Cricket 1893

448 CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. Oct. 26 , 1893 OLD TIME CRICKET. Come forward, then, Ward, again—down with the dust; Pack twenty-two gentlemen, whom you can trust: I'll trust to the players, well knowing their claims, And I’ll give you a list of their merits and names.” —Old cricketing song. It is said comparisons are odious, but in a cricketer’s point of view comparisons of aver­ ages are invaluable, as they show at a glance the progress the game has made now with for­ mer times. Mr. Gale says in one of his works on cricket that “ averages are only ephemeral glory. Who now hears of Carpen­ ter’s, Hayward’s, and Tarrant’s averages?— and they were a trio in one eleven never sur­ passed, if ever equalled.” To make our table of averages comprehensible, it is necessary to bearin mind that the state of the ground on which the runs were made was of a very rough character compared with the smooth level playing pitches of the present day. And thon again the old batsmen had not such facilities for practice as the present school possess. The old professionals were generally ictained by their masters and had other occupations, some as gamekeepers, others in hunting stables, and when their employers made a match, which they did often, for large sums of money, the old cricketers were taken t ) the rendezvous in a wagon, whilst their masters drove on to the ground in the family coach. Of some old players, previous to the date of our table, may be mentioned—Long Robin, Harris, Small, Nyren, Lumpy, Beld­ ham, Boorman, Walker. Bir^h. Curry, Hogsflesb, Barber, Brett, Miller, Minchin, Frame, Aylward, Lear, Sueter, W ood, Aburrow , Yeck, Taylor, Lambert, the Broad- bridges, and many others. TABLE 0 7 BATTING AVERAGES OF THE PLAYERS 1844. Name. Bndle, Sussex........... But'er. Notts ........... W . Burden,Middlesex Brockwell, Surrey ... Chester, Surrey Clarke, Notts ........... Dean. Sussex ........... Day, Hants ........... Doirinton, Kent A. Diver,Cambridge­ shire .......................... Tenner, Cambridge­ shire .......................... Guy, Notts.................. uood, Leicester and Notts ................... Hiilyer, Kent ........... Heath, Surrey.......... Hawkin**, Sussex ... Hammond, Sussex... nodsoD, Yorkshire... Li'ljwhite, Sussex ... A. Mynn,Kent........... W . Mynn, Kent Martingell. Surrey ... F. Pilch, K en t........... G. Picknell, Sussex .. R. Picknell, Fu sex .. Pryor, C am bs........... Bingwood, Cambs ... RoyBtoD, Middlesex Hewell, Surrey........... Ropp, Sussex ........... Taylor, Petworth, Sussex ................... Wenman, Kent O S o 03 ig o ® HS r u 9 jj-8 o n a S 3 S £ § I s o 0 . 12 23 6 11 12 37 10 14 8 10 5 9 57 48 12 53 19 37 43 21 33 36 42 25 43 83 50 >-<_q " cj o o ® «fl o . < d . CD cS g OQ <n CC ,-2 a Scfl l o 5 2 gS g o 5 5 M O0 H £0 325 14.S 27 75 6.9 32 158 9.5 16 205 14.9 43 175 17.5 ?9 1C 8 12. eo 490 10.10 56 269 11.16 5) 323 8.29 0 6 12 55 58 397 16.5 1 9 35 8 14 13 28 i9 52 19 25 9 10 10 37 30 13 24 41 39 33 31 21 38 32 22 41 6 31 7 30 18 33 35 27 12 19 35 26 9 15 7 It 8 16 £4 252 16.13 0 27 15:7 9.1 0 44 34 81 74 f9 35 44 48 21 39 51 5r2 23 103 45 38 45 51 43 34 47 288 50 368 81 516 74 364 79 3 0 35 110 44 8*4 13 489 40 lo3 39 353 81 592 35 80 21 58 103 210 51 293 38 174 *5 593 51 184 10 8 7.4 2i'.6 16.t 38.4 86 59 18.21 7.16 1 .1 14 18 73 5.8 16.2 10.*3 93 31.32 12 4 41 333 1?.1 1 54 151 9.7 0 It will be observed that only one player succeeded in scoring 100 runs in a single innings, viz., Pryor, of Cambridge, It must, however, be told that the bowling at tfcat d^te was very true, dead on the wicket, and rough ground to help the trundler. Swift bowling, it is true, had been tried, and Samuel Redgate, of Notts, was an excellent fast bowler. Mr Alfred Mynn also was very fast, but then look at the wides he bowled, and compare them with the two masterpieces of slow bowling, namely, William Lillywhite and William Clarke. Either the umpires were more stringent in the case of the fast bowler or the slow twisting bowling was the more effective. It is a moot point with old cricketers whether the game is played throughout as scientifically as it formerly used to be ; whether the bowlers are better (they are certainly not so straight), and fielders more careful. The pay of profes­ sional players about this period was six guineas for a winning match and five for a losing. The annexed table will help U3 to solve the problem to a certain extent of the effect of the bowling then and now ;— TABLE OF PLAYERS’ BOWLING AVERAGE**, 1844. Name. « rp .o w S a P a54 £ S.2 fc * :a 2 5 8 4 . 12 VI 8 7 29 )5 52 65 56 59 113 i9 1-22 33 27 3C6 37 45 {9 34 72 1C6 7.3 5.5 7 3 8.2 6 5 1 8 ) 10 42 199 32 179 39 42 143 6 6.15 4 7.4 4.3 5.2 87 Bayley. Surrey ... Poole, Sussex ... Burden, Middle ex Clarke, Notts ... Day, Hants.......... Dean, Sussex .......... Fenner, Camb’shire Good, Notts ........... Hillyer, Kent Hodson, Yolkshire .. Lilywhite, Sussex... 25 Martingell, Surrey ... 