Cricket 1893

APRIL 13, 1893 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 51 Mitcham, Hornsey, Clapton, Croydon, Gran­ ville, Gravesend, Hampton Wick. The season opens on Saturday, April 29th, with a match v. Plaistow, and concludes on September 16th. On alternate Saturdays through May, June and July, three teams will be played. A cricket week on the home ground has been arranged, commencing September 4th, when the Erratics, Pallingswick, Mitcham, Brixton Wanderers, Clapton, and Greenhithe will be met. The ground, under the care of Terry, looks in good condition and shows promise of a plenitude of good wickets for the coming season. The Club numbers over 100 members, and new additions are numerous. All the old hands are available, and as there is every probability of T. S. T. Tregellas again donning flannels, his appearance will materi­ ally strengthen the team. During the winter the Pavilion accommodation has been im ­ proved, a new lavatory having been added. The Committee are looking forward to a good season, with every prospect of the balance of wins being in the club’ d favour at the end of the year. The fixtures of the E alin g Club are much the same as in previous years. “ The week ” commences on the August Bank Holiday, on which day Mr. F. H. Dangar’s Australian XI. is met. This encounter always causes con­ siderable local interest. The grouad is getting into order for the commencement of the season, but is much in need of rain. R. M. Pearce willbe greatly missed in the batting and bowling departments, and it is to be hoped that among the new members a good bowler will be found. The E psom Club has a heavy list of forty- eight fixtures, an increase of twelve on that of last year. Of this number twenty-nine are for the first eleven, who have a busy time of it from May 6 to September 2. The new matches for this year are against Croydon, Guildford, Addiscombe, Peripatetics, and Malden Wan­ derers. The most active portion of the season is from July 29 to Augu3t 8. Duriag these nine days there are eight consecutive days’ cricket at home for the first eleven, with two Sundays intervening. The seven matches are— July 29, v. Banstead. [ July 31, V. Guildford. Aug. l,v . Peripatetics. Aug.2,8, v. Old Suttonians Aug. 4, v. Malden Aug. 5, v. Dorking. Wanderers. J Aug. 7, v. Ewel. While not necessarily the strongest opponents, the matches with Ewell, Leatherhead, Dorking, and Banstead will probably continue to be of the greatest local interest. As far as is known at present, most of the more prom- minent members of last year are again avail­ able, with a few new players, some of^them of decided promise. The break up of the Norbury Park and Brockley Club ‘has not been without its ad­ vantage to the F orest H il l , which has already received a considerable accession to its playing strength. The increase indeed has been so great that the hon. sec. (C. Spencer-West) is desirous of arranging three eleven matches on Saturday afternoons with clubs in the south of London having private grounds. The London and Westminster youngster, C. F . S. Douglas, should be very useful in the first team, and with such men as C. J. Welchman and R. Tolklee from Brockley it is hoped will help to nil the blank caused by the loss of that sterling little bowler, E . H . hd wards. W ith a little rain the ground will be in fine condition. The programme of the H onor O ak Club for (7Q « year *s ^ th er a lengthy one. No less than 72 fixtures have already been made, and as there are still a few dates vacant, in all pro­ bability the number will be increased. The club will be playing three teams through the greater part of the season. The committee will therefore have plenty of hard work before them, though with some rising talent and most of the old members available, there is every reason to believe they will have as great a s,uPcess as last year. Though Honor Oak do not have a week, the list contains the names i ,a Sreat many of the strongest local ubs, in addition to the colts’ and club and ground matches. Most of the officers remain as before, the only exception being that the whole of the secretarial work falls on H. L. Holford instead of on two joint secretaries as last season. The wickets at Honor Oak are well known by this time as being about the best in South London,and there is every reason to believe that they will be of the same quality in the future. ---------- The card of the H ornsey Club gene­ rally presents an imposing appearance. This year certainly will offer no exception to the rule. It is framed on much the same lines as heretofore, as the matches have been arranged with much the same clubs as usual All the most prominent of last year’s members will be again available, and with several young players training on well in ad­ dition.to some likely new members, the com ­ mittee are looking forward to another successful season. The officers of the club remain the same as for several years past, and Thomas Brown and Stephen Bradford have been again engaged as ground men. The dry weather of the past month has of course interfered with the growth of the young grass, but there is every prospect of the wickets being in good order at the commencement of the season. The Hornsey week will begin on July 3 and end on the 9th. The six days will be occupied with matches against Chiswick Park, Erratics, Hampstead, M.C.C. and G., Butterflies, and Streatham. --------- J. P. Ward, 10, Grosvenor Road, Canon- bury, succeeds W . H. A. Gow as hon. see. of the I slin gton A lbion C.C. The latter has given up the post after a service of eight years. The treasurer, A. Balding, after a career of 20 years officially connected with the club, has also retired. How their efforts were appreciated was shown in the presentation by the members of a diamond and sapphire pin, and a fine clock respectively, at the annual dinner in December last. The club, which is in a flourishing con­ dition, retains the old ground wnich it has held for fifteen years at Alexandra Park. The Islington Albion, we may add, is the oldest Metropolitan club, having been