Cricket 1893

t)BC. 28, i893 (SBICJlEXi a WEE'fil-l RECORD OF THE SAME, 477 more important counties to co-operate in the formation of a properly constituted body for the regulation of all matters of importance in connection with counties. This, in other words, meansthe revival of the Cricket Council in some shape or other. The favour with which the sug­ gestion of its revival was received at the meeting of county secretaries early in the month, would seem to indicate a general sense ofthe necessity for its resuscitation, or at least for the regular administration of county cricket, on broad lines and by a recognised authority fully representa­ tive of the various interests directly concerned. A cricketer some fifty years ago con­ sidered to be about the best Gentleman wicket-keeper of his time has passed away since the last number of C r ic k e t , if not unwept, at all events, unhonoured and unsung, that is to the best of my knowledge, by the journals which claim to be chroniclers of matters of cricket interest. I am referring to the Revd. E. Elmhirst, who died at the end of last month. ' You will find his name [writes an old Leicestershire cricketer] in “ Scores and Biographies” about 1845 and onwards as playing for England. I knew him well, and played many matches with him from 1849 to 1860. He began to play for Leicestershire in 1842, and continued to assist the county until about 1860, when the then County Ground was sold for building purposes, and as Leices­ tershire County Cricket was not re-established until 1876, of oourse his days were over. He was a rare good bat. As a wicket-keeper he was very good. He stood over six feet high, and bad hands like shoulders of mutton. He was an all-round sportsman suoh as you rarely meet with. T h e r e is just a chance, it would appear, that a suggestion with a view to the amendment of the existing rule relating to the follow-on may have had a practical trial before the English season opens at Lord’s on the 2nd of May next. It has been an open secret for some little time past that the Committee of the Maryle­ bone Club bad in contemplation some alteration with the object of meeting the general feeling in favour of some wider application of the system of following on. F rom the letter addressed by Mr. H. Perkins to thehon. sec. of the Australasian Cricket Council, Mr. J. Portus, of which a copy is given below, the Marylebone authorities have, it would appear, acted wisely in their endeavour to secure a reliable test of the working of their alteration for the satisfaction of English cricketers. Lord’ s Cricket Ground, September 22, 1893, London, N.W.—Dear Sir,—1 am requested by the M.C.C. committee to forward to you the following resolution passed by them :—“ That the Australasian Cricket Federation be in­ formed that the M.C.C. committee propose to bring before their general meeting on May 2 the alteration of law 53 of crioket as follows, viz., to substitute for the word 1shall ’ the words 1may be required by the other side to.’ ” Should this be carried by the general meeting the alteration will be in force in the season 1894, Should your association approve of this you might possibly make an experiment of it in your forthcoming season as a tentative measure, and you would then be able to judge as to whether it works satisfactorily or not.—I am, etc., H e n r y P e r k in s , Sec. M.C.C. delphia cannot say fairer than that.” My own personal information, I may state, goes to thoroughly endorse the general expression of the Philadelphian press. B y - t h e - w a y , “ Wisden’s Almanack ” for 1894, which isjust out, contains a number of opinions of leading cricketers on the subject of the advisability of retaining or amending the rule relating to the follow- on. The alteration suggested by M.C.C. of course makes the question of following on by a side in a minority of eighty runs optional with the captain of the other eleven. T h e following conundrum has been evolved from the fertile brain of “ Felix, ” the Cricket Editor of the Australasian newspaper : A gentleman coming in by train from Cam­ berwell saw some lads playing cricket. The ball was hit towards the train, and the gentleman put his hand out of the carriage window, touched the bail, but failed to hold it. Suppose he had caught the ball a»d stuck to it, what would have become of the m itch if there waB no other ball available? Tlie questionis of about the same quality as the fin de siecle problem which may be familiar to some C r ick et readers, “ Why is a bee when it sings ? ” W. L. M urdoch is, to use a theatrical phrase," resting ” after the excitement of a more than ordinarily busy English cricket season. At the present time he is revelling in the infinitely more congenial climate of Australia in company with Mrs. Murdoch and his child. On his arrival in the Oroya at Adelaide on the 14th of last month he was naturally seized on without delayby the irrepressibleinterviewer, with a view to an expression of opinion on the subject of the revelations made by C. T, B. Turner of the ructions between certain members of the Australian team while in England last summer. But the Sussex captain very wisely declined to be drawn. Indeed, it would have been perhaps, all things considered, infinitely better if the information had come fiom some one out­ side the teum. Murdoch’s visit to the Colonies is, I may add, only in thenature of a trip. At the same time it is quite possible, assuming, of course, that his claims are admitted, that he may repre­ sent New South Wales this winter insome of its matches. I n face of the unpleasant effects bound to be produced by Turner’s damaging admissions with regard to the conduct of the team, it is gratifying to be able to record to their credit that the feeling of irritation caused by one of the earlier combinations, during their stay in the States has been effectually removed by the demeanour of the captain, J. M. Blackham, during the recent tour. The Times of Philadelphia paid him a high compliment when it stated, “ The sportsmanlike behaviour of Captain Blackham has not been exceeded here even by the Irish Gentlemen, and Phila­ B l ac k h a m ’ s reputation as a wicket­ keeper seems to have had a very salutary effect on the New York team. Howard McNutt, who was over here with the first Philadelphian team, acted as captain of the New Yorkers, and elaborate preparations weremade in anti­ cipation. The team was placed days beforehand, and each fieldsman had a diagram showing him his position for the different New York bowlers as changes were made. M'Nutt, who had played against Blackham before, was afraid the Australian wicket-keeper would stump his men, and recommended them to take block only a bat’s length from the wicket. As it was, two days were insufficient for the match, and time alone robbed the Australians of a certain victory. T h e South African team is, after all, to visit England next summer. The absence of the necessary instructions in time for the meeting of County Secre­ taries was, it would appear, due to an error as to the date of that meeting. The mistake is so lar unfortunate that it adds considerably to the difficulty of arranging the programme, even if the fixtures can eventually be duly got in. Still, up to the present, the work of pre­ paring the card has been fairly satisfac­ tory. Matches have been concluded with M.C.C. and G., Surrey, Sussex, Somer­ setshire, Gloucestershire, Oxford Univer­ sity, Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Derby­ shire, and Hampshire. Negotiations are also on foot for matches against Scotland and Ireland as well as at Portsmouth and Liverpool andother places. Itmay be of use to secretaries to knowthat the arrangement of this as well as the programme for the Gentlemen of Philadelphia is in the hands of Mr. C. W. Alcock. The South African players expect to play their first match in Whit week, and to complete their tour by tbe end of July or quite early in August. L a v e k , the North Melbourne batsman whose 852 not out in February last against St. Kilda gained the distinction of a record for Australia, has already been this winter performing in the same match, and with almost if not quite the same amount of success. Out of 388 for eight wickets scored by North Melbourne on November 11 against St. Kilda, he was responsible for 165 not out. The St. Kilda bowlers would not perhaps be sorry if a previous engagement prevented his appearance, on another occasion. At all events in the last two matches for the North, against them, he has scored 517 without being once out. A correspondent located atLadysmith, in Natal, write me thusly: “ Cricket Jottings ” in your paper of loth August, 1893, mentions amongst the list of