Cricket 1890

476 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. DEO. 27, 1890. half of the members being speoially selected. There is no need to say that the club is in a prosperous condition. If proof were wanted of it, we have but to refer to the handsome pavilion which has been recently built at a cost of £20,000. The H on. Spencer Ponsonby Fane laid the first stone on the 17th of September, 1889, and everything was com ­ pleted by the beginning of the present season. It is capable of accomm odating 3,000 people, and is a vast im provem ent on the old, which had weathered the storms of 65 years. A ll round the ground, improvements have been made and are being made yearly. Ten men are em ployed throughout the year to look after it, and everything in connection w ith it is in apple-pie order. It is the first cricket club in the world, and it is held in deserved respect by everyone who plays the game. A t hom e and abroad, every Englishman refers to it w ith pardonable pride, and upholds it as one of the bulwarks of the British nation. The M.C.C. is everywhere acknowledged to be the law-maker and preserver of the laws. It has been accused of being too conservative in some respects, and of not marching quickly enough in the interests of the gam e; but m y experience of it has shown that imm ediately a grievance has been made clear, it has been quick to act. Rarely a year has passed in which some point of law has not been considered, and received calm and broad examination. U nfair bowling, the selection of umpires, county qualifications, disputes beteen players of the N orth and South—in fact, everything bearing on the welfare of the game—have in turn been discussed and adjudicated u p o n ; and the opinion is general to-day that the old club has been faithful to the trust which has been placed in its hands for upwards of a hundred years. The eentenary celebration, which was held on the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16 th, 17th, and 18th June, 1887, was an importa nllandm arkin the history of the club. The firstthree days were devoted to first-class cricket, M .C.C. and Ground v. England, and elicited a grand bat­ ting display from Mr. A . E. Stoddart and Shrewsbury for England. The last three days, devoted to Gentlemen of M .C.C. v. Eighteen Veterans of Over F orty, saw the giants of the past batting w ith some of the giants of the present. A nd the dinner, which was held in the tennis court in the evening of the 15th, brought together a m ost distinguished com ­ pany of players and lovers of the game, num ­ bering about two hundred. “ Success to the Great A rm y of Cricketers,” “ The Church,*' “ T he A rm y,’ * “ The N avy,” “ T he Bench and the Bar,” “ M edicine,” and “ T he Cricket Counties ” was proposed in turn, and no such m emorable m eeting has ever been held since cricket was first played. T he comm ittee of the M .C.C., while they have been leaders in the interests o f the game, have not lost sight of the interests of pro­ fessional players. Y oung and prom ising players have always been encouraged to develop their skill, and the m ost successful have rarely failed to secure an engagement on the staff of ground bowlers, a position which m eans m ore than a mere certificate of ability There are 42 professional cricketers engaged at L ord’s, many of them receiving paym ent at the rate of £10 per week. The season lasts about 16 weeks. For country matches they are paid at the rate of £6 per m atoh ; for m atches played at Lord’s, £3 10s. if they win, and £3 if they lose. The ground bowlers are paid from 30s. to 50s. per week, while they can always depend on handsome gratuities from the members. E very player selected by the comm ittee to play against the Gentlemen is paid at the rate of £10 per m a tch ; and after years of faithful service, nearly every first-class player can rely upon a benefit match, which may be expected to realise a goodly sum. It will readily be understood that every player covets the position of ground bowler at L ord’s, and avails him self of the first offer to play there, in the hope of creating a favour­ able impression. The M .C.C. is generous in another way: the expenses of county teams playing at Lord’s being defrayed by the club, while the expenses of M .C.C. Elevens which visit the provinces com^ out of the olub funds only. The club can also show amost distinguished roll of office bearers, but notrustworthy record can be given before 1826 . PRESIDENTS. 1826 CharlesBarnett,Esq. 1827 Henry Kingscote, Esq. _ ___ l A. F. Grenville, Esq. 1829 John Barnard, Esq. 1830 Hon. G. Ponsonby 1831 W m . Deedes, Eeq. 1832 Henry Howard, Esq. 1833 Herbert Jenner, Esq. 1834 Hon. H. Ashley 1835 LordCharles Russell 1836 Lord Suffield 1837 Viscount Grimston 1&38 Marquis of Exeter 1839 Earl of Chesterfield 1840 Earl of Verulam 1841 Earl Craven 1842 Earl of March 1843 Earl of Ducie 1844 Sir John Bayley, Bart. 1845 Thos.Chamberlayne Esq. 1846 Earl of Winterton 1847 Earl of Strathmore 1848 Earl of Leicester 1849 Earl of Darnley 1850 Earl Guernsey 1851 Earl Stamford and Warrington 1852 Viscount Dupplin 1853 MarquisofWorcester 1854 Earl Vane 1855 Earl of Uxbridge 1856 Viscount Milton 1857 Sir Fred. Bathurst, Bart. 1858 LordGarlies 1859 Earl of Coventry ’ 1860 Lord