established as long ago as 1805. --------- The K ensington Club commences the season on a new ground, which is expected to be in first-rate order. J. Salmon, who gave great satisfaction as professional last year, has been re engaged. The card consists of thirteen fixtures, in addition to a tour at the end of August. This will be Sussex way, and will cover four of the principal cricket centres of that county. The first match wiil be against Lewes Priory, at Lewes, on August 19, and the following week will be occupied with three two-day matches, against Devonshire Park, at Eastbourne, Hastings and St. Leonards, and Willingdon respectively. The day matches of Kensington will be against Brookwood Asylum, at Brookwood; Pallingswick, at home; Cane Hill Asylum, at Cane Hill; West Herts,at W atford; Luton, at Luton; Ealing, at Ealing; Erratics, and South Hampstead, at home. C. E. Bloomer again acts in the double capacity of captain and honorary sec­ retary. --------- The hon. sec. of the K ensington P ark is, as a rule, up to date. His arrangements for 1693 furnish more than one instance of his adapt­ ability to the spirit of the times. This year operations will commence earlier than usual, in fact the season will commence on Saturday week, the 29th inst. A week’s cricket has also been introduced, commencing on July 31. It woul d be more correct to say seven days’cricket, as there will be in all six matches, one of them extending over two days, as the following list will show :—Monday 31st July, Royal Light Infantry, at home, M. A. Nicholas, manager; Tuesday 1st August, Reigate Hill, Reigate, M. A. Nicholas; Wednesday and Thursday,2nd and 3rd August, North of Ireland, at home, D. C. Lee ; Friday, 4th August, Banstea^, Banstead, D. W. J. Scott ; Saturday, 5th August, Bickley Park, Bickley, G. H. P. Street; Monday, 7th August, Broxbourne, Broxbourne, M.A.Nicholas. The accession of new cricketers has induced the executive to try this experi­ ment. The ground is in good order, although, as is the case everywhere, rain is badly wanted. W. W . Thomson will again direct the affairs of the M itcham Club, which means that its cricket will be conducted in the best spirit As hon. sec. he will have again the advantage of a captain quite of his own mind, in that excellent all-round sportsman, T. P. Harvey. The season commences on May 6 with a match against Croydon, at Croydon, and closes on September 9 at Mitcham, where Thames Ditton will represent the opposition. The wickets on Mitcham Green are, it goes without saying, of the best. Australian cricketers have always been very partial to the Green on account of the advantages it offers for practice. There is every reason, too, to believe that the team now on their way to Kngland, like most of their predecessors, will be able to use it for the same purpose, at the and of this month. The U p pe r C lapton C.C. opens the season with every prospect of success, under the care of the untiring hon. sec., E. B. Wells. Against twelve resignations, over thirty new members have been already added, and the club is fairly on the way to emulate its last year’ s record (81) of new members. This year the hon. sec. is trying, occasionally, the experiment of playing three elevens on the same day. This is of itself a proof of the support the executive is confident of rec ei /icg from the members of the club. J h ) home week, which commences on July 10, should be an attractive one. C. J. M. Godfrey, the Sussex cricketer, has just been elected to the captaincy of the Granville (Lee) C.C. His energy should have an inspiriting effect on the play generally, and under his direction the club should have a prosperous season. A new hon. sec., too, has been found in F. E. Glover (Rusthall Lodge, Burnt Ash Hill, Lee, S.K.), who has succeeded R. F. Taylor. The opening match is down for Saturday week, but the season will really not commence till the 29th, when Granville and Sidcup will meet at Lee. From that date until September 16th, when the Tourists play the Rest, there will be little or no rest for the management. The card as usual is a lengthy one. Among the ciub’ s principal engagements are matches with Bickley Park, Crystal Palace, Hampstead, Croydon, Tunbridge Wells, Forest Hill, Charlton Park, Streatham, M.C.C. & G., Hornsey, Bradfield Waifs, and Blacklieath. The annual tour will commence on August 11. It will extend until the 19th, and will consist of four two* day matches against Eastbourne Club, South Saxons, Wellington, and Devonshire Park. A. II. Joyce again captains tha Kenley Club. The match list, which extends from April 29 to September 16, with a fixture on every Saturday, as well as on the two Bank Holidays, is mostly made up of matches with Surrey clubs. Addiscombe furnishes the attraction for the opening of the cricket week, which commences on July 31. The five other engagements are against the Erratics, Ban­ stead, Surrey C. and G., Rev. S. Shilcock’ s Eleven, and Caterham. The ground, it may be added, is only two minutes’ walk from Kenley Station, on the South Eastern Railway. F. C. Barchard, the hon. sec. of the Crystal Palace C.C.. as usual, “ comes up with his little lot,” in the shape of a heavy card. Between April 29 aild September 16, fifty- four matches have to be br6light off, and against some of the most .influential clubs round London. Nor are these all, as, in addi­ tion, there is the usual tour, commencing on August 7, at Bath, against the Lansdowne Club, and ending on the 26th of the month, against the Eastbourne Club, at Eastbourne, 'ihe other fixtures in which the tourists will' have to take part are against the Wellington Club on August 9 and 10, Exeter, Exmouth, Seaton, Sidmouth, South Wilts, at Salisbury, and South Saxons, at St. Leonards, in the order given. The matches in every case extend over two days. Stanley Colman will be again entrusted with the responsibility of collecting the teams for the tour. At Whit­ suntide G. Cosens will have charge of the elevens for two fixtures in Sussex, against Willingdon, on May 20, and on May 22 (Whit- Monday) against the South Saxons.