Cricket 1892

454 CRICKET: A WEEKLY EECORD OF THE GAME. SEPT. 22, 1892 position well-up among the leaders is a substantial tribute to his unrivalled powers. An aggregate of 1,055 runs for a cricketer who has had a continuous record of close on thirty years’ first-class cricket is from any point of view a remarkable achievement. O ne of the inevitable consequences of the suspension of active cricket is to whetten the inventive faculties of the more creative of scribes. At this time of the year the probable disintegration of the Surrey eleven is as sure to provide material for the paragraphist as the domestic subjects which engage the atten­ tion of the readers of the daily papers. Last autumn the dissolution was im­ minent, this year the authorities at the Oval must be in sad tribulation at the prospect of impending doom. But after all, on reflection, perhaps, it is not meant that these sensational reports should be taken auserieux. It is the sill} season, and there is generally a big gooseberry about. It hardly requires the denial of the secretary to convince anyone that the rumour of the probable migration of the Marylebone Club to Crouch End was a fable of the imaginative journalist. T he tendency of modern cricket is happily in the direction of shaping young players before they form a really bad style, and acquire strokes which can­ not be remedied. To teach the young idea how to — bat, ought to be, as it is in some cases, the policy of those who have the management of cricket clubs, a responsibility which is too frequently overlooked. Still, it is pleasant to find that the development of the boy cricketer is recognised in many of the outlying districts round London. Junior matches are popular indeed with many of the principal clubs in Surrey as well as in Kent. And now through the enterprise of that most versatile of sportsmen, Mr. Edwin Ash, a Challenge Shield has been presented for competition among the Elementary Schools of Richmond. The result has already been to discover an embryo wicket-keeper. Even now he is looking forward, at least, so rumour runs, to a reversion of Wood’s place behind the sticks, in, it is to be hoped, the far future. T he action of those in authority at the London County Council with respect to the threatened eviction of the Battersea C.C. would seem to be more suggestive of Bumbledom than the policy of the repre­ sentative and generally broad-minded body to which is entrusted the adminis­ tration of London. Still I incline to the belief that the proposal is the emanation of a sub-committee, and that the recom­ mendation will not meet with the ap­ proval of any large section or really responsible committee. In any case, to quote rom the Merry Wives of Windsor — “ The Council shall hear it.” the Club some thirty years ago passed through quite as critical a stage. At that time the Civil Service Club, which is no longer in existence, applied for a pitch in Battersea Park. With the advantage of Government influence their application was granted, and the part held or played upon by the Battersea Club was to have been transferred to the Civil Servants. The very suggestion, however, excited such indignation that the matter was eventually brought before the House of Commons, with the result that the Battersea Club was allotted another part of the Park, which my informant believes to be that now in dispute. In any case, the Battersea Captain is not likely to close his innings till success is morally certain. T iie performance of G. S. Patterson and A. M. Wood in the match between Gentlemen and Players at Philadelphia I should fancyrepresents a record, “ or near it, very near it,” for an important match in the States. In any case for two batsmen to put on 267 runs, as they did, is a big feat against any kind of bowling. It has always been a matter of regret to me that so fine an all-round player as Patterson should not have had the opportunity of developing his powers to the full with the advantages of continu­ ous and good practice such as are offered in first-class cricket in England. C. E. D e T rafford is to participate in a new match, this time out of the cricket season. In other words, “ the gentle tapper ” who Captains the Leicestershire eleven is to be married next month. The wedding is to take place on the 15th of next month at the London Oratory. The other high contracting party is the Lady Agnes Feilding, youngest daughter of the late Earl of Denbigh. The Archbishop of Westminster will make the young couple one. BROADWATER v. BROADWATER HOUSS.