Cricket 1892

82 CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME. APRIL 28, 1892 pace as well as his pitch cleverly, and ablo to make the ball do a good deal, he requires a lot of watohing. Considering the slight experience he has had of good cricket he has shown great promise as a batsman. As he plays with plenty of confidence and freedom there is every reason to believe that he will be a very useful addition to the eleven as a run-getter. Some, indeed, are of opinion that he will, in the end, take higher honours as a bat. Though a left-handed bowler he is a right-handed batsman. An unassuming little fellow, and of even temperament, Baguley is very popular in cricket oircles. Our portrait is from a photograph by G. Gibson & Son, of 8, Peck Lane, Nottingham. KINGS OF CRICKET. L a st week we gave a few extracts from the very interesting recollections of his cricket career which Richard Daft is pre­ senting to tho world through the medium of the Athletic News. It is to Messrs. Tillotson & Sons, of Bolton, we under­ stand, that cricketers owe the publication o f Daft’s memoirs. That enterprising firm deserves the thanks of all who take interest in the game for perpetuating the experiences of one who can bring before us, and in, moreover, such a graphic and agreeable style, the grand old men of a generation of cricketers of whom there are now only few survivors. The Athletic News of last Monday contains the third instalment of “ The Kings of Cricket.” In one of the two earlier numbers Daft records his opinion of the old Surrey Eleven. As an impartial critic and one of the best of judges, too, his estimate is not only of special value but o f particular in­ terest. The relative merits of the Surrey Eleven of that day and of this have been a frequent source of discussion among those who have followed closely the varying fortunes of Surrey cricket. Some of the members of the old team have often placed on record their opinion that, making every allowances for the different circumstances and surroundings which make a comparison difficult, the latter day cricket under Mr. John Shuter is, if not of a better, certainly of quite as high a class as that shown when Mr. Fred. Miller was captain. On the other hand here is the belief of a cricketer who has had ample opportunities of compar­ ing that the old Surrey eleven was better than any county has ever had, either in the past or the present. But here is Daft’s expression of faith. Surrey had at this time an eleven stronger, I believe, than any county ever possessed either before or since. They had the finest wicket-keeper the world ever knew—Lockyer —who was also a very good bat, and cduld bowl if required ; H. H. Stephenson, a grand bowler, and equally fine batsman ; Mr. C. G. Lane, one of the best amateur bats I ever saw; Mr. F. P. Miller, another; Tom Mortlock, a splendid player ; Julius Casar, one of the most dangerous batters in the country; Mr. F. Burbidge, a fine bat and field ; George Griffiths, perhaps the hardest hitter, in England, and several more. O f Caffyn we have generally heard as, without a doubt, the best all-round cricketer of his day. There has always been the same unanimity o f opinion not only about his excellence as an all-round cricketer, but also about the grace and polish which were the chief character­ istics o f his style. Daft’s estimate, though, places him in a position quite by himself, to which of course he was no doubt fully entitled. There is one player I have yet to mention who was, in my opinion, the best of the lo t; I mean Caffyn. If Surrey ever possessed a finer player than he, I never saw him. If, during the whole of my career, I have admired one man’s play more than another it has been that of Caffyn. As a batsman, he was without doubt one of the most brilliant that ever lived. It was quite a treat to have to field against him and see him play. His hitting all round was magnificent; his cutting, I think, nobody has ever equalled. He was, besides, one of the best bowlers in England, and was an excellent field. Altogether this county could send into the field an eleven good enough to challenge tho world. Daft’s opinion of George Parr, the Lion o f the North a s he was called, we have already given. Our own recollec­ tion take3 us back to th e end of the fifties, when Parr was engaged at Harrow School. He was certainly then on the wane, though even at that time he was still a fine illustration of the punishing bat. Daft’s experiences, however, bring his personality in such bold relief that we venture to give another extract. Such was the kind of cricket which was played in the country at the time George Parr was a boy. He was introduced into first-class cricket by old Clarke in 1845, when but 19 years old, and from that period he had doubt­ less but little time to spare for playing in local matches. He succeeded Clarke on his retiring to the captaincy of the All-England Eleven, as I have mentioned elsewhere, and this office he held at the time I first knew him. I became a regular playing member of this eleven in 1859. George was perhaps now just a trifle past