Cricket 1893

216 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OE THE GAME, JUNE 22, 1898 REMINISCENCES OF CRICKET. B y BICHARD DAFT. J. C. S haw . In one of Diokens’ novels there is a sea-faring character, Captain Bunsby by name, whose face we are told always wore an expression a3 though he were gazing at some­ thing four or five hundred miles away, on the coast of Greenland or somewhere. Old Jemmy Shaw always put me in mind of this gentle­ man whenever he obtained a wicket. Most bowlers when they get a man out generally assume either a triumphant or a “ I’m glad lie's gone” sort of expression. It was not so with Jemmy. Whenever he bowled a wicket down, even that of the great W-G. himself, he would at once thrust his hands into his trousers pockets, and his face would assume a vacant expression as though he were com- templating something that was taking place on tbe distant horizon. Jemmy was one of the nastiest bowlers for a batsman to face when first going in of any I ever knew. What with his awkward delivery, and the pace the ball “ wriggled ” as it were from the pitch, it was most puzzling. Jemmy, when deliver­ ing the ball, always touched his le?t shoulder with his left hand, and then brought up his right hand to the left, and then delivered the ball rather high. He was a very strong naan, especially in the arms. He had a most peculiar expression, owing to a “ squiot ” in one of his eyes. I always liked Jemmy, he was so good na- tured, and such a thorough tryer. I have recently been looking up a few of his chief feats with the ball, I select a few for my readers in this place.—In 1868 he took 40 wickets in County matches, with a splendid analysis. Against Oxford University in 1869 he bowled 44 overs for 56 runs and 11 wickets. During the next three days against Cam­ bridge, he bowled 94 overs, 58 maidens, 86 runs, and took 12 wickets. For North v. South of England he once started the innings by bowling Messrs. W. G. and G. F. Grace before a run had been scored. At the close of the innings his analysis was 37 overs, 30 maidens, 19 runs, 8 wickets. In the Notts v. M.C.C. at Lord’s in 1870 he broke the middle stump of Dr. W . G. Grace’ s wicket, and with his last eleven balls took four wickets. In the match Sixteen of Notts v. England in 1870, played at Eastwood,he took all the 10 wickets for 20 runs. Jemmy of course accomplished many other remarkable feats with the ball during his career, but those I have given serve to show that he was one of the very best bowlers of his day. Like Carpenter, he had attained his 28th birthday te fore he appeared at “ head­ quarters. B il l y B uttress *. Buttress, the old Cambridgeshire bowler, was a great amateur ventrilo quist. He could imitate a cat mewing to the life, and used, it is said, often to carry a stuffed kitten about with him to which was attached a piece of string. This animal he would often place under a railway carriage seat before any passengers entered, and when the compartment was filled would begin to imitate the cries of a kitten, jerking the string at the same time to cause the stuffed one under the seat to knock against the passenger’: legs, causing agreat amount of confusion. Billy used to prefer plajing these tricks when the compartment happened to be full of a lot of old women who were going to market. On these occasions he often escaped detection by making the cat his? and “ swear ” in most alarming manner when the old ladies tried to drive it out from under the seat. A P leasant S u rpr ise . When playing in a match a few years ago our side were batting and were playing a very vigorous game in order to knock off a certain number of runs in a short time before the hour fixed for drawing stumps. As time went on the game grew most exciting, and event­ ually when time was called our two batsmen, who were in and who had been hitting most vigorously, were compelled to leave the wickets requiring but two runs to have won the game. We were all very disappointed, but soon afterwards when the score came to be written out for the newspapers it was found that both scorers had made a mistake in adding up, and that instead of our being two runs behind we were actually just one in fron t! A M atch at M atlock . I remember playing in a curious match at Matlock Bridge nine or ten years ago. I took a team there every year at one time. On this occasion we made the match a tw'o days one against 16 of Mat­ lock and district. Oar eleven, going in to bat first, were all disposed of for 30 runs. The sixteen then went in and ran up a total of 100. This concluded the first day’s play. In our second innings the nt-xt morning we lost seven of our wickets before the arrears were rubbed off, and then our tail end made a stand, and put us on over 100 runs to the good. We then managed to get most of the local team out pretty cheaply, but we were terribly essed for time. One of the sixteen had been lurt while fielding, and it was understood early in the innings that they would be com ­ pelled to bat a man short. A thunderstorm came on a quarter of an hour before time, but we played on through it (I since found out that our opponents had an idea that how­ ever hard it rained they were compelled to stop and bat as long as we chose to field), and as we had everything to gain, we re­ mained in the field and got wet through. I was bowling lobs at one end, and succeeded in getting what we took to be the last wicket five minutes before'.time. We threw up our hats and rushed off to the tent congratulating ourselves on our victory, when to our chagrin there emerged from the dressing tent, bat in hand, the disabled member of the 16 ! He had decided very pluckily, as the time was so short, to come in and bat as well as he could in the hope of making a draw. There was no­ thing for it but for us all to rush back to our places in the field amidst the