— Played at Broadwater on September 17. B r o a d w a t e r C.C. B. Holden, c Wyn- yard, b Ellison ... 14 M. Marsh ill, c Craw­ ley, b Mantel......... 1 G. Bird, b Ritchie ... 10 E. M. Tringham, b Wynyard.................16 Major Fairtlough, ib Kitchie ................ 14 Major Spens, b Wyn­ yard ........................25 T. Bovill, not out ... 59 W. Jarvis, c Walkin- shaw, b Greenway C. Russell, c Wyn­ yard, b Ritchie ... Captain Fairtlough, c King, b Mantel ... P. D. Kimber.b Wyn­ yard ........................ L. C. Phillips, c Wyn­ yard, b Ritchie ... G.Marahall.bWynyard Extras ................. Total......... 187 B r o a d w a te r H o u se .— 7irst Innings, F. Walkinshaw, o Spens, b Holden ... 2 Captain Wynyard,not out ........................89 Captain Greenway, st Ellison,lbw,bRussell 5 Mantel, b Russell ... 0 Crawley, c Kimber.b Holden ................. 5 Lambert,b Russell... 16 Wray, st Spens, b Holden ................. 0 Barnard, run out ... 1 E xtra s................. 5 Spens, b Holden ... 2 Clarke,bRussell ... Ridley, c Kimber, b Holden ................. 0 Ritchie, c and b Russell ................. 0Total..........125 King, b Russell.......... 0 In the Second Innings Clarke scored, b Tring- ham, 21, Ridley, b Phillips. 12, King (not out) 51, Ellison, c andb Tringham, 9, Wray, c G. Marshall,b Tringham, 0.—Total, 93. on the generally fast wickets of this year have stamped him as one of the most dangerous batsmen even in first-class cricket. His hitting on Saturday last, too, for the Sixteen of Beigate, though not in a strictly important match, was none the less remarkable from the fact that his runs were made against the regular Surrey bowlers with the one exception of Lockwood. The Reigate Priory ground is not of the largest, but still it was an exceptionally big feat to score 230, even making all allowance for several chances, as he did against Lohmann, Sharpe, and Richardson, in two hours and forty minutes. The power of his hitting will be understood when I add that he made 58 runs at one time in three overs. In the face of the approaching visit of Lord Hawke’s Amateur team to India, any intelligence relating to tho doings of the Parsee team, who, it will be remem­ bered, enjoyed the distinction of being the only combination to beat Lord Hawke’s eleven during their last tour, will be ofinterest. The latest evidence of their form whichhas reached here is con­ tained in the score of their match with the Bombay Presidency, begun at Bom­ bay on August 26. Unfortunately rain restricted the game to the first day, and it had not reached a sufficiently advanced stage to admit of any safe prediction as to the result. Against a total of 104 by what on paper seemed a fairly good side, they scored 54 for the loss of four wickets, so that there was very little in it. As far as the game went Kanga showed the best all-round cricket for the Parsees, and Captain Newnham, the old Malvernian, who did good service for Gloucestershire a few years ago, for the Presidency. A fte r one hundred and thirty-one preliminary matches, the final tie for the City of London Championship was decided at Lee last Saturday. A truly awful chart of matches was arranged by the President, but that there was some method in his madness was shown by the fact that his club—the Ravensbourne —preserved an unbeaten record and finally became the initial holders of the trophy, scoring 123 (A . T. Pearce 47) to their opponents’ 78. I t will be a source of gratification to every one really interested in the general well-being of the game, to see that in the first-class batting averages of the year, the amateurs come off with such high honours. It is apleasant experience to find the three highest aggregates in first-class matches all to the credit of amateur cricketers, and those three, too, among quite the keenest sportsmen of the day. Altogether six amateurs were able to claim aggregates of over a thousand runs, and the race for the first place was only won on the post by H. T. Hewett, who beat a typical all-round athlete, A. E. Stoddart, by only four runs. It is not too much to say that the greatest satisfaction of all was [furnished by the “ triumphs Grace has won.” W.G.’s A t the same time it may be of interest to the executive of the Battersea C.C. to know that, if my information is correct, S t . M a r y ’ s, C r e s s w e ll P a r k , B la c k h e a t h — P a s t v . P r e s e n t . —Played at Blackheath, September 17. S co re sP a st, 65 (G. Parker 15); Present, 87 (Bev. i\ 0. Gara 32, retired).