Cricket 1891

SEPT. 10,1891 CEICKET: A WEEKLY EECOED OP THE GAME; 411 luncheon. Xhad hoped as he was nearing the 100 to have seen him pop the century on to the telegraph board, and thus add to the many times I have witnessed him during the past quarter of a century, score the hundred— and hundreds—in great matches. But, in my mind’s eye, he got a hundred. Bear in mind, gentle reader, that when this “ King of All­ rounds ” now knocks up anything like 80 runs, it means 100. For although “ W. G.” when well and fit, is still on the job and “ all there” as a batsman, he can’t gallop so fast as he used to was. I have known and seen him when Colbeck was about the only amateur that could keep in front of him at a quarter of a mile —and at 200 or 300 yards over hurdles,there were none about then that could stop him from coming in first. For some time during this season he has been heavily handicapped by a damaged and swollen knee and strain in the baok, and even •‘Champions” oan’t well be in good form with these draw­ backs. Yet his long score just lately for his county shows that he has happily recovered from his mishaps; and I take this opportunity of hoping—a wish that I am quite sure will be re-echoed from John-o’-Groats;to the Land’s end—that the “ Leviathan,” with his brother cricketers forming Lord Sheffield’s team, with his Lordship, may have a pleasant voyage and land in good health in Australia, that the team may be found in “ full form ” when they meet our friends over there—who, if they get together a team of combined Australia, will, I am quite sure, be able to hold their own—and take a lot of beating. And thus I will wind up, with the hope also that the Hastings Cricket Week may again have fine weather, the turnstiles kept moving, and thus add further prosperity to this Annual. Aa the names of the following players who will positively take part in the two fixtures will show, this year’s Festival is certain to provide cricket quite up to the standard of previous gatherings, suffi­ ciently high praise it will be conceded. There will also be the additional attrac­ tion tothose who do not take their cricket too severely, in the shape of music dis­ coursed by Military Bands, as well as of musical and theatrical entertainments in the evening. Mr. Thomas Thorne and the Vaudeville Company are to fret their brief hour on the stage of the Hastings Theatre this week, while Messrs. Edward Terry and Ben Greet will provide amuse­ ment at theWarrior Square Concert Hall in the early part of next week. The Promenade Concerts on the Hastings Pier, too, complete a series of entertain­ ments which should add considerably to the enjoyment of thosewho visit Hastings during the next fewdays on cricket bent. N o r t h v . S ooth . — North : Messrs. C. W. Wright and A. T. Kemble, Gunn, Chatterton, Ulyett, Attewell, A. Ward, Peel, Hall, Pougher, Flowers. South: Messrs. W. G. Grace, W. W. Bead, A. B. Stoddart, W. L. Murdoch. W . Newham, and J. J. Ferris, Lohmann, Abel, Martin, Sharpe, Wood. G e n tlem e n v .P i . ayru b . — Gentlemen .Messrs. W . G. Grace, W. W. Bead, W. L. Murdoch, A. B. Stoddart, W. Newham, J. J. Ferris, A. T. Kemble, C. A. Smith, H. Pigg, B. Smith, A. J. L. Hill. Players : Lohmann, Abel Gunn, Bean, M. Bead, Attewell, Ulyett, Peel’ Chatterton, Martin, H. Phillips. ’ T h e withdrawal ofMr. L. C. H. Palairet from the American tour owing to circum­ stancesover which hehad no control, it is satisfactory to find, will not be so serious as seemed likely last week when I men­ tioned the probability of his retirement. The void has in fact been filled by the addition of Mr. S. M. J. Woods, whowill prove a more than satisfactorysubstitute. His bowling will materially strengthen the team in the department where it was weakest, and the inclusion of such a bril­ liant all-round player will be fully appre­ ciated by the cricket public of America. The presence of such a keen cricketer in the team—it goes without saying—will give additional interest to the tour onboth sides of the Atlantic. Special trains for passengers by the “ City of New York,” I may add, leave St. Pancras andEuston on Wednesday morning. As I ventured to predict, it is not in­ tended to pursue the tour so far West as Chicago, or Pittsburgh, and indeed, fixtures are only in course of arrange­ ment for Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York, and Boston. The programme, which may of course be subject to some slight alteration in detail, as arranged by the Committee of the Germantown Club of Philadelphia, who are in fact the hosts of Lord Hawke and