Cricket 1892

DEC. 29, 1892 CRICKET: A WEEKLY EECOED OF THE GAME, 501 M ention of “ Billy” Boiler, by the way, reminds me that I have not seen any announcement of a recent match in which he played a very prominent part. I have only to explain that he, some few weeks ago, took unto himself a wife, to elicit a chorus of congratulation from the hundreds of well-wishers and friends he has made for himself during his active service in connection with more than one branch of English sport. Latterly he has wintered abroad, and he is located in Prance for the next few months, partly with the object of developing his skill in golf, for which he has already shown considerable aptitude. About this time last year, indeed, I had occasion to refer to some of his successes as a prize taker in golfing circles, away by the Pyrenees. I t will'doubtless be of interest to many Metropolitan cricketers who remember P. F. Kelly, a few seasons back promin­ ently identified with the Stoics and Emeriti Clubs, to know that his hand has lost little or none of its ancient cunning. For the last two or three years he has been located in Chicago, and done good service for the Phoenix Club of that city. During the season just over he took 131 wickets for 719 runs, which gives a average of five and a half runs for each wicket. On two occasions, too, he was credited with the hat trick. M a jo r W a r d i l l , the secretary of the Melbourne C.C., “ whose Christian name is Ben,” has had so much to do in wel­ coming English cricketers to Australia, had he not in addition been well-known as one of the most genial managers an Australian team has ever brought to England, that nothing which concerns him can fail to be of interest to the cricket public at home. The last news, too, is of a particularly pleasant and gratifying character. It relates to the receipt of a very handsome testimonial from the Earl of Sheffield, in recognition of the many kindnesses shown by the major to his team last winter in the Colonies. The souvenir, which reached Melbourne on the 14th of last month,took the form of five silver dessert service pieces of the choicest design and work­ manship. In this case the universal verdict, and in all sincerity, will be that the Melbourne secretary has got his desserts. T h e sporting papers have recently made public the fact of a presentation of a gold watch to the Captain of the Surrey eleven, by the Committee of the Surrey County C.C., on behalf of the members of the club, in recognition of his loyal and devoted services for now many years. The watch bears the the following in­ scription—“ Presented to John Shuter, Esq., Captain of the Surrey County Cricket Club, for the great services he has rendered in placing Surrey at the head of County Cricket. December, 1892.” But that, it ie as well to say, was not the full scope of the presentation. The watch was accompanied by a silver service, which will serve to remind Mrs. Shuter of the club’s grateful appreciation of the distinguished part her husband has taken in the development of Surrey cricket. A nother keen sportsman has just gone to join the number of cricketers who have played their last ball during the last few weeks. The news of the death of the Bev. W. Law will have come as a shock to hundreds of friends who have known him in his double capacity, as a Christian worker as well as an ardent cricketer. It has fallen to the lot of few to enjoy, and so deservedly, such general popularity in Public School life, as well as during a University career, as “ Billy ” Law, to speak of him as he was always familiarly kndwn. T he promise he showed as a cricketer in the Harrow eleven of 1868, ’69, ’70, was fully borne out subsequently at Oxford, and from 1871 to 1874 his all­ round cricket was of great service to the University. As a field in particular he was much above the average, and at cover-point he had few if any superiors. He played occasionally, too, for Yorkshire for some little time afterwards, and was not infrequently to be found in the ranks of I Z. F o r years he took an active part in the annual tour of the Harrow Wanderers, and quite recently was on active service with them. Like another OldHarrovian, A. N. Hornby, he rarely wore a cap on the cricket field. In addition he was a good as well as keen football player. His love for his old schocl was forcibly illustrated by his devotion to the work of the Harrow Mission, which owes a very great deal of its success as a social agency to his devotion and untiring labours. A few years ago he was appointed to the living of Botherham, in Yorkshire, and there he died on the 16th of this month, after a very short illness, in his forty-second year. A C ricket reader in Shanghai sends the following case for an opinion :— In a cricket match played here a short time ago, the following incident occurred: — A batsman ran half way up the pitch to hit a shcrt-pitohed ball, missed it, and was stumped by the wicket-keeper. The latter, however, had taken the ball in front of the wicket and the umpire gave the batsman 1not out.’ Thereupon the wicket-keeper (the bats­ man being still out of his ground) proceeded, ball in hand, to uproot the stump, and again appealed to the umpire, who then gave the batsman ‘ out.’ Now my contention is that the wicket keeper, having in the first instance taken the ball in front of the wicket, could not stump the batsman, and that the umpire’s decision waswrong.” On the incident as described ihe batsman was not out. H e r e is another case from the same correspondent:— “ A bowler bowled a ball which pitched straight and, breaking to leg, struck the bats­ man’s pads. Rebounding therefrom the ball would have rolled into the wickot had not the batsman stopped it with his foot. Was he l.b.w.?” This point wants to be seen to give a proper decision. If the hall pitched straight, and though on the break would have hit the wicket, the batsman was out l.b.w. On the other hand, if in the opinion of the umpire the break would have caused the ball to miss the wicket he was not out. A re al tie match is such a rarity in cricket that one is justified in giving any instance of the kind special prominence. There are, of course, any number of cases in which the scores are identical where only one innings is got through on each side. Such incidents, though, hardly come under tho strict category of tie matches, in my humble opinion at all events. An illustration of a tie match of the genuine order will be found in the score, which appears in another part of the paper, of a match between the Sofala and Wattle Flat Clubs, in New South Wales, at the end of October. In this case the totals of the first as well as the second innings were identical. The force of coincidence could not well further go- T he Editor of the Somerset County Gazette lias requested the favour of the reproduction of the subjoined paragraph, presenting at the same time his best com ­ pliments to the critical, as well as cricketical individual who occupies the editorial chair here. We understand that the Somerset County Gazette presents its readers on Saturday, the 31st inst., with an Almanac, the chief feature of which is a capital picture of the famous Somersetshire cricketers, who for the last two successive years have defeated the champions, and two of whose Dumber made the record score for the first wicket. I have great pleasure in calling public attention to the enterprise of the journal in question. But at the same time I may take some small exception to his facts. Unless I am mistaken, Surrey was the champion county of 1892, and I cannot recal their defeat last season by Somerset. Perhaps—But there, I need hardly point out that there is a material difference be­ tween champions in posse and cham­ pions in esse. T he score of the match between the Hong Kong Club and the Garrison, which will be found elsewhere, brings forcibly back to one’s mind the terrible accident by which a thoroughly keen and sterling cricketer lost his life. I am re­ ferring of course to the death of Captain J. Dunn, the old Harrovian, one of the Hong Kong team who went down in the P. & O. Steamer “ Bokhara,” on their return from a cricket match with Shanghai. Oddly enough, one of the very few saved was Doctor Lowson, who, as will be seen, played such an important part in the big innings recorded to the Hong Kong Club against the Garrison. To judge by his excellent all-round cricket in that match, recent events do