Cricket 1892

MARCH 24, 1992 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME. 41 Zealand. It is just possible that another year, such a trip may seriously be con­ templated. T h e executive of the Clapton C.O., one o f the oldest of metropolitan Cricket Clubs, are evidently determined not to deserve the reproach that the veteran lags superfluous on the stage. On the contrary they are preparing for a considerable enlargement o f their sphere of operations. At least they have secured an extension of the lease of their ground for five years, and aro already preparing to erect a close fence nine feet in height with a view to the establishment of*' gates.” The new departure will necessitate a bolder policy, and with this view it is contemplated to have in addition to Cricket and Lawn Tennis, Athletic Sports, andmost probably Football, during the winter. A ladies’ pavilion is also to be provided, and in fact every possible provision will be made for members of both sexes. The renewal of the club’s lease justifies the belief that local cricket in Clapton will receive a new “ boom .” ENG LAND v. AU S T R A L IA . If m em ory doesn’t deceive us (As m emory frequently will), Last Autum n saw estim&tes grievous, From many a pessimist’s quill, 01 cricket in O’er-the-Sea Britain ; H ow cricket was there on the w ane; Some columns of cavil were written, W e fancy, in that kind of strain. No Cornstalks are welcom ed this season; No Giffens are crossing “ the streak; ” A n d this, w e’re assured, is the reason— Colonial cricket is w eak! Yet the past winter’s cable despatches Scarce square with this critical view— For it seems, of the three great test matches, Those Australian “ duffers ” won tw o! ---------- C.P. T he averages o f L o rd S h effield ’s T eam in A ustralia ca n n o t fail to give interest to C ricket readers. T h e y are com p iled up to th e con clu sion o f the fourteen th m a t c h : BATTING AVERVQE3. Times Most in Inns, not out. Runs, an Inns. Aver, w . G. Grace ... 15 ... 8 ... 546 ... 159* ... 45.6 G. A. Lohmann 15 ... 2 ... 391 ... 106 ... 30.1 H. Philipson ... 9 ... 2 ... 170 ... 50 ... 24.2 A. E. Stoddait 17 ... 1 ... 381 ... 78 ... 23.13 R. Peel .......... 13 ... 4 ... 253 ... 57 ... 23.5 J. M. Reid ...18 ... 2 ... 344... 60 ... 21.8 R. Abel .......... 15 ... 0 ... 295 ... 5) ...19.10 G. Bean .......... 16 ... 1 ... 278 ... 67 ... 18.8 ft. McGregor ... 13 ... 2 ... 192 ... 61 ... 17.5 W. Attewell ... 13 ... 2 ... 168 ... 3! ... 15.3 J. Briggs ..........18 ... 0 ... 2:J1 ... 91 ...14.7 O.G. Radcliffe... 10 ... 0 ... 108 ... S6 ... 10.8 J. W. Sharpe ... 11 ... 3 ... 74 ... 36 ... 9.2 BOWLING AVERAGES. Ba'ls. Mdns. Runs. Wkts. Aver. J. Briggs ........1 8S-6 ... 131 ... 535 ... 104 ... 5.15 R. Peel ........ 1,372 ... 1 9 ... 264 ... 44 ... 6 w . Attewell ... 2,120 ... 176 ... 404 ... 48 ... 8.20 w . G. Grace ... 670 ... 28 ... 296 ... 31 ... 9.17 J.W .Shirpe ... 2.11-2 ... 184 ... 499 ... 5 !... 9 31 (i . A. Lohmann 2,110 ... 164 ... 541 ... 46 ... 11.35 T h er e seem s to be ev ery reason to hope that an A u stralian team , and m oreover, on e th orou g h ly representative o f the C olon ies, w ill visit E n g la n d n e x t year. T h e general feelin g is, even am on g those w h o w ere adverse to such a tou r in 1892, that the situation h a s ch an ged c o n ­ sid erably sin ce the C ou n ty Secretaries vo te d aga in st a recep tion o f A ustralian Cricketers until the summer of 1894. As a matter of fact 1 think I am not betraying any confidence in saying that most of those who represented the opposition in December last, are not at all indisposed to welcome an Australian team next year, provided always that there is a reason­ able assurance of the combination being representative. Lord Sheffield has been, I may add, so much impressed with the cordial reception his party has met everywhere in the Colonies that he has already expressed his desire to have the first fixture of the Australians in England at Sheffield Park. What will be of even greater importance, however, to C r ic k e t readers,will be the intelligence I have received from the very best source, that in the event of the proposed visit in 1893 becoming an accomplished fact, there is every possibility of George Giffen forming one of the tourists. T h at the members of the Warwickshire County Club should have refused to pass what would practically have been a vote of want o f confidence in their Honorary Secretary, will not surprise any one who knows the zeal and energy Mr. Ansell has expended in the interest of Warw ick­ shire cricket. As one who has systema­ tically expressed disapproval of the policy of the Warwickshire executive, I, at