Cricket 1893

182 CRICKET; A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE OAMR. M ay is. jbb 3 CRICKET NOTCHES. B y the R e v . R. S. H olm es . T h a t l.b w, business has been muoh in my thoughts lascweek. I wonder what Law No. 2 i means ? It is so hard to guess. Perhaps the “ straight line from the howler’s to the striker’s wicket** means a reotangle formed by drawing lines 22 yards long from outaide Htump to corresponding outside stump, and thus the reotangle will be 8 in. wide. And any b ill that “ lets " within said rectangle is con­ sequently “ pitched straight.” The umpire mast then carry the imaginary figure in his mind. I intend to make certain experiments, for I am very doubtful whether a plain ball bowlel round the wicket, if it just falls within this rectangle, would hit the stump at all, unless it happened to be a Yorker or a full pitch. Would the ordinary half-volley, which touches ground some 8 or 9 fc. in front of the wicket ? Certain am I, that if such a half volley, delivered round the wiuket, has the slightest leg-break on it, it will work clean off the stumps by the time it reaches them, and ed no batsman could be out “ l.b.w.” I wish a few cricketers would prac­ tically work out this problem, and send us in the result. Anyhow, isn’t it a remarkable thing that any law, which ought to be as plain as a pikestaff, should be able to give so muoh bother to a simple, plain-speaking individuil ? Do let us know, once for all, what it means, and then express that meaning in terras so clear that nobody can for the future be in two minds about it. And here’s Notts somehow thrusting itself between me and current cricket. First of all they have been contracting the boundaries at Trent Bridge, and now we shall have faster cricket there, so they say. Bat who wants it by such a contrivance? Better have slow run - getting, and run out every hit. These boundaries are the bane of bowlers, in that they favour the batsmen. When I read that W. G. was cutting Turner and Co. down in Sheffield Park last week, at once I recalled perhaps the finest square cut I ever saw in my life. It was in 1871, at Lord’s. Emmett was bowling for Yorkshire, W.G. batting for M.C.C. ; time, about 6 p.m. on the second day of the matoh. An off-ball was sent down, breaking away ; in a trice it had passed point and cover, was through the ring in front of the entrance gate, and eaid gate happening to be open at the time, away it travelled across St. John’s Wood Road, and six runs were added to the score, and the bats­ men required a well-earned rest. There are no “ sixers” to-day—never r*an be until all hits are run out as of old. And then Shrews­ bury steps in and disturbs my equanimity, for he has been interviewed, and in the report of said operation is made to say all sorts of things that make one smile. FOr instance, that he is t .s fast a scorer as most men. Who said he wasn’t, and who cares whether he is or is not, so long as he plays perfect cricket, and keeps his legs clear of the wioketb ? He may let pass every off- ball if he likes. But those legs of his ! Now, my dear sir, it’s all very fine for you to say (did you really say it?) that you have no* been given out lbw for years in an important match. Why not rather have told how many times you ought to have been given out, and would have been had somebody been umpire. Well, I don’t iike questioning the word of any honourable man, but I happened to see Eng­ land v, Australia at Lord’s in 1890, and you paid the_penalty for putting your leg in front to Feriis. That I saw. And those funny fellows, the reporters, said you did the same thing in the same match down at the Oval in that year, and once more, at Trent Bridge, did K. M. Grace dismiss you in a similar way. So that makes three times at least in one year. And your worthy colleague, Gunn, assures us fll^o that two years ago Notts scored more than 50 more runs an hour than a no^ed first-class t»am on the Trent Ground. Let us have further particulars. Do you know, when I read all this, I thought of a charming poem called “ Dreams that I Dream,” that appeared jn this journal a fortnight since, and 1 said to myself, “ Shrewsbury and Gunn have been sojourning awhile in Fairyland, and have for­ gotten all about it.’* And whilst on Notts, let me have another word. Last week-end I was passing with an old friend who used to write frequently on cricket! he is a member of the s.o.e.o (not S-C.C.O. remember). Inter alia , we disous 6 ed County Crioket in various guises—why so many great bowlers have come from Notts, whion is one of the lesser counties in point of size and wealth. We agreed that it may be an example of heredity. In the olden times Notts oould hold its own against all comers at archery. When this sport died out, cricket came in, and skill in arohery and in bowling results from the same causes, which may have been indigenous in the famous Midland shire. The genius for bowling is then a gift of nature; but how is it fostered and developed? By practice, of course. In all the Notts villages weaving is done at home, and at the weaver’s own time. Every village has its cricket club olose athand; the weaver oan spare two hours a day for his favourite game: he can make it up at night. My friend told me he has often walked through these villages as late as midnight, and no sound was more familiar to him during the summer than that of the loom at work in the cottages, when you would have thought everybody was in bed; a curious, “ scratty” noise, much the same as that made by draw­ ing your finger quietly along the teeth of a comb. And we further decided that the most effectual way of putting the closure on the im­ portation of cricketers from one county to another would be this: jnsist that no cricketer should play against ihe county of his birth, provided he had ever played for it. Make a note of the last clause; it is inserted for the benefit of those cricketers who either removed in their earliest years to another county, or who learned all their cricket there. But once play a man for his county, and he must never play against it. I remember an old county player telling me years ago—“ I have spotted