laughter of the spectators, and by the time we were there, we found there would only be time for one over. The last wicket I had obtained with the last ball of the previous one. As the ground was so dreadfully slippery and the ball took so much holding, I deter­ mined to change ends and bowl the last over myself (the present rule was of course not passed then). I bowled two balls down which were played. The greatest excitement pre­ vailed. The third ball went down the wicket, the batsman came out to drive it; to our delight he missed it, was easily stumped, and we left the field victorious. An old clergy­ man who had come from a distance to witness the match, and who had watched every ball with the greatest interest, came up to me as we were leaving the ground and congratulatf d me on our victory, “ but,” he declared, “ I thought all along you’d win, Mr. Daft, even when appearances looked so against you last evening, and I may tell you in confidence, yesterday I backed you for a sovereign.” R. J. Mee, once playing for us at Matlock, took four wickets with four successive balls, and should have secured another with the fifth, which ought to have been a catch at the wicket. We have had many pleasant matches and some rare fun at Matlock altogether. Our match was always a great event there, and we were always treated in the most hospitable manner possible by the home team, who entertained us at a most sumptuous luncheon,and a dinner in the evening when we were playing two days. Seldom, I think, were such lunches given as those- we had at Matlock. The Bakewell puddings wre used to have there I particularly remember. Tom Foster, our umpire, was wonderfully partial to them. Once at Matlock we had a very young player with us who sat next to Tom at lunch, and who, after the second course, handed him a plate of chees- cakes, saying, “ Will you take acheescake, Mr. Foster?” Tom,shaking his head and casting on the young mana'look of pity for his ignorance, replied briefly “ Pass the ‘ B a k e w e ll,a n d after having helped himself to a large piece of his favouriie swreetmeat, he turned to the youth and said solemnly, as though he were giving him a piece of advice which would be of use to him through the remainder of his life, “ My lad, never put anything in front of a Bakewell pudding 1” O ld C lar k e . It is said that at one time old Clarke used to take for his lunch when playing cricket a cigar and a bottle of soda water, which he declared were most satisfying with no after effects of indigestion! FOREST H ILL v. NORWOOD— Played at Nor wood on June 17. N orwood . A. Conan Doyle, o Skipper, b Capes ... 8 L. F. Elliott, b Capes 11 A. G. Goodwyn, b L. H. R oberts ..........34 L. De Montezuma, c and b L. H. Roberts 9 F. a. HalJam, b Capes 31 T. D. Lee, lbw, b NicolJs .................. 29 F orest H. A. H ooker, b Ell- borough .................. 42 A. C. Roberts, c Doyle, b M ontezum a......... 7 W. L. Pierce, run out 7 L. H. Roberts, b Roe 0 G.A. Nicolls,b M onte­ zum a .......................... 7 F. Skipper, lbw, b Ellborough ........... 5 A. P. Roe, b Reid ... R.S. Rogers,b Capes W . C. Ellfcorough, b N icolls ................... S. Ellis, b Capes ... A. Springett, not out 3 138,1b 3,w 1, nb 1 13 0 Total ...141 H ill . II.Green.cSpringett. b Ellborough ... 4 W. W . Capes, c and b Ellborough ... 15 G. Tokely, not out... 4 H. M. Reid.b M onte­ zum a ................... o J. Large, absent ... 0 B 1,1b l,w l,nb 1 4 T o ta l... 95 INCOGNITI v. MR. A. S. TABOR’S X L—Playe Cheam on June 17. M r , Tabor* R. Studd, c D’Aeth, b T u k e ..........................85 A. S. Tabor, c Men- ziep, b Horner - 75 F. Marchant, c Hil­ ton, b Tuke .......... 35 W.Anderson, bg Men- zies.bT u k e ........... 11 XI. H. Leveson-Gower, n otou t ...................56 F. T. Welman, b Horner ................... 6 F. Chaplin, b Cole­ ridge...........................14 B 17, lb 4, w 1 ... 22 Total ......... 301 W . D. Bo\ill, C. E. Farmer,Stevens, and W. Rod- well did not bat. Innings declared closed. I ncogniti . E. M ilner Jones, b Leveson - Gower... 15 C. J. Carver, not D. C. Lee.c Marchant, b Bovill .................. 32 H. Menzies, b Bovill 13 C M. Tuke, b Bovill 0 out ........... Capt. D ’Aeth, c Rod- B 10, lb 3 ■well, b Leveson- Gower.........................34 Total E. A.Parke,b Leveson- Gower .................... 7 F. A. Coleridge, C. E. Horner, P. Hilton, and J E. Ravens did not tat. . 2D . 13 ...13i GODALMING v. GU ILD FORD .—Played at Broadwater on June 14. G uildford . First Innings. N orthcott, b Street ... T. W ood, run out ... F. Hig'ett, b Street ... G. Hewett, c Brunton, Collier.......................... Teague, c and b Street G. Franks, c Roscow , Street .......................... S. Farnfield, c M. M e shall, b Street........... J. Darke, b Collier ... G. R. Holroyd, not out W . Baker, b Street .,. W . Bewsey, c Sparkes, Street .......................... Extras ... ........... Total ........... G odalming W . D. Marshall, b N orthcott ...........43 J. du V. Brunton, b N orthcott ...........29 A. Street, c Higlett, b N orthcott ...........28 H. Fairtlough, lbw, b Holroyd ...........11 H.Collier.b N orthcott 4 N. Debenham, c sub, b Holroyd ...........22 W . Gray, c Darke, b Northcott,,................ 1 Second Innings. ... 0 b N. Debenham 0 ... 11 b W . Debenham 26 ... 0 b N. Debenham 6 b ... 4 b N. Debenham 4 ... 1 c Sparkes, b Street ........... 10 b ... 13 c N. Debenham , b W. Marshall 44 ir- ... 4 run out ........... 35 ... 0 not out ........... 10 ... 16 c Gray, b N. Debenham ... 12 ... 3 b W . M arshall... 4 b ... 1 b Street ........... 3 ... 8 E xtras........... 12 ... Gl Total ...166 run 3 M. Marshall, out ................ J. E. Sparke Holroyd .. ... ... 2 W . Debenham, not out ...........................13 Rev. B. Roscow , lbw, b Northcott ........... 2 E xtras...................20 Total ...178