Cricket 1893

KTogether joined in cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron. Registered lor Transm ission A broad. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1893. CRICKET NOTCHES. B y the R ev . R . S. H olmes . The Scarborough Festival has been the cricket function of the week, and so far it has proved very delightful both tc players and tpectators. It is a pleasant wind-up of the season up North after the serious strain of County cricket. My rule is to arrive some days before the festival, and to encamp within a hundred yards of the ground. You can easily get a substantial mid-day meal during the interval, and yet miss none of the cricket. If so bent, the Spa can be reached in a few minutes after the play is over, and there you are certain to run across cricketers and other friends. Old Yorkshire cricketers always turn up during the week, notably Ephraim Lockwood, whom I have never missed seeing there. One likes, too, to see some of the pros, with their wives and children, of whom they see none too much whilst cricket is iu full swiDg. Tom Emmett, like myself, put in an appeaiance on the ground on the Saturday preceding the festival, and it occurred to me that one might pass an hour or eo with advantage in his company. So Le turned in, and over a cigar chat­ ted in his own characteristic way about the game of which lie was so illustrious an exponent. How young and vigorous he looks, and what a born wag he still is. I cannot stop to retail all the good things he said, but it is satisfactory to learn that he has worked harder at cricket this year than in any past year, “ as hard as any cricketer living, and I ’m all the better for it, being as hard as nails, carrying not an ounce of waste flesh, able to count every rib if I set about the job.” Tom insists that of the cricketers ho has known more had fallen a victim to over-eating than over-diioking. “ When we went out to Australia, you never saw such a chap as------; his nose was always in the manger. He never missed a meal no matter how rough the weather; when he wasn’t eating he was smoking, and when he wasn’t doing either, he was sleeping as fast as a top. I wonder to this day tbat he didn’t burst long before we left the ship.” Freeman, he main­ tains, was the fastest bowler he ever saw ; 4‘ I ought to know, having stood slip to him hun­ dreds of times ; you never saw the ball after it touched the ground. And didn’t he get up well. I used to tell him he was a regular toff we all might envy, and that it was worth all the money just to see him walk up to the wicket and bowl the ball.” Tom is thinking of writing his reminiscences, “ Though writing isn’t muoh in my line; but I want to make all cricketers use both hands in fielding; many an hour have I thrown up an india rubber ball against a wall, and caught it with my right hand, until I could hardly tell at times whether I was betterj[with the left or the right. It’s the making of a bowler to be able to field on either side of him, as I have often told our County players.” Emmett is of opinion that the majority of the grounds are as good as they were 25 years ago, but no better. “ I bar Lord’s, of course. Now do you know what is the finest innings I ever saw played ? No, it wasn’t Mr. Grace’s 318 (not out) against us in 1876, though that was a scorcher; no, nor his 344 against Kent, which fortunately I know only through the papers. No, take my word for it, the most wonderful innings I have seen was W.Gr.’s 66 against Yorkshire up at Lord’s somewhere about 1871. Freeman and I were then at our best, and Lord’s was at its worst. I verily believe there wasn’t one square inch of the Doctor from his ankles up to his shoulders that wasn’t black and blue after that score. We barked his shins, battered his thighs, skinned his fingers, rattled his ribs, pounded his ohest, thumped his elbow, and made a mark of his back: but he didn’ t seem to mind. Talk about pluck, there you had it. George and I often talked of it afterwards, and we have never ceased to wonder that one of us didn’t either cut him over or kill him that d ay : the climax was reached when one of Freeman’s very fastest got up so high that the doctor had only just time to duck his head, and the ball went straight into Rowbotham’ s hands at long stop before it touched the ground a second time. I am up here now because Mr. Thornton wrote and asked me to umpire in the first match ; it’s precious hard work, and when I put the white coat on I feel as if I had taken orders and so must ba on my best behaviour. Anyhow, I know Ulyett and I will try and do our duty next week.” Well, the week is past and over, and what can we say of it ? The ground was terribly hard, innocent of much grass, and consequently very fiery. It is charmingly placed, though so exposed on the north side that it wants to be hot enough to make nails before one can thoroughly enjoy cricket there. Looking South, you would imagine it was placed in the centre of the town: looking North you might fancy you were away in the country. They want a new pavilion badly, and will have one as soon as they can contrive ways and means. But the original cost of the ground (£7,000), incurred in 1878, has not yet been wiped off: and at that time, of course, the local authorities h id no idea of a festival of world­ wide fame. The marvel to me is that the ricketty flight of wooden steps has not been responsible for any num­ ber of sprains and breakages. A band, too, would be a charming addition to the week’s enjoyment. They used to have a band, and a good one, but it was discontinued through the ungenerous and cowardly remarks of one of the local newspapers, who stated that a cer­ tain noble lady cared more for the music than for the cricket, where there is not a me re en­ thusiastic cricket lover in the country. J T BROWN (YoiiKSHiBE).-Bee p. 299.