Cricket 1891

26 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME, FEB. 26, 1891 wholo British Empiro, and that your going to England simply means your transference from one English commu­ nity to another. We shall watch with the greatest interest your career in the old country, and we wish you every success both as a cricketer and a business man.” “ Felix,” the cricket critic of the Australasian newspaper, corrects some Colonial writers who had announced that Ferris was going into a Bank at Bristol, by stating that he is to join a firm of stockbrokers there. F rom the contents of a circular which has recently come into my hands, I am led to believe that the Committee of the Marylebone Club have come to the decision to continue the publication of “ Scores and Biographies,” which, as all students of cricket lore know, do not at present reach to a later period than the middle of the seventies. Attempts had been made by private individuals, in the absence of any definite action by the premier club, to resume the work over which Mr. Arthur Haygartli has spent so many years of hard labour and so much loving care, where it was inter­ rupted, but without success, owing to unforeseen difficulties. It is to be hoped, however, that my information is correct, and that the Marylebone Club will add still another to the many good works it has done in the service of cricket, by bringing Mr. Haygarth’s invaluable record up to date. A continuous history of cricket, such as “ Scores and Bio­ graphies,” would be a lasting memorial of the game, as well as of the liberality and enterprise of its law makers. I t is very gratifying to notice that those who complained, and rightly, of the lukewarm support given to cricket in Victoria last winter, have had no ground during the Australian season now in progress for similar expressions of regret. As a matter of fact, tho apathy, as everyone who has any knowledge of the rooted love for sport in the Colonies fully expected, was only momentary, and recent experiences have shown con­ clusively that the public interest in the game in Melbourne has not diminished in the smallest degree. There is sub­ stantial proof of this in the fact that in the match Victoria v. New South Wales, begun on Boxing Day, twenty thousand person^ attended, and farther that the game throughout was followed with more than ordinary care. Moreover it is a satisfactory sign of the hold cricket has on all classes and in all parts, to see that the Governor of Victoria, the Earl of Hopetoun, was an interested observer of a great part of this same Inter-colonial match. G eorge G iffe n ’ s extraordinary all­ round cricket this winter of course only serves to emphasise the general feeling of regret that he could not see his way to join the Australian team which visited England last summer. His per­ formance for South Australia against Victoria, in the match commenced on the Melbourne Club ground on New Year’s Day, would alone justify the assertion of the Australian critics, that as an all-round cricketer he has no superior in the world at the present time. His score of 237 in the match referred to must,indeed,have been a most exceptional performance. It represented in fact more than one half of the aggregate, and there was only one distinct chance, to long off, when he had made 65. Lovers of statistics may be concerned to know that he was at the wickets altogether eight hours and a half, and that his total was made up of one 5, twenty-three 4’s, fifteen 3’s, twenty-two 2’s, and fifty-one singles. It may be of use, too, to the more ourious of them to learn that Giffon's 237 is the fourth highest individual score in Inter­ colonial matches. To complete the in­ formation on this particular point, I may say the record is represented by W. L. Murdoch’s 821 in 1882, and then follow H. Moses’ 297 not out in January, 1888, and P. S. McDonnell’s 239 in December, 1886. These three were all made for New South Wales against Victoria. Then, too, the total score of the South Australians stand fourth amongst the Inter-colonial records. The highest is 775, which in­ cluded Murdoch’s score ; the next is 576, registered when Moses scored so heavily ; and the third is 482, made by Victoria against New South Wales in December, 1884. I t is hardly necessary to add that a movement was set on foot immediately on Giffen’s return to Adelaide to com­ memorate his brilliant feat in a fitting manner, and that the proposal was re­ ceived with the greatest enthusiasm. A meeting was held in the Mayor’s parlour on the arrival of the South Australian team in Adelaide, and there was a confi­ dent expression ofopinion that a hundred guineas would be raised to provide a suitable testimonial. By the way, I omitted to mention that in addition to his score of 237, Giffen bowled 458 balls in the match for 192 runs and twelve wickets. A better all-round performance has not often been recorded in a match of such importance. I h a v e good reason for believing that George Lohmann, the celebrated Surrey player, has abandoned for the present, at least, all idea of taking a team to South Africa. I have referred at dif­ ferent times to the course of the negotia­ tions for such a trip, but I think it may be taken for granted that, on this side, at all events, the scheme has passed out of the scope of practical politics. M y old friend “ Felix,” of the Australa­ sian, mentions the fact that Percy McDonnell, whose mighty deeds as a hitter are still fresh in the recollections of English cricketers, was in the middle of last month practising regularly on the Association ground at Sydney. If this foreshadows his return to active cricket, all I can say is that it will give unmixed satisfaction to his innumerable admirers in the old country. The public dearly loves batsmen of McDonnell’s proclivities, the “ gentle tappers” as Thoms in his playful way loves to call the cricketers who are able to hit “ blooming hard,” and it cannot well afford to lose such a master of the art as the Captain of the Sixth Australian team. T hough no one who had any know­ ledge of the immense influence the M.C.C. could bring to bear when occasion really required, could ever have seriously believed that Lord’s would be really en­ dangered by the proposed extension of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincoln­ shire Railway system to London, it will none the less be a relief to the general public to know that all risk is at an end. The idea of interference with any but a remote corner of the ground was instantly repudiated, but, as will be seen from an interview with Sir Edward Watkin, reproduced from the Pall Mall Gazette of Monday last, the attitude of the Kailway King has been so materially altered as to make it fairly certain that the Marylebone Club will be a consider­ able gainer, rather than a loser, by the advance of the new line into the Metro­ politan area. A curious incident attended the finish of tho match between Melbourne and South Melbourne for the pennant of the Victorian Association. It was thought that Melbourne would have no difficulty on the second day of the match in beat­ ing South’s total of 185 and so scoring a win. The batting, however, fell short of expectations, and the last batsman lost his wicket with the total at 186, giving them an advantage of one run. It then turned out that while the Souths had been awarded two wides in their innings only one had been scored, and their captain finding how matters stood claimed the other wide, as that would give his side a tie instead of a defeat. I t came out in the evidence that one of the umpires did not hear the wide called, but W. Bruce, the Melbourne Captain, admitted that it had been. After going fully into the case, the Pennant com­ mittee awarded the match to Melbourne, on the ground that South Melbourne should have had the wide recorded on the opening day, when its omission from the score - sheet was first noticed. Still, the fact remains, as NEXT ISSUE, MARCH 26.