his party, will be as follows :— September 23rd to October 3rd, in Philadelphia. The first match will be played on September 25, 26, and 28. the second on October 1, 2 , and 3. Go to Baltimore on the evening of October 3, spend Sunday, October 4, there or at Washington, and play fifteen of Balti­ more on October 5 and 6 . A. match at New York will occupy October 7, 8 , and 9, and then on to Boston, to play on October 10 and 12, leaving Sunday, the 11th, for visiting Boston and Cambridge, the 'seat of Harvard University. This will leave October 13 for return to New York. The arrangements are for the team, or at least for those who return direct, to leave NewYork at 2.30 p.m., on Wednesday, October 14. My whilomco-worker, Capt. Coe, is to be congratulated on the humour of some of his correspondents, if “ F.W.P.,” who sent the following contribution to the Star last week on the subject ofthe apparently interminable correspondence which has been helping to fill one of the sporting dailies for thelast fewweeks,is to be taken asasample. In anycaseF.W.P.'s remarks atleast give a little relief to a dreary and not very valuable discussion. Anyhow, let him speak for himself, but pray silence— “ Phren Logos ” and “ Kentite ” deserve the thanks of all “ true lovers of oricket” (i.e. those who would rather die than admit Surrey to be the champion county). The logioal conclusions they arrive at are simply grand. I consider with them that it is perfectly ridiculous for a county whioh can only show 12 victories as a set-off against two defeats to pose as a first-class team at all. When Surrey can win all their matches by an innings and 500 runs, when their batsmen and bowlers hold the first 11 places in both lists of averages, when they hate dismissed all the other counties without scoring, and can beat the Best of England with one hand tied behind them, then, and not till then, let them think about playing cricket. In the mean­ time they had better devote their misdirected energies to “ strike-up-and-lay-down,” and shove ha’penny. T h e death of Mr. George Nevile Wyatt, at Cheltenham, last Friday, removes a figure very familiar some fifteen or twenty years ago on Southern cricket grounds. Father ofMr. G. N. Wyatt, who shares with a very few cricketers the dis­ tinction of having played in turn for three different counties (Gloucestershire, Surrey, and Sussex), he was generally to be seenat the chief matches in which his son took part, in Gloucestershire as well as in London. I have myself, indeed, recollections of many pleasant hours spent in his society in the old days. A keensportsman, cheery in presence and in manner, he was generally and de­ servedly popular. Hewas inhis seventy- fourth year. I t has now been definitely settled that Lord Sheffield’s teamare to leave London in the P. & O. steamer “ Arcadia,” on Friday, Oct. 2, for Australia. Their first fixture is to be with South Australia, and this is down for the Oval, at Adelaide, on Nov. 20. The forthcoming visit is excit­ ing, it is hardly necessary to add, great interest in the Colonies, and the team generally, but more especially the Grand Old Man, whose re-appearance would alone almost be sufficient guarantee for the success of the tour, are sure to have a hearty reception. From information I have myself received, Lord Sheffield and his party, who it is possible, if the ar­ rangements of the “ Arcadia” will permit, will have a game at Colombo on the way out, may count on a good time in the Colonies. T h e match at Poona, between the elevens collected by the Governors of Bombay and Madras, and representative of the respective Presidencies, in the middle oflast month, though shorn of its interest by the absence of the two princi­ pals, was productive of good cricket. It will be ofmoreinterest to C r ic k e t readers, too, from the fact that several cricketers well known on English grounds were amongst the twenty-two players. Lord Harris's eleven included MajorVonDonop of the Boyal Engineers,Col.F.W. Bhodes, who scored so heavily in Ireland a few years ago, and Mr. E. B. Baikes, the Old Haileyburian, who bowled with great success for Norfolk. The highest scorer on the Madras side was Lieut. H. B. Troup, whose defence as a youngster some few summers back was of great service to Gloucestershire. Lord Wen- lock was unable himself to come to Poona, to Captain Madras, so Lord Harris did not lead the opposition. PKINCIPAL FIXTURES FOR THIS SEASON. T hursday , S eptem ber 10.—Hastings (Bastings Festival), North v. South. M onday , S eptem ber 14.—Hastings, Gentlemen v Players.