Cricket 1891

58 CRICKETs A WEEKLY EECOED OP THE GAME. a p r i l 16,1891 unselfish labours to maintain the tone of cricket, none who has had better opportunities of knowing his readiness to assist a cricketer in need of help. Under his nom-de-plume of “ The Old Buffer ” Mr. Gale’s writings have, of late years, been familiarised to thousands in America as well as here, and I can assure him of a hearty welcome from the cricketers of the United States. It is satisfactory, however, to know, though, that even if Mr. Gale is so far away, he does not propose to sever his connection with the Old Country altogether. I have good reason, on the contrary, to believe that he will be a regular contributor, as in the past, to more than one of our metropolitan publi­ cations. “ The Old Buffer's Arm Chair,” many will be glad to hear, will at least not be vacated. Anyone desirous of communicating with “ The Old Buffer,” I may add, should address Mr. F. Gale, 17, Boyal Avenue, Chelsea, London, S.W. L ast week’s Gazette contains, among other announcements, notice that Mr. Basil Cave has been appointed vice- consul at Mombasa. I need hardly point out for the information at least of metropolitan C ric k e t readers that Mr. Cave is the Old Taylorian who has for the last year or two acted as honorary secretary of the Richmond Cricket Club. At one time after leaving Merchant Taylors’ School, Mr. Cave gave promise of developing into an amateur wicket­ keeper of more than average skill, and he has always shown himself to be a useful all round cricketer. He did good service, too, for the Old Merchant Taylors football team, but has not been able to play latterly in consequence of an accident. A keen follower of athletic sports, Mr. B. W. Cave will be greatly missed in Mid Surrey particularly. T he Post Office Musical Society, which under the energetic guidance of Mr. Sydney Beokley has already become a society of no small influence in the musical world, is to give its first concert at St. James’s Hall, on the 28th of this month, in aid of the Post Office Clerks and Central Telegraph Office Benevolent Funds. The programme will consist of Mendelssohn’s “ Hymn of Praise,” with full orchestral accompani­ ment, as well as a miscellaneous selection. Mr. Beckley will have the valuable assistance of Madame Agnes Larcom, Miss Amy Martin, and Mr. Charles Chilley, in addition to a band and chorus of 300 performers. The Post Office Musical Society is the creation of Mr. Beokley, who is well-known in Metro­ politan cricket as one of the most prom­ inent members of the Chiswick Park Club himself. Everyone will hope that the good work he is doing will meet with a fitting reward. The advent of another year has found jay old and trusty friend, The American Cricketer, in a new garb, and one which moreover becomes it right well. In its outer form, indeed, no one would recognise the staid and respectable journal which has done good service to the game for thirteen years as the official organ of the Cricketers’ Association of the United States. The reappearance of the Cricketer with so many new and attractive features is of itself an indica­ tion of the continued development of the game “ over there,” and under the energetic guidance of the recently appointed editor, Mr. George T. Morgan, there seems every promise of an enlarged sphere of utility for the “ official organ.” Considering that it was in a great measure to the American Gricketer that the i dea which led to the foundation of this paper was mainly due, it is nationally gratifying to me to find that the changes in the former are in many respects based on the example which has been furnished by C b ic k e t . In any case, in common with all well wishers of the game, I heartily wish the good sportsmen who have been and are still mainly responsible for the conduct of The American Cricketer, an increased constituency and a cor­ responding increase of influence. I may add that arrangements have been made whereby subscriptions for the paper can be received at this office, for transmission to the office in Philadelphia. T hb recent death of Lord Truro has caused the title to devolve on a keen and well-known cricketer. Mr. T. M. Wilde, who has been raised to the peerage as Lord Truro, has been for years promin­ ently associated with the Incogniti, not to mention other clubs, and was closely connected in its time with the Nondescripts. Unless my memory deceives me, it is only a few weeks since he undertook a by no means unimportant mission in the cricket world, to wit, the Honorary Secretaryship of the Wiltshire County C.C. F in e l y executed etchings of Stuart Wortley’s great picture of W . G. Grace are now to be obtained. M a jo r JS pen s , W . C. Hedley, H. Philipson, M. C. Kemp, C. D. Buxton, and F. Meyrick- Jones, all well-known oricketers, took part in the first round of the Amateur Racquet Championship decided recently at the Qeeen’s Club. J ames L illyw h ite ’ s C ricketers ’ A nnual for 1691.