Cricket 1893

472 0RICKET s A WEEKLY EECOED OF fi GAME, DEC. 28, 1893 joy up went my stumps, and out I walked; cer.ainly with some eclat , being the first member of the club who had been considered a regular player , i.e. paid for his services.” Cricketers of by-gone time', the Dukes of Richmond and Hamilton, the Earls of Win- chilsca and Darnley, Lord Frederick Beauclerk, and others, did not think it necessary to protect their limbs with tubular india rubber gloves and leg guards, but appeared in th-ir white duck or flannel trousers and jackets, with no imp’ ements of defence against the flying ball than those which nature had given them, And yet the matches were quite as well plaj ed as they are in the present day. TABLE OF BATTING AVERAGES OF THE AMATEURS, 1814. ® .3 ^ BOWLING AVERAGES OF THE AMATEURS. w « ° Z a * ■§ IS h - i _ o (S 3 co q ) ° S * s f a O” S o -2 ” “ ^ ■8s 2 ■S^S'S.S g a « “ • # " i ; 'S c3 ± 1 J? 5 >• o O Z < > Name. Sir F. Bathurst T. Craven........... W . Denison ... F. Fredericks... T. L ew is........... J. Marshall ... H. Moberley ... C. Randolph ... S. T. Bippingall C. G. Taylor ... G.Yonge ........... a rs 2 £ £ . 6 20 ,. 10 37 . 11 37 * 4 6 .. 7 31 . 4 20 8 38 .. 11 47 .. 4 23 .. 15 39 .. 8 35 8 7 28 4.4 2 23 9 60 6 8 33 11 70 6.4 5 9 6 15 8.3 18 3 3 3 3 2 24 3 11 10 42 10 10 bO 15 11 17 9 13 11 6 7.2 53 6.5 61 5.9 14 9 49 6.1 Name. d)A £ efl S3 M 55 0 §1 ii M MM — © a > o < W . Baker ................. Sir F. Bathurst ........... H. R. Barker.................. 8 . T. Clissold ........... C. Colston .................. T. Craven ................... W . D enison................. E. M. Dewing ........... B. Driver .................. T. Chamberlayne Rev. E. Elmshirst ... N. F elix.......................... F. Fredericks .......... W. Foulds ................... Hon. R. Grimston Hon. E. Grimston Hon. k . Grimston A. K. George ......... C. Gordon .................. E. H. Hartopp ......... C. Harenc ................. a . Baygarth.................. J. T. Horner ......... C. Hoare ................. H.Jenuer ................. It. W . Keate ......... R. Kynaston ......... T. Lewis ................. C Morse ................. W . Marton ................. H. E. Moberly ......... J. Marshall ......... F. Noyes ................. E Napper ................. W . Napper ................. H. O. Nethercote Hon. F. PoDSonby Rev. E. H. Pickering . G. Raincock ... . C. Randolph ... ., H. Reed ................. 8 . T. Rippingall ... ., E. Swann ................ R. Boyer Smith ... . J. Speucer ................ f-penceley ................ C. Taylor ................ W . Ward ................ Earl of Winterton G. Yonge ................ 17 74 74 12 32 61 10 25 34 14 18 31 14 57 57 19 37 53 19 17 17 32 33 36 19 30 31 15 24 24 7 77 97 5 26 40 10 33 40 4 5» 54 21 46 46 15 16 66 21 31 55 33 47 48 19 32 62 33 19 26 6 28 19 15 42 58 19 81 84 12 37 43 10 46 46 15 48 56 31 61 64 12 36 41 9 82 82 22 29 32 13 55 58 9 42 43 17 60 117 v0 35 37 14 53 72 14 14 26 16 6 8 46 278 17.9 99 8.3 [J 68 b.8 u 110 7.12 2 3 0 2 .G 2 2 0 ) 11 2 128 C.ll 1 242 7.18 173 9.2 78 5.3 100 28.4 70 11 125 12 5 8 1 20.2 147 7 214 14 4 •il8 10.3 218 6.20 154 8.2 153 4.24 66 9 17d 11.13 405 2 .6 93 8 179 17.9 144 9.9 434 13 22 18 J 15.2 140 15 5 206 9.8 114 8.10 120 13.3 394 23.3 :31 11.10 i08 19.2 44 3.2 43 160 lu _ 3 46 46 22 3 S 72 7 47 69 7 41 41 8 24 *8 10 31 41 6 16 v3 14 33 36 26 10 • 107 9 25 34 16 26 26 14 70 70 156 19.4 J41 17.5 231 1U.11 172 *4.4 94 13 3 64 8 92 9 2 38 6.2 149 10.9 434 16 12 2 86 9.5 0 120 7.8 1 172 1>.4 1 It will be noticed that, as in the case of the players, only one gentleman succeeded in making 100 runs in a single inning*. Centuries were not so plentiful in the old days as they are now, but then it must be borne in mind that all hits* had to be run out, and the bowling was very true and on the wicket in the days oar grandfathers p’ayed the game. And as I stated before, a c icket p'tch was not of that billiard table-like level as they are at the pre;ent day. If we take any of the above scores and multiply them by the figure 2, we shall get a pr< tty correct result of the advantages of the prtsent-day batsman compared with one of 50 years ago As an illustration of the present system of play compared with that of one hundred years ago, we select the two following matches, which the newspapers of the day describe :— “ A match of cricket was played on Periam Downs, Wiltshire, on the 25th of July, 1791, and three following days ; the Earl of Win- ehelsea with three gentlemen and seven pUyers of England against Thomas Assheton Smith, Esq., the chasseur d'Angleterre Tom Smith, with three gentlemen and sevt n Hamp- bhiie players. England, first innings, 275, in which Beldam, a professional, scored 91, and Colonel Lennox, father of the late Duke of Richmond, 42. The mighty Nimrod was not successful on this occasion, for we find two round 0’s to T. A. Smith, Esq. England won the match in a single inninga by 68 runs, Hampshire scoring 77 in the first, and 128 in the second innings. ‘ Another match was played at Horn­ church, Essex, August 11, 1791, and the two following days, between the County of Essex and the gentlemen of the Maryle­ bone Club, when the Hon. H. Fitzroy scored 108, and Colonel Lennox 70. The Maryle bone Club scored 343, winning by 166 runs.’ Of tte bowliug about this period, the Rev. James Pycroft remarks, quoting Beldam : I told you, sir,’ said Beldam, 4that in ray early days all bowling was what we call fast, or at least moderate pace. The first lobbing slow lowler I ever saw was Tom Walker When, in 1792, England played Kent, I did feel so ashamed of such baby bowling; but, after all, he did more than even David Harris himself. Two years after, in 1794, at Dart ford BreLt, Tom Walker, with his sljw bowl­ ing, headed a side against David Harris, and beat him easily.’ ” — “ The Crickct Field,” 5th Edit. pp. 50-51. About this period almost every match of cricket was for 1,000 guineas seldom hss than 500 guineas, and in the sea­ son 1794, we find eight matches of 1,000 gaineas and five of 500 guineas; amounting to 10,500 guineas. That was “ keeping up the game with a vengeance.” William Baker.—Mr. W . Baker was a member and a staunch supporter of the old Surrey Montpelier Club, and he was also one of those gentlemen who were mainly instru­ mental in founding the Surrey Club, by taking the Oval, when a market garden, on his own hands, and by bringing over the Montpelier Club, which migrated en masse eighty members joining the Surrey Club in 1844. Next year, 1845, the brothers Buri up Hon. S. Ponsonby, Messrs. W. Pickering, Charles Hoare, and N. Felix, and some otler powerful members of the M.C.C., also joined the Surrey Club, and established it on a thoroughly solid basis. Mr. Baker, who was at one time a hatter in the City, as cricketer was a left-handed batsman, and one of the best men of his day. A great supporter of the game to the la9t, he died March 11, 1885. Sir Frederick Bathurst.— Sir F. Bath r t was born, according to Burke, in June, 1807. He was one of the Lest boaleis of his day, and in the forties generally bowled for the Gentlemen against the Players wi h gieat effect. He was not much of a bat, aud used, as a rule, to go in last on his side. Sir Freierick Bathurst (>ays Mr. Gale, The Game of Cricket,” p. 257) ” was a very powerful man— a standii g di&h at Lord’s. In the Guards, and best bowler in the Army, played in Gentlemen and Players for a period extending over twenty ? ears, and iu mai«y of the M.C.C. and Ground matches, and also in Hants and Wjlts, where he promoted cricket. A very quick, round-arm bowler, low delivery, about height of hip, took a long run before delivery, and sent the ball in with full force of swing and shoulder, hard hitler, no deftnce. “ Sir Fredeiick used to be at Lord’s playing tennis constantly, and would bowl to any member of the M.C.C. for Lours together for amustment.” Sir Frederick was a >ery fast bov\ler, and an old Winchester boy, Mr. Clissold, of Cambridge University, was a noted bowler in the days he was at that University; he with Lee and Leith bowled cut a very strong M.C.C. eleven, in 1846, and won both the fi:st and return match fjr his University. Mr. W. Denison.— “ The late Mr. W ill'am Denison,” remarks Mr. Gale, “ the pioneer of cricket reporting in the London daily papers, was not much of a cricketer, and fancied he could bowl clow round-arm, and bowled once for the Gentlemen of England against the Gentlemen of K tnt at Lord’s, and, oddly enough, bowled Felix for a duck,’ but the going in to his bowling was one of the dreams of the past which is really ‘ too, too delightful.’ ” Then Mr. Gale relates the following anccdote of Mr. Denison: He was very good-naturtd, and could stand a joke, as on one occasion when after a cricket supper, the guests ‘ m et’ Vauxha'l Gardtns on the way home, and as Mr. D ., who wore a beautifully-oiled wig and a broad- brimmed 1at, and an imperial on his chin, was 4gyrating ’ elegantly on the fantastic toe cn the illuminated platform— with some accomplished lady no doubt— the late Mr. C-------s H ------- e,who died very suddenly, valde dejlendus , removed Mr. Dei-ison’s wig and hat with the point of his umbrella to the top of a chaudeiier, in which both perished ; leaving the waltzer’s head like a billiard ball. The practical joker, with whom one could never be angry, made amends by providing an elegant curly ‘ jasey ’ and a new hat next day, which cost over seven gnineas, so he paid for his joke. There was fun in those days.” Mr. E. M. Dewing, Harrow, played for his school, and in other matches. Mr. T. Chamberlayne, the “ Squire,” was a great supporter of Hampshire cricket. 41The late Mr. Chamberlayne would take the eleven,’* says Mr. Gale, “ in his four-in-hand and put them all up, and the Hants eleven then was an entirely amateur team.” Nicholas Felix, ^N. Felix, whose real name was Wanostrocht, was the W . G. Grace of his day. He was born October 5th, 1804 He was a left-handed batsipan, celebrated for his magnificent cutting; and a left- handed slow underhand bowler. Was for many years one of the finest cricketers in England, and played for the Gentlemen against the Players from 1831 till 1852. He was the inventor of the catapulta and the tubular India-rubber batting gloves. W ai also the author of a celebrated work on cricket which he published under his nom de plume , viz. 44Felix on the Bat.” In a