Cricket 1893

484 OEIOKET: A WEEKLY RECORDOFTHE GAME. TD ----------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- rather sharp-set before play began, and commenced to attack some excellent bread and cheese and bottled ale. Tom ate his fair share, too, before the game began ; but this did not prevent his coming into the pavilion for a fresh supply as each wicket fell! And not­ withstanding this performance, he was in excellent form at lunch; and the lunch on this occasion was one of the most elaborate I ever saw on a cricket field. Tom is not noted as a speech maker. Many have been the efforts made to draw him out in this line, but without avail. Last year at Skegness, however, he from some cause or other gave several eloquent orations, at the hotel there, after dining after the day’splay. I was unable to play myself in this match and was much disappointed accordingly; but as there were two clergymen friends of mine accompanied the team, I felt sure all the eleven were in safe keeping. After dinner in the evening, a kind of smoking con­ cert was, I am told, started amongst our eleven. Tom, after divesting himself of his coat, waistcoat, tie, and collar (the weather being extremely hot), moved himself into the chair; and as this was the first visit of the two clergymen to Skegness, he forthwith fined one of them a bottle of “ Special Scotch,” and the other “ cigars round.” He next proposed their health, and described them “ as the very pattern of what parsons ought to be.” Tom next was good enough to propose my health in absence,” which was drunk with musical honours. Tom now being fairly started proposed everybody’s health in the room, and as the evening wore on imposed more fines. The festivities, although of a harmless kind, were kept up nevertheless to a very late hour, and and as the victory next day did not rest with our eleven I shall in future strongly advocate the post­ ponement of the smoking concert until after the last day’s play. Tom is the possessor of the smallest Gladstone bag I ever set eyes on. This he invariably takes with him when we are on tour. I shall never forget him turning up with this miniature bag for the first time afterit came into his possession. “ Halloa I Tom,” I ex­ claimed when I saw him, -‘ I see you’ve got your cigar case! ” Ever since then Tom’s Gladstone ” has been known as the “ cigar case.” Tom has quite a museum of curiosities collected on his cricket travels. These he has displayed on the mantel board of his sitting room. A “ Jeroboam ” (empty now, but was full enough when Tom first saw it at an hotel in Belfast) figures as a “ centre-piece.” He has a great show of pipes and tobacco pouches, too, which have atdifferent times been presented to him. Tom is a cele­ brated skittle player. I havean excellent alley at my house onwhich we have some rare fun during the winter evenings. Last year my old friend the Bev. B. S. Holmes came to stay with me for a day or two, and of course we “ took to skittles” in the evening. Mr. Holmes quickly proved him self to be a skilful player, and caused our two local champions, TomFoster and Phil Richmond, to look to their laurels. There t rs is a great rivalry between Tom and Phil at this game, and as they are generally on opposite sides, it is amusing to hear the remarks theymake about each other's play. Indeed, chaff between players appears to me to be the correct thing and the chief item in the game of skittles generally. The great thing is to make some remarks of a disparaging nature relative to your opponent’s playjust as he is about to bowl the ball. These remarks should be made in an audible aside to one of the spectators, as though you intended your opponent should not hear them, but nevertheless you must take particular care that he does. This, if he is at all a nervous man or an inexperienced player, will bring about the desired effect of putting him off his play. If he does succeed in beating you in spite of this, you must declare that after all it is no use trying to play scientifically, but it is as well to throw the ball amongst the pins anyhow, and “ trust to providence.” This, I gather, is the way to play the noble game of skittles, as least fromplaying with Tom and Phil. To an outsider there may possibly appear to be little science in this old English game. Indeed, I thought so myself once. But to hear Tom and Phil at play one would think there were as many nice