Cricket 1890

42 CKICKET: A WEEKLY BECOKD OF THE GAME. M a e . 27 ,1890. C r ic k e t was well represented by Messrs. R. I). Walker, C. I. Thornton, Stanley Christopherson, Leslie Wilson, F. Marchant, A. W. Ridley, G. Marsham, and others; while amongst many poli­ tical friends were to be seen Mr. E. Stanhope, M.P., Secretary of State for "War; Sir James Fergusson, M.P., Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs ; Sir William Walrond, M.P., the Hon. St. John Brodrick, M.P., the Hon. Sydney Herbert, M.P., and several of the permanent officials of the Foreign and India Offices. Lord Harris, it may be added, took part in a match at Cairo during a short stay in that city. T h e news of the appointment of the Hon. Edward Lyttelton to the Head Mastership of Haileybury College will be received with general satisfaction by all who have had personal experience of the force and energy of his character. One of the youngest of the seven brothers of the present Lord Lyttelton, he made a great reputation as a cricketer at Eton, and subsequently at Cambridge. His captaincy of the University Eleven in 1878,indeed,was a marked success, though, it must b« added, he had perhaps the strongest combination University cricket had seen for a long time. Mr. Edward Lyttelton has been an assistant master at Eton for some years, and has enjoyed great popularity there. The new Head Master of Haileybury, who is married to a daughter of the Dean of St. Patrick’s, Dublin, is to assume the office after Easter. He is thirty-four years of age. T h e movement for the provision of better accommodation for the athletic youth of London, which practically dates from the enthusiastic meeting held at the Memorial Hall, Farringdon-street, on March the 5th, is one which cannot fail to commend itself to all classes of C ric k e t readers. The open spaces at present available for the people of London for the purpose of outdoor games, such as cricket, football, and other kindred amusements, are, as everyone knows, altogether in­ adequate. The importance of providiug recreation of such a character for the workers of London increafes with the growth of the population, and, established as it seems to be on the broadest lines, I feel sure that the London Playmg Fields Committee will be able to do much good in assisting the physical needs of the great and growing community for whom they propose to interest themselves. B r ie f l y , the aim of the London Playing Fields Committee is to ascertain the demand for playing fields, and to take such steps as they may deem expedient to organise, represent, and meet such demand. Their mission, as I take it, will be to bring influence to bear wherever racticable, to see to increased and etter accommodation in the parks and open spaces round London, and further, should occasion arise, to meet the require­ ments of clubs able to contribute to some extent and establish grounds on a self-sup­ porting basis. As I have already said, the committee is a comprehensive one, and includes not only representatives of the Marylebone, Surrey, and Essex Clubs, but of the London and Sub­ urban Association, and the principal local associations, such as Regent’s Park, Southwark Park, Victoria Park, and West London, as well as of the Finsbury Park, Clissold Park, Battersea Park, and Peck­ ham Rye Clubs, and of the Metropolitan Police Force. , THE HISTORY OF CRICKET. To the Editor of C r ic k e t . S ir ,— I was pleased to observe in your February issue that the opening chapters of Dr. W. G. Grace’s forthcoming [work on Cricket would deal with a survey of the game from its earliest beginnings. In a special article which appeared several years ago from the pen of W. G. in the Boys1 Own Paper, which has since been revised and published in book form, Dr. W. G. Grace states : “ There were no laws of Cricket until about 1770 ; the earliest copy we have of them is entitled, ‘ The Laws of Cricket, as revised at the Star and Garter, Pall Mall,’ dated February 25,1774.” This is further corrobo­ rated by Mr. Andrew Lang in “ Cricket ” of the Badminton Library, p. 12, wherein Mr. Lang states that the earliest laws of the game which have reached us are of the year 1774. In Box’s “ Cricketers’ Manual,” one of the best little books treating on the history of cricket, the oldest rules are printed from a manuscript which is undated ; and in Lillywhite’s “ Scores and Biographies,” Vol. I., p. 15, mention is made of an old