Cricket 1892

JUNE 30, 1892 CBICKET: A W E E K L Y E E C O K D O F THE GAME. 2 5 5 I t is not often that a wioket-keeper, and in the case of a throw, in hits the wicket without removing the bails. This was the case while Gloucestershire were batting at the Oval on Monday. R. W . Rice was running, and had not reached his crease when the ball, thrown in from m id-on, came into the hands of the Surrey stumper. Some sur­ prise was felt that the wicket remained intact, and the general impression of the on lookers was that the stumps had been missed. As a matter of fact Mr. Clarke did hit them, but he did his spiriting so gently that the bails remained on, and the wicket was not broken. T he shadow of the poll has far reaching effects and outside the inner circle of the political aren*i. At all events it is responsible for the abandonment of the match between Lord Sheffield’s team and the Australians in England, fixed to be played at Sheffield Park, on Thursday and Friday next. Polling is to take place in the district on the second day, and Lord Sheffield being, and rightly, of opinion that his fixture might interfere to some extent with the progress of the poll, has in the higher interests of politics very re­ luctantly made up his mind to cancel the arrangements he had made for the match. T iie later performances of the Oxford eleven would seem to suggest that the Inter. University match, to begin to-day, is not by any means the certainty for Cambridge it appeared to be early in the season, though they are naturally the more fancied. Considering that they were without their captain, who is at the same time their best batsman, in the second innings, owing to an injury to his knee, and in addition lost his bowling, which has been of great use this season, at the finish, when it would have been of considerable service, the show of the Oxford eleven at Lord’s this week was distinctly creditable. The elevens will be :—Cambridge : F. S. Jackson (Harrow) Captain, A. J. L. Hill (Marlborough), E. C. Streatfeild (Charterhouse), R. N. Djuglas (Dulwich), D. L. A. Jephson (Private), C. M. Wells (Dul wich), G. J. V. Weigall (Wellington), J. Douglas (Dulwich), H. Bromley-Davenport (Eton), L. H. Gay (Brighton), P. H. Latham (Malvern). Oxford: L. C. H. Palairet (Rep- ton) Capt., M. R . Jardine (Fettes), T. B. Case (Winchester), G. F. H. Berkeley (Wel­ lington), W. H. Brain (Clifton), C. B. Fry iRepton), R. T. Jones (Eton), F. A. Phillips (Rossall), V. T. Hill (Winchester), J. B. Wood (Marlborough), and J. S. B. Wilson (Bath). O ne of the most noteworthy features of the Eton and Winchester match was the promis­ ing batting of C. C. Pilkington on the Eton side. He is only commencing his sixteenth 3rear, and last Friday at Winchester was his first appearance in a fixture of auy great importance. Ilis second innings of 60, cjn - sidering that he was playing a losing game, was the more meritorious. His coolness and judgment under such trying circumstances should invest his future with more than ordinary interest. I f for nothing else than the mere question of the runs made, the match between W in­ chester and Eton, at Winchester at the end of last week, would have been remarkable. To score only eight runs under nine hundred runs in two days, and for only thirty-four wickets, would have of itself been sufficient to give the match a special prominence in Winchester cricket history. B ut in other respects, the game furnished incidents quite unique in their way. Until this year the highest individual score by a Wykehamist against Eton was E. B. C. Trevilian’s 126 in 1832 at Lord’s. This makes J. R. Mason’ s 147 last Friday a record, not only in Winchester meads, but also in this particular School match. A nd unless I am mistaken it is the best W in­ chester record in a school match. In the second innings of the match against Harrow, at Lord’s in 1826, W . Meyrick scored 146 not out. The fixture has an historic interest from the fact that it was one of the two occa­ sions on which the name of tbe late Cardinal Manning appears as playing for Harrow. But Mason’s performance in the last match alto­ gether eclipses that just mentioned, as his ag­ gregate for the two innings last week was 218. A few particulars, too, of his cricket pedigree will not be without their value. His first lessons in cricket were learned at the Abbey School, Beckenham, which has been the nur­ sery of not a few first-class cricketers. He got into the Winchester eleven in 1890, and last year, when he was the best bowler, he was unfortunate enough to develop German measles just before the match,which prevented him playing against Eton. His batting for Winchester has been quite one of the best features of Public School cricket this year. With the exception of his first innings, when he made nine, his lowest score has been twenty-eight, as the following list will show :— 1st Inn. 2nd Inn. May 10,11—Coll. v. Mr. Buckland’s XI. 9 ... 93 May 12—Coll. v. Greenjackcts ..........60 May 17—Coll. v. Oriel College ..........3J May 19—Col', v. Magdalen College ... 40 May 31—Coll. v. I Zingari .................124 June 2—Coll. v. Hampshire Hogs ... 60 June 6,7—Coll. v. Old Wykehamists ... 28 ... 28 June 21—Coll. v M.C.C. & G...................82 June 24, 25—Coll. v. Eton College ...147 ... 71 In twelve innings he has an aggregate of 772 runs. In addition to his 229 last week he took eight wickets for 139 runs. On June 11,1 may add, he scored 85 for Blackheath v. Bickley Park. O n public form, it is not too much to say he is one of the most promising young cricketers of the day. As he was born at Blackheath (on Ma rch 27th, 1874) and comes of a family actively identified with and interested in Kent cricket, he should be sure of a trial in the County eleven at the earliest opportunity. He will be Captain of the Winchester eleven in 1893, which is the Quin- Centenary year at Winchester. Oxford men will be interested to learn that he goes to that University when he leaves Winchester. ANOTHERcricketer who took part in the same match has every promise, too, of a brillian career. Tho Winchester wicket-keeper, R. P Lewis, is far above the average, and bids fair to take very high honours. Like his captain, who showed exceedingly promising cricket last week for Winchester, he is Surrey. He made a very favourable impression last year for the second eleven, and it is quite possible will be seen behind the sticks for Surrey before this summer is over. He remains another year at Winchester, and then, I believe, goes up to Oxford. No one will take any exception to the action of the committee in the instructions to umpires which have just been officially issued on behalf of M.'J.C. On the con­ trary, anything which can tend to impress tho3e who have to see to the proper ap­ plication of the laws with a sense of their responsibilities, and at the same time to increase their influence, must commend it­ self to everyone as an important matter of public policy. T he question of umpiring in the more important matches is a very serious one. Still, some cause of friction would probably be removed if the regula­ tions, on being finally pissed by the Counties, with respect to the appoint­ ment of the most capable men were only carried out in their entirety. The position of umpire is at the best a thankless one, and the most experienced are fallible. Recent events, however, would seem to suggest that the committee might with advantage protect umpires against undue interference by those whose duty it is to uphold rather than weaken their position. I t is not very often that a side commencing with a score of 249 is beaten by an innings. Tho easy victory of Charterhouse in their match against Westminster at the end of last week is therefore particularly noteworthy. The big score of 360 bythe Carthusians was the work of one batsman, and that, fittingly, the captain. G. O. Smith has been in the front rank of public school cricketers for the last two years. For his 229, too, there will be few if any parallels in the records of school oricket. It is worthy of remark that he scored two more than the Westminster eleven in their first innings from the bat. T he young Wykehamist’ s all-round cricket was indeed of such an exceptional character as to warrant the belief that his counterfeit presentment will be of interest.