Cricket 1891

34 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. MARCH 26, 1891 has done good service to Hampshire for twenty-five years. The season of 1891 will be of particular interest to Kentish Cricketers, if only for one reason, that it will witness the celebration of the Jubilee of the Canter­ bury Week. The authorities, too, are resolved to do Canterbury honour, for the week will be devoted to two matches of some importance, Gloucestershire in the first, and Surrey in the second part. Kent will, as usual, meet all the other leading Counties, with in addition War­ wickshire and Somersetshire, who are to have two matches. There will also be the usual fixture with M.C.C. and Ground at Lord’s. The home matches, other than those at Canterbury, will be dis­ tributed between the following towns :— Warwickshire and Lancashire at Gravesend; Somerset and Yorkshire at Maidstone ; Notts and Sussex at Ton­ bridge, and Middlesex at Beckenham. All last year’s team will, it is believed, be available, while Walter Hearne will probably be given another trial. It is expected that Walter Wright will be able to give the same valuable help as here­ tofore, and there is every reason to hope the accident to his thumb last August will not interfere seriously with his bowling. Mr. Marchant will captain the eleven in the earlier matches, giving place to Mr. W. H. Patterson, who will take charge of the team in August. Lancashire’s programme for 1891 is of a large and varied character, including as it does home and home fixtures with the whole of the first-class Counties, Somersetshire, Leicestershire, Essex, Oxford University, one home fixture with Warwickshire, one with M.C.C. & G. at Lord’s, and three .Colts’ matches at Old­ ham, Lancaster, and Bossall. Through the failure of the American tour, the County have Whit Monday and following days open, but expect to arrange an attractive fixture before the season com­ mences. With reference to the composi­ tion of the eleven, the County have at hand most of the players who have rendered such yeoman service under the Bed Bose. Mr. Hornby will, no doubt, make great efforts to raise his County from second to firstplace, and Mr. Eccles may play a little more. It is probable Mr. A. G. Steel may be seen in the more important matches, and Mr. Crosfield is also at liberty. High hopes are enter­ tained of M r.A. C. MacLaren, who will play if his business allows. The whole of the professionals are again at command, Barlow, Watson, Briggs, Sugg, A.'~ and I1. Ward, Mold, Paul and Baker. There are one or two promising youngsters, and Irving, a young left-hand bowler, who has qualified, is likely to be tried. Pilling’s continued ill-health will, it is feared, prevent the county from utilizing his services, a severe loss, as was felt on many occasions last summer, and sym­ pathy is expressed everywhere for such an accomplished and unassuming player. The ground is in capital condition, and has been well kept during the winter. The ground-staff, which has been strengthened and increased, com­ prises—A. Mold, F. Ward, G. Yates, T. Irving, E. Holland, T. Lord, J. Dexter, C. Miller, P. Hill, B. Higson, J. Sharpies, J. Marsh, J. Lees. The Leicestershire executive has shown praiseworthy enterprise during the last few years, and there is certainly no sign of any abatement in the preparation for the coming season. Of the leading Counties Leicestershire will meet Surrey, Yorkshire, Lancashire twice, while there will also be home and home fixtures with Derbyshire, Stafford­ shire, Essex, Warwickshire, and Hamp­ shire, and one match with M.G.C. and Ground at Lord’s. The Committee are looking forward to a successful season. All the old players will be available, with in addition Woodcock, who returns from America early in June, and will take his place after that time. Five professionals have been engaged on the ground, Warren, Finney, Wood­ cock, Handford of Notts, and Moule of Cambridge. The ground is in splendid condition. Additions are being made to the Pavilion, and telephonic communi­ cation with town is also being laid. Mr. 0. E. de Trafford, who could not play during a part of last season, will Captain the team. Middlesex have added to their card home and home matches with Sussex, so that now they meet ail the leading counties twice during the season. Somersetshire too, as in 1890, will have two trials with the Middlesex eleven. There is every reason to believe that all the old members of last year’s team will be again ready to place their services at the