applies to N ich olson 21, Bedford Square, London, W C.— A d v t , NEXT ISSUE, MARCH 27.