Cricket 1892

APRIL 14, 1892 CKICKET: A WEEKLY EE CORD OP THE GAME. 57 McLeod, I may add, was batting for five hours and a half. His figures included one 7, of which 4 came from an over­ throw, and thirty-six 4’s. The Mel­ bourne total is, as far as I know, the largest, that is to say, the largest pro­ perly verified, in any match in Australia. Moreover, it only falls short by 98 of the 920 made by the Orleans Club against the Rickling Green Club at Rickling Green in August, 1882, which is absolutely the beet authenticated record in any match. McLeod's individual score has only been once beaten in Australia, and oddiy enough the hero of the Australian record helped McLeod considerably on the occasion of his big score. I am referring, of course, to W . Bruce’s 328 (not out) for the Melbourne Club v. Hotham in Januar 3 T, 1884. THE OPENING OF THE SEASON. Of what can the cricket bard write ? And what shall inspire him to-day ? The poet, iu truth, is in piteous plight, For cricket's not yet under weigh. The weather’ s been touched on before (And possibly may be agar )— The rhymester scarce ventures to rhyme of it more, Its uncertainty bids him refrain. And why should he puzzle his head For couplets concerning the game, "When up to-date records in full may be read In each of our cols, re the same ? Tint please just permit him to say To the members of King Willow’ s court: When he mentioned that “ cricket’s not yet under weigh,’’ H e referred to the national sport—— And not to the C r ic k e t that’s known Where e’er there's a bat, ball, and bail— The bright “ Weekly Record,” whatever the zone. Is scudding along in full sail. C.P. T h o u g h the evidence which has just come to hand from South Africa seems to be so conclusive as apparently to leave little room for doubt, every one will hope that the news of Mr. M. P. Bowden’s death may prove to be as unreliable as the two previous rumours to the same effect. The Transvaal Mining Argus of March 5 states that the special correspondent of the paper in Mashonaland met Mr. Bowden at IJmtali in December. He had been engaged in n mning liquor by bearers from Mapanda to Salisbury, and the Argus of above date adds that he is reported to have died at a place called Lawrencedale. T h e account states that he had suffered considerably from the hardships he had incurred, and had been much weakened by fever, though a waggon accident is given as the cause o f his death. On the other hand, it seems that there is at least some small ground for hope. Under date of March 9 Mr. H. G. Cadwallader, the Hon. Sec. of the South African Cricket Association, writes me from Cape Town as follows : Just a hurried note to state that, having seen telegrams in Cape papers rumouring again death of ‘ ‘Monty” Bowden,in Mashona­ land, I have only this morning interviewed several passeugeis who just arrived direct from Mashonaland, and they s%y they left Monty in very good health, so that report of death should be taken with great reserve. I saw him myseif in Mashonaland doing well last Oc'.ober. T h e vagaries of umpires furnish never ending amusement. The latest instance of a liberal interpretation of the rules is supplied by a correspondent in South Australia. In a recent match at Adelaide a batsman hit a terrific skier which drew from his lungs a long-drawn “ Oh ! ” The fieldsman close by dropped the catch, and the bats­ man, who had observed otherwise an attitude of benevolent neutrality and not gone near him, was gravely given out for “ obstructing the field.” T h e writer of “ Cricket Notes ” for the Australasian newspaper of Melbourne mentions a curious incident which took place at the end of February in a country match : A ball hit the bails and smashed them. No oiher bails being available, a piece of wattle was fixed up and placed in the groove. The wattle was not divided, but simply rested in one piece on the top of the stumps. The bowler buddenly tent the middle stump flying out of the ground, and did not in the least degree disturb ihe piece of wattle. The umpire gave a not-out decision, on the ground that the bails were on, “ From this view,” adds “ Felix,” who is or used to be none other than T. Horan, a distinguished member of the earlier Australian teams, “ I decidedly differ. In my opinion the piece of wattle could not be termed ‘ bails ’ in accordance with the laws of the game, and there being no ‘ bails ’ the batsman was out, a stump having been knocked out of the ground.” T h o u g h the financial result may not have been so satisfactory as its pro­ moters could have wished, the tour of the English team in South Africa was, at all events, a complete success from a cricket standpoint. Of twenty matches thirteen were won and seven drawn. On paper the team was strong enough to render a good account of itself against any comb’nition South Africa could pro­ duce, so that a defeat was hardly to be expected. Still, considering the differ­ ence of climate, the long and difficult journeys which had to be made in some cases, and the lavish hospitality they received everywhere, Mr. Bead and his comrades have reason to be more than satisfied with their cricket record. T he chief features of the tour were the exceptionally fine bowling of Mr. Ferris, and the consistent scoring of Chatterton. With Martin, J. T. Hearne, and Pougher, not to mention Alec Hearne in the team, there was plenty of variety in the attack, and Mr. Ferris’ figures, even allowing that the average of the South African batting is not particularly high, were therefore the more noteworthy. Chatterton was essen­ tially the safe man of the team as a run-getter. That he fully upheld his reputation as a thoroughly reli­ able batsman goes without saying. At the same time it must be con­ fessed that his play was, to quote the song in The Mountebanks, “ just a little disappointing.” W ith all his advantages the more the pity he does not make better use o f his time at the wickets. Mr. Brann, a batsman of just the oppo­ site stamp, sprained his ankle badly at Port Elizabeth, and wus unable to play, to the detriment of his side, in the later matches. I hear, indeed, that he has even now by no means got thoroughly over the effects of his accident. T h e decisive defeat of the eleven which represented Combined Australia by Lord Sheffield’s Team in the last of the three test matches came as a very appropriate close to a highly successful tour. The luck which had attended the Australians on the two previous occasions in the toss forsook them this time, so that the positions were reversed. None the less, it was a glorious victory, and one which will compensate, to some extent, for the loss of the rubber. A total of just on five hundred runs, against the Australian bowlers, even on such a run-getting wicket as that at Adelaide, is a fine performance. Mr. Stoddart’s batting is of such an attractive character that everyone will be pleased to find him doing himself full justice with a splendid score of 134. Proof of the strength of the side as run- getters will be found in the fact that nine of the eleven got double figures. One of the two who failed, Mr. Philipson, oddly enough was stumped, in fact, “ the engineer hoist with his own petard.” Sharpe and Mr. Badcliffe were “ resting,” to use a theatrical phrase, in the big match L o b d S h e f f ie l d , who, by the way, left Australia in the “ Arcadia ” some little time after the team, would appear to have had a very pleasant experience on his first visit to the Colonies. The climate of Tasmania seems to have impressed him very favourably, and it is already announced positively that he will spend next winter in Aus­ tralia. According to a special cablegram from the Melbourne correspondent of the Times, under date of March 29, he pro­ poses to collect the strongest possible team o f English cricketers, including Shrewsbury and Gunn, to visit Australia next winter. The idea is to play three test matches against the pick of Austra­ lian cricketers, the first at Adelaide in December, the others at Melbourne and Sydney. Though Lord Sheffield is reported to have said that W. G. will not make the trip again, all is mere rumour as yet. The new Australian Cricket Council, according to the same message, is to keep the matter of another English visit open till May. T h e news of the unfortunate accident which brought “ Bay ” Middleton’s career to a sudden check on Saturday will have come as a great shock to cricketers, to a very large number of whom he was well known. For he was in music-hall par­ lance a variety artist, thoroughly in sympathy with and at home in every kind of sport. As a horseman he was, of courser- best known, and his selection to act as pilot