Cricket 1893

! “ T o g e th e r jo in ed in cr ick e t ’s m a n ly to il.5’— Byron . t B e giBtered^OT^TraMm^Baion A b ro a d . THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 1893 PRI0E 2a. CRICKET JOTTINGS. B y th e R h v . R . S . H olm es . W h e n so m e b o d y a sk e d re ce n tly w h a t on e co u ld p o s sib ly fin d in crick e t to w rite a w e e k ly a rticle u p o n , I re m in d e d h im o f a re m a rk so m ew h ere in th e “ T a tle r,” th e e a r­ lie st o f th e d e lig h tfu l B ritish E ssa y ­ ists, w h ic h in fo rm s u s th a t w h e n a m a n h a s u n d erta k en to ru n a sta ge co a ch , h e is co m p e lle d to sta rt on th e d a y s a n d at th e h o u rs a n ­ n o u n ce d , w h e th e r h e h a s a n y p a s­ sen gers o r n o t. F o rtu n a te ly fo r scrib b le rs lik e m y se lf, th ere is a lw a y s so m e b o d y tu rn in g u p in th e n ick o f tim e . H ere, fo r in stan ce, is th e ca se o f “ O b stru ctin g th e F ie ld ” in th e re ce n t L e ice ste rsh ire and D e rb y s h ir e m a tch , as re p o rte d in th e d a ilies. I t m a y b e m isrep orted , b y -th e -b y e , ju s t as th e O 'B rie n in ci d e n t w as in th e M id d le se x a n d S u rre y m a tch a t L o rd ’ s a fe w w eeks b a ck . T . C . w as fiv e n in b eca u se (it w as said) th e u m p ire s d i 1 n o t seo th e w ic k e t d istu rb 1d . I am in d eb ted to a m e m b e r o f th e M .G .O . a n d an o ld a n d v a lu e d co rre sp o n d e n t, fo r th e rea l f* c ts o f th e c a s e ; “ th e u m p ire ’ s d e cis io n w as ‘ n o t o u t ’ b eca u se th e w ick e t-k e e p e r w as in fr o n t o f th e w ic k e t; h e g o t i i frcr«t t o a v o id b e in g h it b y O ’ B rien , a n d in g e ttin g o v e r th e crease h o ca u g h t th e b a t in stea d o f th e b a ll.” T h e m y s te ry U th u s a t an e n d . P erhaps an e q u a lly sim p le e x p la n a tio n m a y b e fo r th co m in g in th e ca se o f T .C ’s. re la tio n , C . de T ra ffo rd . If th e u m p ire g a v e h im o u t b eca u se h is b a t w a s g ro u n d e d w ith in th e crease in th e w a y o f th e b a ll th a t h a d been a im e d a t h is w ick et, th e n th e u m ­ p ire w as w ro n g . I re m e m b e r a sim ila r m ista k e in a m a tc h I sa w at th e O val in 1863, it w as th e last in n ­ in g s o f S u rre y v. C a m b rid g e U n iv e r­ sity , S u rre y h a d fo llo w e d -o n , lea v in g th e ir o p p o n e n ts b u t a sm a ll n u m b er (co m p a ra tiv e ly ) to w in . C . A . A b so lo m (p o o r “ B o s ” ) w a s in a n d w e ll-s e t ; w h ilst m a k in g a ru n , h e a n d th e b a ll ca m e in to co n ta ct, th e S u rre y u m p ire (th a t w a s b e fo re w e had n eu tra l u m p ires) g av e h im o u t fo r o b stru ct­ in g th e field , a n d in co n s e q u e n ce C a m b rid g e ju s t lo s t th e m a tch . T h e d e cis io n w as p a lp a b ly u n fa ir, a n d ca u se d so m u ch ir rita ­ tio n th a t th e L ig h t B lu e s w ere n o t seen a t th e O v a l th e fo llo w in g y ear. H a v in g a sp are c o p y o f W . L . M u r d o c h ’s “ C rick e t,” w h ich h a s ju s t b een p u b lish e d in th e “ O v a l” series o f g a m e s, I g a v e it a w a y to a y o u th fu l cr ic k e t e n th u sia st, ju s t b eca u se it is a b o u t as u sefu l a tie a tis e a t I h a v e la tely co m e a cro ss fo r th o se w h o d o n ’t th in k th ey k n o w e v e ry th in g a b o u t th e g a m e , a n d so h a v e so m e th in g to lea rn . T h e sty le is so u n c o n ­ v e n tio n a l th a t it ca n n o t p ro v e d r y re a d in g ev en to th ose w h o ra rely o p e n a b o o k on crick e t, w h ilst th e su g g e stio n s a re a d m ira b le . L a s t e v e n in g I m e t th e y o u n g m a n in q u estion , a n d h e a ssu red m e th a t in a fo r tn ig h t his e v e ry H A Y W A R D (O F S U R R E Y ; B A T T IN G . From a photograph by B. W. Thomas , Clieapside. b a ttin g h a d m acle b ig strid es u n d e r th is able co a ch . F o r in sta n ce , h e h a d g o t a b a t su ited to h im , a n d n o t o n e w h ic h s o m e b o d y else h a d scored 100 w ith ; h e h a d re so lv e d n o t t o a lter h is sty le u n less it w a s ra d ica lly b a d , n o r h is a ttitu d e a t th e w ic k e t ; “ e v e ry tim e I sa w a co u n ty m a tch I h a d g o t fresh w rin k le s as to sty le a n d a ttitu d e , w h ic h I h a v e fo r th w ith p u t in to p ra ctice , b u t w ith d ism a l re su lts n o r is h e so ca re fu l t o b a t o n ly on g o o d w iok ets n o w . F o rw a rd p la y h a s b een his sn a re, th a t m u st b e rectified , th o u g h h e w o n ’ t d e e m it a h e re sy to lea v e th e crease a n d g o in a n d h it th e b a ll o cca sio n a lly . I w a s g la d to h e a r h im sp eak so w a rm ly a b o u t th is little b o o k , th o u g h I p o in te d o u t to h im (as h e is a sc h o o l ca p ta in ) th a t th e p rim e re q u isite in e v e ry ca p ta in is th a t h e sh o u ld b e a b le so to in fu se h im s e lf in to a ll h is tea m as t o m a k e m e m b e r d o h is v e ry u tm o s t at ea ch sta g e o f th e ga m e. B o w lin g , h e sa id , w as h is d e sp a ir n ow . “ F a n c y th e re b e in g so m u ch in it as M u rd o ch tells us, I ’ ve seen .L oh­ m a n n b o w l a n d v a ry h is p a ce, b u t n ev er d re a m e d th e re w as v e ry m u ch b ra in -w o rk b e h in d i t ; w h a t a fine art b o w lin g m u st b e to a n y m a n of w h o m su ch a critio ca n w rite — ‘ w h en p la jin g a ga in st h im (L o h ­ m a n n ) I h a v e often , w h ilst sta n d in g at th e e n d fro m w h ich h e has been b o w lin g , w a tch e d h im v e ry a tten ­ tiv e ly w h ilst in th e a ct o f d e liv e rin g th e b a l l ; a n d I m u st co n fe ss to n o t b e in g a ble to n o tice a n y m a teria l d iffe re n ce in th e d e liv e ry w h en h e b o w ls th e slo w e r b a ll. W h a t stru ck m e v e ry m u ch w as, th a t h is sleeve m a d e m o re n o ise a n d ru stle \*hen he w as b o w lin g th e slo w e r b all th a n it d id a t o th e r tim e s ; h e sreemed to b e m o v in g h is a rm th ro u g h th e a ir w ith th e sa m e a m o u n t o f v e lo ­ city , w h ilst a t th e sa m e tim e , as it. w e rj, p u ttin g a b rea k o n th e a rm .’ I a ga in th a n k y o u fo r th e g ift, a n d li pe to m a k e p ra ctica l u se o f it, it 's th e b e st sh illin g sw o rtb on crick et I ’ ve s e e n .” W ith o u t g o in g q -iite to th is le n g th o f a d m ira tion , I th in k it a m o sc valu a ble gu i-le to p u t in to jo u n g crick e te rs’ h a n ds. A n d , w h ilst on crick e t lite ra tu re , le , m e e x p re ss m y su rp rise th a t th e 9ch e d itio n o f th e “ C rick e t F ie l d ’ ’ is s tiil on sale, fo r it 's six y e a rs sin ce it w as issu ed . T h e 8 h e d itio n w as e x h a u ste d in th re e y e a rs, th e 7r,h in tw o o n ly . O f co u rse th e la tf st e d itio n m a y b e th e la rg e st. I h o j e so, fo r it w o u ld b e te n t h o u s a id p itie s if th is b o o k w ere e v e r to b e co m e u n p op u la r. S ca rce ly ar.y a lta ra tio n h a s b een m a d e in it s ir " « it w as first, g iv e n to th e crick e t w o rld in 1851, and th ere a re ch a p ­ te rs w h ich h a v e p reserv ed ce r ta in moat, v a lu a b le re co rd s w n ich w o u ld o th e rw ise h a v e b e e n lost. O n th e w h o le I q u estion w h e th e r w e h a v e ever h a d q u ite so co m p le te a 'jd a ble a b ook . I h a ve n e v e r seea it n o tic e d th a t th e re h a ve b e e n ten e d itio n s o f i t ; b y so m e m ista k e th e fifth e d itio n a p p e a re d tw ice — in 1865, b ou n d lik e its p re d e ce sso rs, in h a lf-ro a n , a n d again in 1868 in g re e n c lo th lik e a ll its su ccessors.