many a likely youngster in the country clubs, and have reported them to the county committee. Now would'"you believe it,no notice was taken of my recommendation, and just because my county find it easier and safer to import foreigners than train its own home born cricketers.” Last week was busy enough in first class cricket, and did something both to create and confirm reputations. The handsome margin of eight wickets in the Sheffield Park match gladened us all, for somehow or other, princi­ pally owing to the fact that Lord Sheffield had so recently visited Australia on cricket bent, this match aroused much deeper interest in 1893 than it did in 1884,1886, and 1890. When Australia beat his Lordship’s team in 1890, nobody attached much importance to the viotory. This year, however, we felt there was a lot at stake, and an English defeat would have been hard to bear. One can be generous enough towards our visitors and do ample justice to their skill, and yet devoutly hope they would never beat England. Will the plea of “ short of practice ” explain all? Is practice wholly measured by the clock? Some of us are at the nets almost every day, and yet make no headway. W. H. Patterson (of whom a valued friend of mine once wrote “ I believe if that fellow had to face a triangular steel ball shot out of a gun on a flint wicket, and with a boiled stick of rhubarb to defend it,he would try at any rate”)—well,/to goes to the nets for an evening or two, andthen scores a century against the men of Notts, and A, G. Steel has often done ditto. Still, W. Bruce and G. Giffen have yet to show us the stuff that is in them. So far the “ Fresh­ men ” take leading honours. Graham, Coningham, and McLeod were the best with the bat, though the leger score (32) represents no very mighty deeds. Down in Sassex, Coningham with the ball showed his heels to Turner and Giffen, but the latter left all his colleagues far behind when, later on in the week, they turned up at Birmingham. Now it’s in the bowling line that the Australians may be found wanting. Turner may be as great as ever D on’t forget thut when here in 1882 Spofforth did nothing at all in the first five matohes. “ Gone off,” “ no good,’* oame from all sides j and then, all of n sudden, he silenced the captious crowd, who never again during that tour dared speak, until his four, teen wiokets in the England matoh at the Oval oalled forth one hearty, unanimous oheer. Better than ever,” “ the greatest bowler.” etc., eto, So we will be ohary just for the present. Still, one can’t help recalling 1882, when suoh bowlers as Spofforth, Giffen, Palmer, Boyle and Garrett were here; or 1884, with Spofforth, Palmer, Giffen, Boyle, Cooper and Midwinter, Why, when Lord Sheffield’s Eleven in Australia had at least four big bowlers—Lohmann, Briggs, Attewell anil Peel, not to mention Sharpe—they would have been only too glad of the services of either Lockwood or Mold. Great bowlers, remember, nearly always have run in couples. Ferris missed Turner last year, and this season may furnish proof that neither of them can spare the other’s support. There was some marvellously rapid scoring last week. Fancy Notts piling up runs for three hours at the rate of 100 an hour 1 Some­ thing like scoring. You were not in it, Shrewsbury, for you required 25 minutes to notoli six runs. But Gunn was—with 109 in 140 minutes, so was Flowers with 92 in 105 minutes. And Lyons at Birmingham took 70 minutes to knock up 71, or just five minutes more than Painter wanted. Wardall, for his 81 against Yorkshire down at Gloucester, 155minutes for 108 runs ; Tunnicliffe 55 for 54; young Hay­ ward at the Oval took a little longer to make his 100; whilst W.G’s 63 at Sheffield Park was perhaps the best of the bunch—almost a run a minute—and nearly all by late-cutting, which I held to be the perfection of skilled batting. That’s the way to open your thirtieth year in first-class cricket! None better even now ; still the first choice in the best matches, and all the while we have a crowd of grand youngsters waiting for admission. When W.G. goes out there will be avacancy, but that won t be yet awhile. And the Colts shone in the bowling de­ partment too. Witness Hirst, with twelve wickets for 48 runs up at Lord’s, and Mee, even with Attewell present, getting all the wickets save one in the first innings against Sussex. It gladdens the hearts of us veterans whenever a youngster shows he can “ bowl a bit ” on a hard wicket, and hits the stumps, too. Yorkshire and Notts can shake hands. And Surrey need not be dismayed. The outlook is a trifle gloomy—Abel, Wood, and poor Lohmann on the sick list, but Lock­ wood showed down in Sussex that he had wintered well, and was out and away the best bowler in that match. Two brilliant victories to lead off with, though their opponents don’t count first-clapp. Hayward is a cipital find, I hope we shall see his famous uncle over again in him; never was there a more stylish and effective bat than Tom Hayward. Marshall looks as if he had come to stay. If so, then the one uncertain spot iu Surrey cricket has been remedied. Well played, Yorkshire! Hirst alone was responsible for the viotory at Lord’s. Why, the “Middle-aged Croakers” could havepulled off that match with Hirst as given man.Wain­ wright had something to do with the result, batting and bowling well. But at Gloucester, everybody came off, except Peel. Two wickets at a cost of 110 runs, must not be repeated. Wardall, last year, found the Western bowl­ ing to his liking at Bradford; and so did Ulyett. Compare the same match in 1892and 1893. We hope Yorkshire will “ stay ; ” they went off with a rush last year, though M..C.C. beat them at the start, but fairly collapsed before July was a few days old. So far, Gunn has outpaced all batsmen. He and Wardall are the first to notch the century. Shrewsbury must not go to sleep for a few weeks, as in the last two years; we want him at his very best from start to finieb, and there is no better than his best. At Sheffield Park, he was a good second to our own champion, who must whip up Ferris, for three wickets for 206 runs is not quite County form. W. L. Murdoch’s debut for Sussex