9 Royston, Middlesex 8 Alfred Mynn, Kent... 17 I have included Alfred Mynn in the above tables, although he was always considered a “ gentle­ man ” player. He seems to have held a position in the cricketing world similar to Mr. Richard Daft, in the initiatory days of his career as a cricketer, and to the Graces at a later date. Thomas Adam*. — T. Adams, of Kent, host of the Russell Arms, Gravesend, “ was a real good one in a match,” says Mr. Gale, quoting Fuller Pilch in “ The Game o f Cricket,” p. 21. “ He was never a first-rate bat, or a first rate bowler, but a magnificent field, and worked like a horse, and if the bowling got a little loose he was a rare punisher. He was a curious customer, and looked so knowing, with a corkscrew ‘ gipsy cu rl’ on each side of his face. And couldn’t he throw, and shoot, and play skittles, or anything else!” AcUms wa3 one of the best long-fields ever seen ; a wonderful shot at a wicket, and good single­ wicket player. He was not a quarrelsome man, but if there was a row and he was insulted be was ready for any number—one down, t’other come on. He was engiged a great deal at Lord’s, and also at South­ ampton for a while, and may be summed up as a thorough good English cricketer. In height he was nearly 6 feet. John B ayley.— J. Bayley, a tailor by trade, was born on May 17th, 1794. He belonged to Mitcham, Surrey, came out at Lord’s in 1820, was retained at Lord’s, and served the Marylebone Club until superannuated through the influence of Mr. Dark, the then lessee of Lord’s ground. He was a most trusted umpire, good slowround-arm bowler, formerly underhand, afterwards slow round- arm, and useful cricketer; was also a good shot and fisherman. Mr. Pycroft in “ Cricketana,” p. 19, says of Bayley that “ he p'ayed in all the great matches till his fifty- sixth year, and strange to say he was never greatly distinguished till he was forty-two years of age.” He died November 7, 1874. E. B u sh b y . — E . Bushby was born at Worthing, Sussex. He first came to Lord’s about the year 1844, to play in the Sussex match. He was then about 31 years of age, and in stature and figure much resembled Pilch, whose style of batting he imitated. He was a e’ ever leg-hitter, and a beautiful cutter, a great advocate for forward play was an excellent longstop, but could take any place in the field. He once engaged with G. Picknell in a single wicket match against Adams and Hillyer. B o d le was born at Brighton, but he was for many years attached to the South Hants Club. He was a very good average bowler, and at times very destructive when on the “ fpot.” A careful batsman, and occasionally made lo"g scores ; was also a capital fields­ man, Thom is Box.— T . Box was born at Cuck- field, Sussex, February 7,1808. As a batsman Box’s forte was cutting to the off ; he was, however, more celebrated for his wicket- keeping than a bat, in fact he was considered the best man, behind the sticks, of bis day. In 1844, in twelve matches he caught cut thirteen and stumped twelve. He was a very handsome man until his nose was smashed keeping wicket at Lord’s in 1840 or 1841. At one period of his career Box was in flourishing circumstances, beiug pro­ prietor of a cricket ground called after his name at Brighton, also host of the “ Cricketers,” adjoining the ground, and he played many years for Sussex, at Lord’s for England against Kent, and constantly retained as a given man. He was much con­ sulted by Mr. Charles Taylor, with whom he managed the Sussex eleven. The world did not go well with Box in his latter days, as he was engaged with W illsher at Prince’s Ground in keeping it in order. Box dropped down dead during a match there in the act of altering the telegraph, July 12, 1876. G eorge B u tle r . — G . Butler was one of the Nottingham County Eleven. He was an excellent batsman and an undeniable field. In 1848 he was about thirty-nine years of age. He was about the medium height, and rather stout. In 1842 he was selected to play in the match, the Northern Counties v. the M.C.C., when by some very fine batting he obtained upwards of forty runs. His batting average for 1843, as it was also in 1845, being 13 per innings. J. B urden.— The fo’lowing quaint epitaph upon old John Burden, the Southgate cricketer, is all the information we can gather respecting him. “ Earth and I were both even from birth, A 8 any foil plainly may see; I once was a Burden on earth, Now earth is a burden on me.” The W . Burden in our table, we believe, wfis a son of the above John. He was a writer on cricket in 1847, etc., and under his contributions signed his name with the letters transposed as “ Ned Rub.” G eorge B ro ck w ell. — G. Brockwell was a left-handed bowler, and originally played for the East Sheen Club, but afterwards played for nearly all the Surrey clubs. He was ultimately engaged by the Surrey Club at Kennington Oval, as practice bowler, and played in the Surrey County matches, I I 3 could bowl at a good pace, and from the peculiarity of his delivery got good work on the ball, which would twist and work acrojs in a most extraordinary manner. His style of bowling, however, was open to suspicion