—Though later than usual, the twentieth issue of the Annual will be as interesting as ever to cricketers. The Kent Eleven ot 1890 furnish the frontispiece, and as the photograph has been well reproduced, the picture is sure to be appreciated. The contents as usual are divided into two parts. The first consists of three articles dealing with last year’s cricket, a sketch of the season gene­ rally by Ineog, a review of the Public School season by an old Oxonian, and an analysis of the SeventhAustralian Team by P . C .Standing, with full scores and average. The second part is mainly statistical, and includes the doings of all the principal Counties and Clubs, the Universities and Schools, with the first-class averages, Notes on the Chief Amateurs and Professionals, particulars of the Chief Clubs, and an elaborate summary of the curiosities ot heyear, S^O ur American'‘exohanges state' that 'the recent tour of the Philadelphian cricketers in Bermuda was not altogether successful. Their two matches with Prospect Garrison ended—the one in an innings’ defeat, the other in a draw. T he match arranged for July 6 and follow­ ing days between Derbyshire and the All America team having fallen through, its place will probably be filled by a match with Warwickshire, July 6 being a public holiday at Derby. T he “ Empress of India ” team, consisting of passengers and officers on that steamer, played a match at Colombo on March 10, against Mr. G.Vanderspar’ s Eleven. Messrs. G. H.Wood, E. Rodriguez, and C. Hulton, of the M.O.C., are passengers in the “ Empress.” P. H. M aktineau contributed the cricket portion of the article on Harrow School in last month’s number of the English Illvstrated Magazine; P. M . Thornton, the Hon. Sec. of the Middlesex County C.C., that relating to the foundation and early history of the School. T he Devonshire Tour of the Hornsey C.C., which was to have taken place during the first two weeks of August, and for which two-day matches had been arranged with Plymouth Garrison, Torquay, Seaton, Exmouth, Sidmouth, and Barnstaple Clubs, has been abandoned. T he practice of the Sussex Eleven com­ menced on the County Ground at Brighton yesterday, when Mr. W . Newham, Walter Humphreys, Marlow, Wells, and Quaife took part. Through the kindness of Lord Sheffield, Alfred Shaw has again been engaged for the whole season, whilst Mycroftwill be available until he is needed at Lord’s. T he annual meeting 'of the Staffordshire County Club was held at Stoke on Saturday last. The balance-sheet showed that the receipts last year amounted to £649 9s. lOd. and the total expenditure to £1,021 6s. lOd. so that there was a balance due to the Bank of £48112s. 6d. Lord Dartmouth was re-elected President of the Club, and Mr. T . C. Slaney Secretary. A match was played on Saturday, the 4th inst., between the Essex Regiment and 2nd Leicestershire Regiment, when the former proved viotorious by 52 runs on the first inn­ ings, the Leicestershire only scoring 37 be­ tween them. The best form for the winner s was shown by Sergeant-Major Blunden, wh o, in addition to a well-got score of 32, took six wickets, and by Sergeant Humphries (20). P eterson , of the Excelsiors (N.S.W .), did a remarkable piece of bowling against the Central at the end of January. In the first innings he got nine wickets for 12 runs, the tenth being run-out. In the second innings he took eight wickets for 11 runs, and as the Central played two short, he was credited with all the batsmen who fell to the bowlers in the match. His seventeen wickets only cost 23 runs. L ondon P laying F ields C om m ittee . —The North-Western sub-committee hove taken a piece of land on the St. Quintin Estate, near Wormwood Scrubbs (almost adjoining the Marylebone Infirmary), of about 12 acres, and are now enclosing the ground and laying down nine pitches for the coming season. These pitches will be let to working men’s clubs at small rentals. The ground almost adjoins Wormwood Scrubbs Station on the North London line, and is about 10 minutes’ walk from Notting Hill on the Metropolitan line, while the Charing Cross omnibus passes the ground. CRICKETERS— B est Goons City Agents — b e a r th is M a r k .— Advt. P arton & L e s t e r , 94, Q u e e n St., C h ba psid ji .