silk hand­ kerchief, on the border of which appeared the laws of the game, but still no date. Now I have a book in my possession, pub­ lished by M. Cooper at the Globe, in Pater­ noster Row, 1752, wherein the rules of the game at cricket appear as settled by the Cricket Club in 1744, and played at the Artillery Ground, London, together with a curious representation of the game engraved from the paintings in VauxhaU Gardens. These rules are, it will be observed, two years prior to the immortalised preserved score of the Kent v. England match, 1746, and as the book is now 138 years old, I imagine it is the first record of the rules being printed. I have looked through the Rev. J. Pycroft’s first edition of the “ Cricket Field,” “ Bol- land’s Notes,” Selkirk’s “ Guide to the Cricket Field,” Gale’s “ Echoes,’’Thomsonby’s “ Cricketers in Council,” Denison’s “ Cricke­ ter’s Companion,” 1843, Fred Lillywhite’s Guides (twenty-three issues) from 1849 to 1866, and can only find from Charles Box’s book that the first printed book containing the rules was published in the year 1775 by Williams, of Fleet Street, price 6d. The book to which I refer, containing the rules, is the New Universal Magazine of November, 1752. Singularly, Box quotes the Universal Magazine of August, 1777, respect- ng a great cricket match on Guildford Basin, but the magazine of November, 1752, has evidently escaped the notice of many cricket enthusiasts.—I am, Sir, yours faith­ fully, A l f r e d J. G a s t o n . Clyde Road, Brighton, March 20. CUR I O S I T I E S OF 1889 . (Continuedfrom C r ic k e t of Dec. 27, page 473.) December 7—Kimberley, Natal v. Kimberley D. C. Davey carried his bat through second innings of Natal for 62 out of 105. December 7—Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth v. Union. H. H. Castens and A. Melville put on 125 for first wicket of former. December 7—Hobart Town, Wellington v. Break of Day. L. H. Macleod ca rrie d h is b a t th ro u g h fo r m e r ’s in n iQ g s. He scored 57 ou t of 123. December 27—Calcutta, Calcutta Club v. Mr. G. F. Vernon’s English Team. Capt. C. E. Greenwayjt rried his bat through former’s first innings, scoring 130 out of 249. December 27—Christchurch, Canterbury v. Wellington. Moss took all ten wickets in latter’s first innings. December —Cape Town, Colonial Born v. Mother Country. A. Richards carried his bat through the innings. OLD CLIFTONIANS TOUR- F ix t u r e s for 1890. July 4—Streatham, v. Streatham July 28, 29—Surbiton, v. Surbiton July 80, 31—Tunbridge, v. Tunbridge Aug. 1, 2—Reigate, v. Reigate Hill Aug. 4, 5—Brighton, v. Brighton Aug. 6, 7—Horsham, v. Horsham Aug. 8, 9—Winchester, v. Green Jackets Aug. 11, 12—Portsmouth, v. United Service T h e Johannesburg Wanderers have guar­ anteed the Australian team for a tour of ten or eleven matches, extending over sevenweeks, in South Africa, on their homeward journey from England in September. B a r n e s C l u b . —The annual general meeting of this club was held on March 3 at the Bull’s Head, Barnes, when the captain, Mr. A. G. H. Stevens,was in the chair. Mr.E.C.Morley was re-elected president, and Mr. O. E. Ratcliff captain. Mr. A. G. H. Stevens, who resigned that office, was appointed hon. sec., and Mr. A. Sissons was re-elected hon. treasurer. The following were elected Committee for the ensuing season:—Messrs, J. B . Oakley, H. K. Keys, H. Sherreff, P. Brandon, C. Nettleton, F. J. Rawlinson, P. R. Earnshaw, F. C. Graves, and T. F. Harrington. C u m be r la n d C o u n ty C l u b . —The annual meeting of the Cumberland County Cricket Club was held on Feb. 22,in the Great Central Hotel, Carlisle. The balance-sheet showed that the year had begun with a balance in hand of £31 14s. 6d., and closed with that balance reduced to £17 7s. 5d. Thirty-one subscribers had contributed £32 11s. to the olub; the other seventy-three members had not been asked for their subscriptions, as the club was likely to be wound up. Match expenses had been £48 Is. 3d., £35 being incurred in the match at Middlesbrough, and £12 14s. in the M.C.C. match at Carlisle. Mr. Horrocks tendered his resignation as treasurer. It was agreed, without any formal resolution, to allow the club to dissolve, the balance of £17 being loft in the banK for use whenever it might be thought desirable to resuscitate the club. If a county ground were obtained, Mr. Dykes and Mr. Horrocks were willing k> take the matter up again. NEXT ISSUE, APRIL 17.