Cricket 1890

DEC. 27, 1890, CBICKET: A WEEKLY BECOED OP THE GAME. 471 the South of London, who have had opportunity of knowing what good work he has done and does. Mr. Percy Thornton, I need hardly add, is the universally popular Old Harrovian, who has acted as Hon. See. of the Middlesex County Club for several years. His family has been closely connected for a very long time with the district, and P. M. has identified himself already with every scheme which can conduce to the benefit of those among whom he lives. C r ic k e t of course has no politics, and it is not with any political views, but only from a long knowledge of his personal work, that I venture to hope the good folk of Clapham will have Mr. Thornton as their representative in Parliament when the next election is over. T he Parsee Cricketers are not, it ap­ pears, to visit England after all next summer, as was anticipated. Some few fixtures had been made for them, but the Secretary of the Surrey County C.C. had with unintentional forethought, as events have proved, not got very far into the arrangement of their programme, so that little or no harm has really been done. I understand a letter was received from Mr. P. J). Kanga, on Tuesday, stating that after careful con­ sideration the Parsees had reluctantly decided to give up the idea of another visit to England for the present. According to Shakespeare,“ Two stars keepnot their motion in one sphere,” and though they would in all probability have interfered very slightly if at all with the American team, still it will be better under all cir­ cumstances that there should be only one outside combination to distract the attention of English Cricketers. I d o not suppose for a moment that C r ic k e t readers, who have any know­ ledge of the immense influence the Marylebone Club could exercise in case of need, have been disquieted in the smallest degree by tho announcement that it was in contemplation to take even a part of Lord’s ground for the purposes of the new line proposed to be made by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Eailway, to give the Company direct connection between Manchester and London. I have good reason to believe that there was or is still a proposal to utilise a portion of the practice ground to this end. Cricketers, though, will be glad to learn that at a special meeting of the Company mentioned, held at Manchester on Friday, in alluding to the matter, Sir Edward Watkin took pains to announce that if the line was proceeded with it would be on the distinct understanding that they did not quarrel with Lord’s. They only wanted,he added,one bit of one corner of the new property there, and if they could not arrange the matter they could go elsewhere. By the way, I presume it is superfluous to ask if C r ic k e t readers generally saw the sketch in Punch a fortnight ago, depicting a sortie of cricketers led by the Grand Old Man, on a gee-gee of anything but martial appearance, to repel the invasion of Lord’s. I t will give universal gratification to cricketers to know that the rumour of Mr. M. P. Bowden’s death, to which I referred in “ Gossip”amonth ago,was alto­ gether unfounded. I have it on the best authority that quite recently a letter was received from his brother in which M. P. was described as in the best of health. From information I have received I am able to state that the Surrey Amateur, who is attached to the British South Africa Company, was, at the time the letter was written, at Fort Victoria with Lieut.-Colonel Pennefather, the commanding officer of the British South Africa Company’s forces, so that he must have taken an active part in the successful expedition into Mashonaland. In all probability he is at the present time in the disputed territory, and in quite the thick of the fun. T he circumstances under which the County Cricket Council voted its own dissolution were so absurd that it is really hardly possible to treat the matter at all seriously. The only regret is that the public should have had such an unmis- takeable proof of the lack of ordinary business capacity of those who repre­ sented the various County Clubs, and practically are supposed to form in them­ selves the embodiment of the wisdom of County Cricket. T o judge from the tone of surprise assumed by some of those present, it would have seemed as if the scheme of classification was really a plot skilfully prepared by the minor counties for their own benefit, instead of the decision of a special general meeting convened at the instance of the Sub- Committee appointed by the Council itself twelve months ago. T hose who have read my views on the subject do not need to be reminded that I have from the first systematically expressed the opinion that no system of classification could be prepared which would be generally acceptable, nor one which would be found to be really prac­ ticable. As a matter of fact, I have con­ sistently contended that a really deserv­ ing shire, and one likely to retain its position, was sure to be heartily en­ couraged by the more important Counties, and that there were difficulties in the way of any system of classification which would be found to be insuperable. At the same time, I am bound to admit that for the imbroglio which followed, resulting ultimately in the dissolution of the Council, the chief Counties were most to blame. Had they taken a consistent attitude in opposition throughout, the scheme never would have reached the scope of practical politics, and much trouble and time would not have been wasted. As it was, instead of expressing their disapproval openly at the special meeting held in August,they abstained from voting, and in allowing judgment to go by default, placed the Council in an untenable position, which really was mainly account­ able for all the subsequent trouble. Many will regret, as I do, the ultimate result, because the Council, had it continued, would have done good work in the interests of County Cricket. This was the sole object with which it was formed, though it was evident that there were some who feared a wider influence, and it is only fair to them to say that their dislike was not concealed in any way. After the experience of the last meeting, however, no-one would venture, I think, to urge a new lease of life for a body which had shown as it did on that occasion such a lack of capacity for administration as well as such an ignorance ofthe ordinary rulesofdebate, At the same time, one can but regret that if the Council in a momentary fit of aberration determined to commit suicide, it did not at least perform the operation in something like a dignified and becom­ ing manner. T h e ir many friends in England will be glad to learn that the majority of those members of the Seventh Australian team who are returning to the Colonies, reached Adelaide safely on the evening of Nov. 4. The party consisted of Messrs. H. F. Boyle, J. J. Lyons, J. McC. Blackham, F. H. Walters, G. H. S. Trott, K. E. Burn and S. E. Gregory. Messrs. Turner, Ferris, Charlton and Trumble, as most C ricket readers will remember, left England a little later in the “ Oceana,” which was due to arrive in Adelaide about a week afterwards. Mr. Jones is on his way home in the well- known sailing ship “ Sobraon,” and Messrs. Murdoch—who has removed from Bichmond to Kensington, if I am rightly informed—and Barrett are staying in England for the present, the former for some time in pursuit of his medical studies. In the sudden death of 3. M. Preston, Yorkshire loses a cricketer who at one time promised to develop into a really first-class player. Getting a place in the County eleven in 1885, before he was twenty-one, he speedily made his mark, having for that season the excellent average of just under twenty runs per innings. He was often found useful as a fast bowler, and many people who were good judges expressed the opinion that he was the most likely all-round cricketer the County had produced since Bates. In his second season, 1886, he also came off very well, scoring 534 runs in first- class matches, with an average of just under 19. In that year, too, Preston was twelfth man for England v. Australia at Manchester—a great compliment to his all-round skill. In 1887 he joined Shaw and Shrewsbury’s Australian team, and was fairly successful. In the following NEXT ISSUE, JANUABY 27.