Cricket 1891

SEPT. 3,1891 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME; 895 to take part in one way or another in so many of the records of Oounty Cricket of the higher class. It was against Somerset bowling that the biggest inn­ ings(449 by Surrey) was got, as it was be­ fore it that Gloucestershire went down for 25, the smallest total. It is within quite recent recollection also that the Somersetshire eleven were the first to lower the colours of the then apparently invincible Surrey men. Kent, too, if I remember rightly, received its first defeat of the season at the hands of Somerset­ shire. To prevent misconception, I may add that these remarks are based solely on what is called first-class cricket. THE REAL TRUE CHAMPION, Unearthed by an arithm etical proccss, after studying m any Cricket matches and m any papers o f the B ritish Association. Attend all ye who list to hear our noble Cricket’s praise; I tell ye o! the matches played throughout the summer days, When blizzards, downpours, rain and storm against us bore in vain. And etill the tents and stumps were pitched in spite of drift and rain I That we should run the fixtures through of course was not to be ; We started mostly all the games, and finished two or three I And now the season nears its close each County’s points we test, And find that Surrey heads the list, clear [up above the rest. While Lancashire and Middlesex, each with each other vie, And in the tottle o£ their points come parlous near a tie. And Yorkshire Tykes and Gloucestershire are near the bottom found, Which proves (compared with years gone by) how ohampionships move round. These facts we glean by scoring up one’ pcint for each game won, And docking one for each game lost, as other folks have done. Though some there be who swirm around, their own results to bring, Score two for wins aud one for draws, and all that kind of thing. But Surrey still must champion be, and recog­ nising that, To Surrey’s name and Surrey’s fame we meekly lift our hat. But science now is all the g o ; new methods rise each day To prove that two and two are four in quite a novel way. The Cardiff bigwigs teach us how to count and calculate, And prove right up to Q.E.D. that five and three make eight 1 And from these novel points of view we cannot but confess That Surrey’s claims to championship grow slowly less and less. For science teaches this great truth, that greatest power is found In energies which most control the powers that hem them round, And so, in weighing Cricket up, to rule the field we ohoose Not those who win the most, but those who cause the most to lose. And here we find, though Surrey may beat Counties far and near, There’s one that on the Crioket field more potent would appear. There’s one that never won a match, yet as the losses go Above the counties far and near has made a Bplendid show. Both Lancashire and Middlesex unduly felt his weight, Nor even Surrey could, at times, avert the evil fate. And if we take the greatest power the Champion for to be, Not even Surrey’s self can stand before such fiends as he 1 Now who may be this gruesome wight, of losing games the cause, The cause of matches not commenoed, of games postponed, and draws ? Now, who is he whose influence so little good has done The games he lost and those he drew are more than those he won ? Now, who is he that could not win a match to his own cheek, Yet cast a stumbling block before his betters, so to speak ? Now, who is he that clogged the bat and blocked the sphere of leather ? If h e deserve the Championship, the Champion’ s name is W eather! I am glad to find that Mr. Punch is good at his alphabet. In any case Surrey cricket seems to have refreshed his memory to judge by the following, whioh appeared in last week’s issue :— THE SURREY; A B C. A is for Abel, who can certainly block w ell; B stands for Bowley, and Beaumont, and Brockwell; C is the Captain, John Shuter his name; D is the Devotion he gives to the game; E is the Eleven, deservedly great; F is the Funk which their bowlers create. G stands for George—our only George Loh­ mann ; H for young Henderson, valiant young foe- man. I is the Innings, beloved of the gapers; J is the Jargon they put in the papers. K is for Key, the accomplished Dark B lue; L is for Lockwood, who bowls a bit too ; M is for Maurice, his other name Read ; N poor old