points in the game as there are at cricket or billiards, so much talk is there of “ Kinging ” and “ cornering,” of going at the “ second front ” or at the “ fancy five,” the “ weak side” and strong side” or the “ fancy five back’ards,” and so on ad infinitum. “ Chaff,” I have said, disconcerts in­ experienced players, but no amount of it has the slightest possible effect on Tom Foster. Throughout the game he wears as immovable an expression as the Sphinx. He can play either left or rnht hand, but rather favours the former. We have a little private skittle club at home, and indulge in an old English dinner of roast beef and plum pudding every Christmas, followed by a moderate supply of whisky toddy over which we talk over old cricket matches and “ fight our battles o’er again.” Our modest banquet is, I believe, arranged to take place in Christmas week this year, and as of late I have noticed that Tom has seemed more than usually thoughtful, I have come to the conclusion that he must be preparing a speech for the occa­ sion, when he will, no doubt, be quite as eloquent as he was after the cricket last summer at Skegness. Having spoken of Tom in his different capacities, as secre­ tary, umpire, and skittle player, it would not do to close without saying a word about his career as a member of the Yeomanry Cavalry, though on this subject I can say but little. I was once in the Yeomanry myself, but this must have been before Tom’s day. Of his career as a defender of his country, I know nothing except what I have heard from Tom himself and his “ brothers in arms.” Tom himself declares that when fully equipped in his somewhat cumbersome regimentals he always mounted his horse before leaving home with the assistance of a step 'ladder, and that the horse was a much better soldier than he was himgelf, and knew his business so well that he believes he would have gone through all the manoeuvres as well without a rider on his back as with. Tom also relates a wonderful adventure he once had, when his life was saved by his spurs, but the story is too long to repeat here. I have heard, too, another tale of how Tom “ deserted” on one particularly hot day, but this no doubt is mere idle rumour. Tom is one of the best fellows I have ever met during my career, and the longer I have known him the better I have liked him. Few men have seen more cricket than he, and few are suchexcellent judges of the game. SHERBORNE SCHOOL. Matches played 10—won 3, lost 5, drawn 2. BATTING AVERAGES. Times Most in Inns, notout. Runs, an Inn6'. Aver L. C. Powys .. . 16 ... 1 ... 285 ... 124*.. . 19 J. E. Stevens .... 16 ... 1 ... 541 ... 161*... 36.1 A.C. C. Wright 16 ... 0 ... 160 ... 42 ... 10 W. J. Bensly ... 13 ... 4 ... 55 ... 16 ... 6.1 C. A. S. Ridout... 14 ... 0 ... 155 ... 30 ... 11.1 H. Laurie......... . 10 ... 1 ... 135 ... 38 .. . 15 A. Dixon ......... . 13 ... 2 ... 227 ... 57*... 20.7 E. J. Holberton 11 ... 1 .. . 42 ... 16 . 4.2 J. H. Prichard.. . 15 ... 3 ... 101 ... 20 * .. 8.5 A. D. Radford... 9 ... 5 ... 12 ... 4*... 3 C. H. Wigan .... 5 ... 0 ... 31 ... 12 ... 6.1 BOWLING AVERAGES. Overs. Mdns. Runs. Wkts. Aver. L. C. Powys............. 57 ... 9 ... 180 ... 10 ... 18 J. B. Stevens ... 124.2... 36 ... 347 ... 19 ... 18.5 A. C. O. Wright ... 18 ... 5 ... 48 ... 2 ... 24 E. .1. Holterton... 175.3... 36 ... 515 ... 46 ... 11 9 A. D. Radford ... 160 3... 57 ... 845 ... 25 ... 13.19 C. T. B. T hkneu , the Australian bowler, is playing for the East Sydney Electorate C.C. He has left the Australian Joint Stock Bank, and is now in business on his own account. RICHARD DAFT, L IT E CAPTAIN NOTTS COUNTY ELEVEN Begs to state that his only Nottingham address is the ALL-ENGLAND CRICKET AND BRITISH SPORTS WAREHOUSE, C a r r i n g t o n S t r e e t B r i d g e , N O T T IN GH AM . City&South London Railway. N K W R O U T E TO T H E O V A L . Trains worked entirely by ElectricLocomotives Run every few m inutes to and from C I T Y (King Will,am Street), BORO’ , ELEPHANT & CAST L E , OVAL , and S T OCKWE L L (for Clapham Common) . SINGLE FABE (any distance) Sid The Oval Station is about 60 yards from the Entranoe to the Surrey Crioket Ground, THOMAS O. JENKIN, General Manager, ______________________I f , n V _____________'____________________________________________ *______________ rrinted for the Proprietor by W bight & Co., 41, St. Andrew’s Hill, Doctors’ Commons, London, E.C., December 28th, 1893