Skelmersdale 1861 Earl Spencer 1862 Earl of Sefton 1863 Lord Suffield 1864 Earl of Dudley 1865 Lord Ebury 18C6 Earl of Sandwich 1867 Earl of Verulam 1868 Lord Methuen 1869 Marquis of Lans- downe 1870 J. H. Scourfield, Esq.. M.P. 1871 Earl of Clarendon 1872 Viscount Down 1873 Earl of Cadogan 1874 Marquis of Hamilton 1875 SirCharles Legard, Bart., M.P. 1876 Lord Londes- borough 1877 Duke of Beaufort 1878 Lord Fitzhardinge 1879 W. Nicholson. Esq- 1880 SirWm.Hart-Dyke, Bart., M P. 168J Lord George Bamilton 1882 Lord Belper 1883 Hon. Robert G rim ston 1884 Earl of Winterton 1885 Lord Wenlock 1*86 Lord Lyttelton 1887 TheHon.EChandos L eigh, Q.C. 1888 The Duke of Buccleuch 1889 Sir Henry James. Q.C. 1890 Lord W. D ’Eresby Twenty-Third Y an o f Issue. Now Ready. FootballAnnual for 1890. Edited by C. W . ALCOCK, Sec. Football Association. Full account of D oings of the Past Season; Laws of the Game, (Rugby and Association). Revised List of H on. Secs.’ Addresses. Of all Booksellers, or W R IG H T & Co., 41, St. Andrew’s H ill, E .C. Only one of them has died w hile holding office, and that was the Hon. R obert Grim ston in 1883, than whom no warmer supporter of the game ever lived. H e closely identified him self in his later years with I Zingari and Essex Clubs ; but he will be best remem ­ bered for his enthusiasm over the Eton and H arrow matches at L ord ’s. I f you had wished to know what enthusiasm meant, you had only to keep your eye on him on these great occasions. F or the time being there was only one thing to him worth thinking about, and that was that particular match. H e was oblivious to everything outfcide of it, and would listen to nothing that did not bear upon the past m atches of the tw o schools, or the one going on. A nd as for cheering, coaching, and encouraging his own school, the m ajority of us are fossils compared to what he was. H e desired a close, exciting m atch; but Harrow he would have win, and when it did there was no happier man on ea rth . The M.C.C. has always been fortunate in the gentlem en who have filled the offices of Treasurer and Secretary. Past Treasurers. F . Ladbroke, Esq. 11. Kynaston, Esq. II. Kingscote, Esq, T. Burgoyne, Esq. Present Treasurer : The Hon. Ponsonby Fane, K.C.B. Past Hon. Secretaries. 1822 to 1841 —M r. B. Aislabie. 1842 to 1^57—M r. R oger Kynaston. 1858 to 1862—Mr. Alfred Baillie. 1863 to 1867—Mr. R. A. Fitzgerald. Present Secretary : 1877, Mr. H . Perkins. On the 1st January, 1868, Mr. Fitzgerald became paid secretary of the club at a salary of £400 per annum, which office he held until 1876. Mr. H . Perkins was elected in 1877 at the same salary, and is still in office. C O B B E T T ' H Cricket Bat Company,Limited, Bee to inform their Customers that all BATS w ill In future be NUMBERED, in order to enable fch« COMPANY TO TRACE THOSE OF THEIR OWN MANUFACTURE. raotory: 56. Oaoland-streat. Marylnbon*. 0» UCLfctlHATED tLtHRI, lSU-ft-S-J. iUO OI.OBS, HOTELS, SOHOOLB, &o„ &l. SHOULD HAVK THJ CELMEBATEB OOUNTY AND OTHER CRICKET ELEV EN 8 . B y B. HAWKINS <fe Co., 108, KING’ S ROAD, BRIGHTON, Vhe Hoit Interesting Photographs ol the Age* 3/6 each Post Free. Sise of Photo 12-in. by 10-in. ALeo P h o to s o f a l l t u b P r in c ip a l C h ic u t m b » JUST PU B L ISH ED . GENTLEMEN of ENGLAND at LORD’B. GENTLEMEN of ENGLAND at The OVAL. ENGLAND at LORD’S. ENGLAND at tho OVAL. Oapital Photos of THE PARSEES, 1/6 eaoh : the whole set of 14,16/- Under the Patronage of Panics C h r is tia n , P r i n g i C h b ib tia * ViotoM, T h* E a r l ov S H irr iiL D , <fcc., <feo. The AUSTRALIANS and PARSEES. Photographed Specially for the Earl of Sheffield, L o r d S h e p f ie l d writes :—" I hope vou will find S any customers for such exceedingly good and cellent Photographs." Jubilee Football Festival. Th* Oval, March 12,1887. Under the immediate Patronage of H.R.H. T h e P r in c e o f W a le s . S p le n d id P h o t o g r a p h s o f t f h F ou r T eams . Large Size (12 by 10), 8/8 each; Or 10/- the Bet of Four. Cabinets, 1/6each ; Of 5/- the Set of Pour. Post Free. N.B.—All Orders must be accompanied by a remittance. l*atest Portraits of the Celebrated Joekeji (I n C ostume )— I. AKCHER (H.R.H. T he P hinob of W al » ) , C. WOOD (S ir G. C hetwywd ). F. WEBB (D u s e o f W estm instm ). T, LOATE8, Large Biie, Beautifully Finished and Mounlod on India Tints, 7 /6 eaoh, Cabinet Size, 2/- each. Post Free, Cash with Order, Latest Portraits of L O R D H A R R I S (I n C r io k e t C ostu m e ). Large Bize (12 in. by 10 in.), 5s. each, poit-freei Cabinets, 2s. each, post-free *. BJ}— These Portraits have been much admired by all who have seen them. fl. HAWK I NS k OO., (Late Hennah & Kent) PHOTOGRAPHIC ABT1BT8, 10R. RING'S ROAD. BRIGHTON, S p le n d id P o r t r a it s of D r . W. G. G ra ce , M r. *V. W. R e a d (the Surrey amateui), and Mr. A. N. H o r n b y (the Lancashire Captain), Price 6d. each. S ize 9in. by Also fac simile of Signatures. Sent securely packed on receipt of Seven Stamps. The Three for Is., post free. Wright and Co., 41, St. Andrew’s Hill, Doctors Commons, E.C. Special r»botograph of C G. Hearne, ca rte size, 3d., Cabinet, 6d. Printed for the Proprietor by W rig h t $ Co., 41, St. Andrew’s Hill, Doctors’ Commons, London, E.O., December 27th, 1890. u r