Cricket 1893

<£Together joined in cricket’s manly toil. 5 ’— Byron . RegiBtered^r^TraTsn^Baion A broad. T H U R S D A Y , J U L Y 2 0 1 8 S 3 P R I O E 2 d . THE LONDON CLUBS — TIIE1R HISTORY. H am pstead . The history of the Hampstead Cricket Club may be divided into three periods, since it has three times changed its name. It was instituted in 1867, and from that year until 1870 inclusive was known as the St. John’s Wood Cricket Club, playing its matches on the old Eton and Middlesex Ground at the foot of Primrose Hill. In 1871 it migrated to a ground of its own, the extent of its ter­ ritory having hitherto been confined to a single pitch. The new home was at the back of the Belsize Road, near St. Mary’s Church, and with this migration the club’s name was changed to the St. John’s Wood (Hampstead) Club. On this ground and under this title it continued until 1877. In that year it moved to the ground which it still occupies off the Finchley Road, and became the Hampstead Cricket Club, which name it has stuck to ever since. The original founders of the club were, we believe, Messrs. F, W. James, G. H- Wood, and J. H. Moore, all of whom are still members. At the start, the club numbered some fifty in all, and at the outset it was successful in the field. In 1869, for example, twenty- five matches were played, of which eleven were won, nine drawn, and five lost. The Sussex Tour had already been included in the year’s programme. The score book shows that at this time Mr. A. Russell- Parker was one of the mainstayB of the club, and from its earliest in­ fancy till to-day he has been one of its warmest supporters. The club’s obligation to his energy is, indeed, many-side 1. He has been one of its moss aotive playing members, and has, moreover, served as honorary secretary and vice-presi­ dent. In 1870, another well-known name occurs—that of Mr. H. T. Smith, who for the last twenty years has figured conspicuously in the averages. The giants of these days were Messrs. G. Macnair, A. G. Christopher, J. H. Walker. G. H. Wood, and A. Russell-Parker, while the onerous duties of secretary were Undertaken by Mr. G. H. Wood, to whose un* tiring efforts at these early stages of its history the club owes much of its prosperity to-day. The change to a new ground of its own in 1871 gave the club a much more definite position, and within a few years the member^ ship amounted to 120. The dissolution of the Belsize Club about this time resulted in a large influx of playing members to the Hampstead Club, which continued to be managed by Mr. G. H. Wood until 1876. Besides the names already mentioned, we may perhaps refer to Messrs. George Creaton, W. J. Ford, W . H. Miller, and S. E. Byass as among the most successful players of this period. Mr. Creaton’ s score of 88, put MR. J. G. Q. B E SC F. Hon. See., Hampstead C.C. together in forty minutes, still remains among the records of fast scoring. In 1877 the club underwent its last great change—the move to the present ground. The expenses incurred by this step amounted to no less than £ 1,C00; but so well w as the club supported, that the entire debt w as paid off within seven years. Sir Spencer Maryon Wilson, who from the outset took considerable interest in the nffairs of the club, granted a lease of the ground for fourteen years on very favourable terms, and has since renewed it. Much of the financial success of the club must, therefore, be attributed to his kindly support, and he has made it possible for it to continue its successful career at a time when so many Metropolitan clubs (lees fortunate in their landlords) have had to bow their heads at the loss and desecration of their grounds ; but the arrangements could never have been concluded but for the disinterested action of the trustees, viz , Messrs. F. J. Baker, H. Smith-Turberville and J. H- Moore. These gentlemen not only assumed the liability of the lease, but also advanced some £300 necessary to the completion of the undertaking. From 1876 to 1881, Mr. Robert Fleming was secretary (with the exception of one year, in which the post was held by Mr. Mostyn- 1 lewellyn), and during this period the position of the club was upheld and, indeed, improved. Then fol­ lowed a period of change. From 1882 to 1884, Mr. A. Russell-Parker filled the secretary’s office ; in 1885 and ’86 Mr- R. Fleming returned to his old post; in 1887 he was fol­ lowed by Mr- W. R. Marshall, to whom in I838 succeeded Mr. J G. Q Besch, who has remained in office since then with unequivocal success. The period from the club’s migration to Finchley Road has been one of continuous growth, and there are now two hundred and fifty members—a list which com­ prises many names among the best known in the cricket world. In 1885 the club made a great acquisi­ tion in numbering Mr. A. E. Stoddart among its regular playing members, and the next year is memorable for his score of 495, the highest on record bv some 70 runs. His average in 1886 was 83 for 21 innings—a truly marvellous record. Among the prominent playing members of the club may be men tioned, besides Mr. A. E. Stoddart, Mr. F. R. Spofforth, who last season took 77 wickets at a cost of 840 run and had a batting average o twenty - two. Dr, G. Thornton who has had a trial for Yorkshire and has been asked to play in the next two matches for Middlesex. Dr. Thornton took 53 wickets for 10.92 runs apiece, and had a tatting average of 26 in 1892. Mr< W . T. Danby, who met with such success in the Tonbridge School XI., and has since repre­ sented Lincolnshire, was second only to* Stoddart in the batting averages with 29.6 f >er innings last season. Mi*. W. S. Hale, who" ast year took 108 wickets at a cost of 10.621