his best, but was still, as he had been for years past, the premier batsman of England. He was a good-looking man, of medium height, and was of a very powerful build. His defence was a little clumsy, as he always played very low down and was often muon punished about the hands in conse­ quence. His hitting all round was terrific. Those who think he could only hit to leg are vastly mistaken, as he could cut and drive almost equally well. When hitting to leg he almost always hit the ball near the ground, and it generally went right behind the wicket, and hardly ever square or in front. In his earlier days he was a fine out-fielder, and could throw a great distance. During my time, however, he almost always took point or short slip, in which place he was without a superior. All the team, especially we young ones, stood somewhat in awe of him, for George was always rather a queer-tempered man. He was of a very nervous temperament, and though he would stand up without flinching to the fastest bowling on the roughest wickets, yet at the approach of a thunderstorm he would make for the nearest cellar and there remain till it had passed over. And when crossing to Ireland, though an excellent sailor, he was always in constant fear of getting drowned. To the cricketers of Daft’s time the names of Hayward and Carpenter convey so many pleasant memories chat one can hardly wonder at Daft lingering over that incomparable pair. There are some who say that it was the merest accident of CRICKETERS— B e s t <C C B « GOOD8 City Agents— b e a r this M a p .— A dvt. P arton & L e ste r , 94, Q u een S t ., C h eafside . birth that made Hayward a native of Cambridge, The rumour goes bo far as to say that his parents lived in the neigh­ bourhood of the Oval. Whether this is true or not we cannot say. I f there should be any truth in the report there will be some­ thing fitting the revival of the family’s connection with Surrey. This bids fair to be accomplished in the person of his nephew, who has been living iu Surrey for more than a year and will be avail­ able next summer. Hayward and Carpenter were certainly names to conjure with in their day. They were the Jupp and Humphrey, two batsmen equally dissimilar in style, of a later period. Perhaps on all kinds of wickets and against all sorts of bowling Carpenter was the more reliable bat, but against fast bowling, and on a hard wicket, Hayward took the palm. Two more opposite styles of batting could not be witnessed than when these two were in together. Carpenter was a strong man of medium height, and a very great punisher. His defence was all back: he seldom or never played forward, for a ball he could not play back he would go out and hit. I think I never saw a man who was able to punish a slow bowler as Carpenter was. He would go down the wicket to such a bowler and hit the ball like a horse kicking, often getting to it before it could pitch. He told me not long ago that whenever a slow bowler was put on to him he always used to “ nurse” him, that is, not get too many runs off one over for fear he should be taken off. Carpenter’ s leg-hitting was very fine, though he made altogether a different hit to that of George Parr, for Carpenter hit lofty and square. This, sometimes, when there were twenty-two in the field, was the means of his losing his wicket. No man ever knew more of the theory of the game than Car­ penter does. One has only to talk with him for a short time to discover this. It is rather strange that he had attained his 28th birth­ day before he appeared at Lord’s. He was one of the best men at point I ever saw. Like the afterwards famous “ E. M.” of Gloucestershire, he would keep getting closer and closer to the unwary batsman till he had him out. The large scores he and Hayward made together in the same innings, and the number of times they did it, form one of the curiosities of cricket. Carpenter was always fond of a joke. He once rather took the conceit out of me when we were on tour together, In the evening, after we had been playing, I had put on a new collar of somewhat large dimensions, whereof I had purchased a dozen that day. I fancied myself in the looking-glass, and when I appeared amongst our eleven I saw several of what I thought admiring glances at the new collar. All at once I heard Carpenter pronounce the monosyllable, “ B ones!” That was enough. To rush upstairs and change the collar was the work of a moment, and the whole of the dozen were given away shortly afterwards. People’s opinion differed greatly as to which of the two players was the better. As far as I can say, I do not think there was anything to choose between them. C r ic k e t C h at for 1891.—(Eighth Year of Issue), enlarged and improved edition, post free 7Jd Containing in addition to Portraits and Biographies, Gronps of Cricket, and Cricket Anecdotes and Oddities. To be had at the Office of this paper, of all Booksellers, or W. H. Smith & Sons stalls. *** P ortraits of Cricketers and Groups will be given as supplements at short intervals during the summer. Lohmann will furnish the first, which will be issued shortly.