Captain’s disposal. So far Mr. A. J. Webbe informs us he has not had an in­ timation of any young cricketers out of the ordinary likely to be available for Middlesex during the coming season. The prospects of Norfolk cricket for 1891 are fairly promising. C. Shore of Notts, who was engaged for many years with the Liverpool Club, a very good slow left-hand bowler, will be qualified. A wicket-keeper is sadly wanted to take the place of the Bev. A. P. Wickham, who will no longer be available. There is at present a debt of over ^150, but a Grand Fete and Bazaar is to be held next week with a view to clearing this off and providing a reserve fund. The Club and Ground Matches have been increased for this season. Mr. C, J. E. Jarvis has been elected County Captain, and the Bev. W. F. G. Sandwith will act in his place as Hon. Secretary with Mr. W. E. Hansell. The committee of the Notts County Club have at last awakened to the necessity of protective measures to pre­ vent the withdrawal of the more promising of their young professionals to shires where they will have an earlier chance of proving their capabilities. Last year the experiment proved successful in the case of Needham, and the satisfactory result in his instance has naturally encouraged the executive to a continuance of the same policy, which, we cannot help thinking, might well have been initiated long ago. So far as we can learn, all the old hands will be to the fore this year, though it is quite on the cards that a trial, at least, will be give to some of the more likely youngsters. Notts will, as heretofore, play all the Counties in the front rank, as well as Derbyshire. The absence of Somersetshire from the card, after their excellent all-round cricket of 1890, seems to have been a subject for considerable comment among the sup­ porters of the Notts County Club. Somersetshire’s record last season was of such a consistently brilliant character that it will not surprise anyone to find their match list for the coming season of a much higher quality. The county eleven will, indeed, have to undergo a much more severe test, and their pro­ gramme will be onerous enough to try thoroughly their capacity to maintain a place in the front rank. The Committee have arranged home and home fixtures with six of the leading counties—to wit, Middlesex, Surrey, Lancashire, Kent, Gloucestershire, Yorkshire, and these twelve contests have been wisely re­ garded as a sufficiently heavy task for the season. One fixture has been also made with M.C.C. and G. at Taunton, and there will also be several matches for the Somersetshire Club and Ground with local clubs. The team for this year will be almost the same as last, with the ex­ ception of Mr. Trask, who has gone to India. Mr.W.C .Hedley,who is inGibraltar, hopes to be able to get away on leave in July and August, and if so will play for the county. Tyler, the slow bowler who has done such good service for Somersetshire, has an engagement for the month of May at Winchester College. Increased accommodation will be provided on the County Ground for spectators. The Committee have secured the services of a first-rate groundman, who will no doubt provide fast run-getting wickets if the season should prove favourable. Mr. Murray-Anderdon, the co-secretary of the County Club with Mr. T. Spencer, will return, it is hoped, by the end of Mav from India. J Surrey, so far as present appearances go, is not unlikely to offer as bold a front in 1891 as it did in 1890. There is every ground for believing that all last year’s eleven will be available, and as there are several very promising youngsters like Brockwell and Ayres in readiness to fill any vacancies, occasional or other­ wise, there does not appear to be any reason why the season should be any less successful than its immediate predecessors. The match card has not undergone any reduction, on the contrary, the removal ot the one fixture with the Americans will, in all probability, be more than com­ pensated by the insertion of out and home matches with Warwickshire. The Surrey eleven will, indeed, have their hands full as in addition to the usual engagements (home^and home) with the seven principal Counties, Somersetshire, Derbyshire, Essex, Hampshire, and Leicestershire will each have to be played twice. These will be supplemented by one match against Cambridge University, and the annual meeting between Gentlemen and Players. The second eleven, too, will have more frequent opportunities of proving their capacities, as there will NEXT ISSUE, APRIL 16.