Nottingham, beaten indeed. O is the Oval, the home of the orowd; P the Pavilion, the seat of the proud. Q is the Question, "O h, Umpire, how’s that?” R is for Gentleman Read, who can bat, S stands for Sharpe, it will pay you to mind h im ; T is the Trouble they were put to to find him ; U their United attempts—hard, to beat them ; V the Vain efforts oft made to defeat them. W represents Wood at the wioket; X is the Xcellent style of their cricket. Y ends the county, not played out in a hurry. Z stands for Zero, a stranger to Surrey ! T h e declaration of the poll at the close of the contest for the premiership of County record was only a formal record of the big majority which had been virtually a certainty for a week or so before. It is satisfactory, too, to be able to show by the following figures, the work by the way of a master of statistical lore, that the honours were fairlywon by sheer superiority of all-round cricket. As a matter of fact, the tables give Surrey the chief place in batting as well as in bowling, and no well-wisher of the game wfll grudge them the proud position the hearty co-operation of the whole side has enabled them to obtain. T he following will show the positions of the nine elevens on their aggregate results in batting and bowling:— RESULTS OF MATCHES. Played. Won. Dwn. Lost. Pts. Surrey ................. 16 ... 12 . 2 ... 2 10 Lancashire .......... *15 .,.. 8 ... 8 .,,. 4 4 Middlesex .......... 16 ... 8 .... 3 ... 5 3 Notts ................. 14 .,.. 5 ... 5 ... 4 1 f Somersetshire 12 ... 5 .... 1 ... 6 -1 1Kent................. *15 ... 4 .. . 6 ... 5 -1 Sussex .., .. ... 14 ... 4 ..,. 3 ... 7 -3 Yorkshire .......... 16 .... 5 .. . 1 .. ,. 10 -5 Gloucestershire ... 16 ... 2 ... 4 ... 10 -8 *In the first fixturebetween Lancashire and Kent there was no play daring the three days owing to continuous rain. BATTING AVERAGES. Buns. Wickets. Aver. Surrey................. ... 4651 ... 217 ... 21.94 Notts ................. ... 4187 ... 195 ... 21.92 Lancashire ... 3869 ... 204 ..,. 18.197 Somersetshire ... ... 8226 ... 198 .. . 16.58 Yorkshire.......... ... 4483 ... 281 ..,. 15.218 Sussex ................. ... 3735 ... 239 ... 15.ICO Kent ................. ... 3162 ... 207 ... 15.57 M iddlesex.......... ... 3523 ... 233 ... 15.28 Gloucestershire ... 8414 ... 258 ... 13.60 31,200 2,032 16.1688 BOWLING AVERAGES. Runs. Wkts. Aver Surrey ................. 3785 ... 292 ,. 12.281 Middlesex .......... 3476 . 262 ..,. 13.26 Lancashire .......... 3776 .,.. 260 ..,. 14.136 Kent ................. 4111 ... 227 .... 18.45 Yorkshire .......... 4169 ,... 226 .,.. 18.101 Gloucestershire ... 3589 ... 188 .... 19.17 Notts ................. 3826 .,.. 209 .,.. 19.26 Somersetshire ... 3601 .,.. 187 .. 19.48 Sussex ................. 3867 ... 190 .,.. 20 67 8420J 2082 16.1688 B efo re I leave this subject of Surrey cricket, it may be interesting to add, if only as a reply to more than one enquiry, that no score of a hundred runs or more has been made in a first-class match against Surrey bowling since 1889. Mr. Cranston and Gunn each obtained threo figures that year for Gloucestershire and Notts respectively. Since then the only batsmen to attain to sucha sum have been Messrs. L. G. Wright of Derbyshire, and A.Lorrimer of Leicestershire. The latter’s 109 at Leicester was the more noteworthy as it was his first appearance in a county match. Mr. Wright’s 122 at the Oval did not prevent Derbyshire being defeated by an innings and 58 runs. Both these scores were made last year, but neither came under the category of first-class cricket. PRINCIPAL FIXTURES FOR THIS SEASON. T h u r s d a y , S e p t e m b e r 3.—Scarborough, Gentle- men of England v. Sherwin’s Notts Eleven Bedford, Bedfordshire v. Oxfordshire. T h u r s d a y , S e p t e m b e r 10.—Hastings (Hastings Festival), North v. South. M o n d a y , S e p t e m b e r 14.—Hastings, Gentlemen v. Players. S u r r e y E l e v e n v. E ig h t e e n of S u r r e y .— The Committee of the Surrey C.C. are sending the County Eleven to the Athletic Ground, Bichmond, on Tuesday and Wednesday next to play a carefully selected Eighteen of Surrey. The Eleven will be selected from Messrs. J. Shuter, D. L. A. Jephson, W . W. Read, Lohmann, Read, Abel, Sharpe, Lock­ wood, Brockwell, Henderson, Wood, and another. Mr.Read and the eight professionals named will positively play.