least, shall not be considered inconsistent in congratulating the members of the Club generally on their grateful appre­ ciation of a lot of hard and good work. T hat the actions of the Warwickshire Committee of late generally, but more particularly in the cases of the Classifi­ cation o f Counties, and the Davidson and Quaife incidents,had made the County unpopular is a fact beyond all dispute. At the same time it is absurd to argue that the discredit of such unpopularity is in any way attributable to the Hon. Sec., who is merely the mouthpiece of the Committee, themselves the persons re­ sponsible for the policy o f the Club. No one can gainsay the courage Mr. Ansell has shown, as an exponent of views which have been generally dis­ tasteful, nor his perseverance in trying to force Warwickshire to the front. This, though, does not in any way affect the principle underlying Mr. Docker’s motion. To say that a Secretary able to give his whole time to the work, during the season at least, is essential to the proper management of a Club of any position and influence, is not necessarily a reflection on the best of the unpaid. Where constant supervision is required, a paid officer is an absolute necessity. T he Melbourne Evening Standard is responsible for the following curiosity recorded in a match played in that city in January : On the South Melbourne ground a match Was proceeding between North and South Melbourne. North Melbourne was batting, and A. E. Trott. for South Melbourne, was bowling, when one of his deliveries had a most extraordinary result. After the ball had left Trott’s hand it struck a swallow and killed it. The ball went on and the batsman played it. An instance has ocourred on the cricket field of a fieldsman catching a swallow in its flight, but that hardly oompares as a wonder against the almost infinite unlikeli­ hood of a bird being struck by a ball in its flight from the bowler’s hand. The cricket lore of the writer of the above paragraph is not, I am afraid, so com ­ plete as it should be. The case he mentions is not unique. It had its parallel in a match between Shillinglee andGodalming, on September^, 1847. On that occasion as Fred Caesar was bowling to the Earl of Winterton, a swallow crossed the play, and was killed by the ball. Are these things not written in the Chronicles of the Book of Haygarth ? I nstances of three scores of over a hundred are such rare occurrence that no record of the kind should be allowed to pass unnoticed. Victorian cricket has furnished the latest case. It occurred at Back Creek on February 6, and the Bendigo United were the heroes. After disposing of Harcourt for 58, they knocked up 605 for the loss of six wickets. Towards this sum George Mackay contri­ buted 189, Angus Mackay 128, and G. Allday 125 (not out). The rate of run- getting, too, was abnormally high, for the runs were got in four hours. The per­ formance is noteworthy as the biggest score ever made for the Bendigo Club, as well as the highest recorded on the ground in the time. T h e cricket public here, as well as in Greater Britain, will be following with more than ordinary anxiety the reports of each day’s play in the last of the three test matches between Lord Sheffield’s team and Combined Australia. No more fitting termination to a tour which, thanks to the personal influence, in a great measure, of Lord Sheffield, has done very much to awaken new, and it is to be hoped, lasting interest in cricket throughout Australia, could well have been conceived than the great contest which is to begin on the Oval at Adelaide this morning. Unfortunately for English cricket the rubber is not dependent on the issue of the game, as it was lost with the double defeat o f our team in the earlier matches. Still, however anxious we must all be with reference to the result of this third meeting, to win is not after all the greatest desideratum. Australian cricket has received the fillip it seemed really to need by the visit of Lord Sheffield’s team. And to quote from an Australian paper in a preliminary article on the second test match which is equally applicable to that commencing. It is of comparatively small consequence which team wins the great match that begins to-dnv, beside the larger question as to whether the interest in the game itself is to be kept alive or not. C apta in E u sta ce C h a w le y (Harrow and Cambridge), of the 12th Lancers, was one of the pair whioh recently won the competition for the Military Racquet Championship Challenge Cup at Prince’s. CR ICKETERS-B est G oods City Agents — b e a r th is M a k k .— A d v t. P a r to n & L e st e r , 91, Q u een St., C h e a p b id e . NEXT ISSUE APRIL 14