Cricket 1894

JAN. 25, 1893 <ORIO&ET; A WEEKLY EECOED OP THE GAME; 9 passed into other hands at the commence­ ment of last month. Hitherto, the best score in South Australia was G. Giffen’s 296 for Norwood against South Adelaide. This was, however, left altogether in the lurch by the big innings of 0. Hill, for Prince Alfred Col­ lege against St. Peter’s College,at Adelaide, on December 7 and 8th. Laver's 352 not out, tooj was beaten, for Hill got up to 360 before he retired. For a boy of only sixteen such a performance, under any circumstances, would be remarkable. The only pity is that he did not go on to the full limit of the innings. It may be of interest to some to know that the youngster is a left-handed batsman. The total of the College was 621, or only six runs behind the highest aggregate for South Australia. T hough he had only quite recently arrived at home after the completion of the tour of the Eighth Australian team, George Giffen lost no time in demon­ strating that his visit to England had not impaired his batting in any way. On the contrary, his form for South Australia in the Inter-Colonial match against New South Wales at Adelaide in the middle of last month furnished the strongest evidence in the opposite direction. In the second innings he was six hours and a half at the wicket, and there was only one mistake in his score of 205, and that when he had reached 104. Moreover his innings, it is significant to add, is the highest as yet by an Australian at all events against New South Wales., The best previous were, I believe, J. J. Lyons’ 145 for South Australia, in 1892, and J. Mcllwraith’s 133 for Victoria. T hough Victoria and New South Wales have agreed, in accordance with the suggestion of the Marylebone Club, to test the working of the proposed alteration making the “ follow-on ” optional with the side which is ahead to the extent of eighty runs on the first innings, South Australia, it appears, declined to come into line with the other colonies on the subject. As a consequence, the International against New South Wales was played under the existing laws, though as the game went the new proposition would not have been brought into operation. A N e w Z ealand paper, published at the end of November, is responsible for the following A remarkable performance was witnessed in the cricket match at Karori between the Rival third and the Karori first, C. Spiers, a member of the latter team, taking ten wickets at a cost of one run. He bowled nine men, and caught the tenth oft his own bowling. This is, we believe, a world’s record. C. M il l s , the useful all-round cricketer who plays for Surrey’s second eleven, has been adding to the reputation he had already gained in South Africa as a batsman during the winter. Mills, by the way, still retains the distinction of the highest innings (287) in South Africa he won at Kimberley four years ago. In the match between the Cape Town and the Western Province Clubs, played towards the end of last month, Frank Hearne, whilom of the Kent eleven, was also very much in evidence ; but, on the other side, Mills himself was responsible for no less than 136 of Cape Town’s total of 305. A match with two individual scores of a hundred is quite a rare experience in cricket at the Cape. Hearne’s share of the Western Province’s first innings of 225 was 100. It is a little curious that the professionals attached to tbe two leading clubs in Cape Town should each of them have figured so conspicuously in the match in which naturally they would be the most ambitious to excel. T he following from Mr. A. C. Coxhead will speak for itself. You printed some remarks of mine some time ago, respecting bowling averages. Here­ with is an analysis of the work of tbe leading bowlers of the last season. It will be seenthat the most destructive professional was W. Humphreys, of Sussex, followed closely by Richardson and Lockwood, of Surrey, and he is eclipsed by Mr. Kortright, of Essex. The position of this gentleman in the list, and of his colleague, Mead, suggests the other question I then raised,respecting second-class counties. Essex, or Derbyshire, playing against York­ shire, or Surrey, is playing a first-class match, and in order to form a correct opinion of the merits of the individual players, such matohes should be inoludedin their first-class averages. —I am, Sir, Yours faithfully, A l be rt C. C oxh ead . P r o fe s s io n a l B o w le r s o f 1893, w it h A v e r a g e u n d e r 20. Old Balls per New position. Wkt3. Wkt. pDsition. 1 W. Hearne .. 46 35 6 2 M e a d ............ 26 34 4 B Peel . 121 44 ... 15 4 Hirst ... . 99 42 ... 13 5 Pougher . 15 42 ... 13 6 Wainwright. . 119 35 6 7 Brockwell . 68 37 8 8 Richardson . . 174 29 2 9 Briggs ... . 166 40 ... 11 10 Daft ... . 12 34 4 11 J. T. Hearne . 212 41 ... 12 12 Lockwood . . 150 31 3 13 Oakley... . 36 46 ... 17 14 Mold ... . 166 33 9 15 W. Humphreys 150 27 1 16 Tyler ... . 106 45 ... 16 17 Brown .. 12 28 9 18 A. Hearne . . 83 £4 ... 19 19 Wardall . 15 67 ... 2) 20 Davidson . 19 52 ... 18 A mateur B owlers , averages u nder 20. Balls per Wkte. wkt. Kortright 17 24 C. M. Wells .. 73 31 G. Smith ... 44 • 3 Bromley Davenport ... 32 ... 33 The sportsmanlike way in which W . L. Murdoch has been allowed to play for New South Wales while in his old colony during the current Australian season, reflects very creditably on the instincts of those who have the administration of cricket affairs in Victoria. In reply to a communication from the New South Wales Association, read at the meeting of the Victoria C.A., held at Melbourne on December 12th, asking whether any objection would be offered to Murdoch playing with their eleven in the Inter­ colonial match on Boxing Day, the chairman said that in the case of an old, worthy and esteemed cricketer such as Murdoch had proved himself to be, there should be but one wish—his presence in the match. It would be interesting from a cricket point of view, and it would be a lesson to some of the young cricketers to watch a batsman who had been so long identified with Australian cricket. He had much pleasure in moving that the association offer no objection to Murdoch playing in the match. The motion was received with enthusiasm and carried unanimously. T h e death of Tom Adams removes the last of the grand old men of Kent cricket. As late as last October the veteran was cheery and well, sufficiently well, in any case, to remember all the experiences which crowded on his memory as the result of an interesting cricket career. And now he has gone, and with him the one link connecting us with the famous Kent eleven, which included such splendid players as Fuller Pilch, Alfred Mynn, Felix, Wen- man, and Hillyer. Still, his innings was a long one, with only fifteen years left to reach three figures. None the less the news of his death, which took place last Saturday at Gravesend, will be heard with regret by C r ic k e t readers to whom he was nothing more than a name. Among the benefit matches to be played next year few, if any, will be more popular, in the South of London, in par­ ticular, than that of the Surrey wicket­ keeper, Henry Wood. Though a man of Kent, Wood’s engagement with the Streatham Club and residence in that district gave him a qualification for Surrey which has proved very advan­ tageous to that county for the last few years. Just latterly he has not been in the best of health, so that a benefit will be more than usually acceptable. It is in­ tended, unless any serious obstacles should present themselves, to p'ay North against South at the Oval on August 2 and following days in his interests. OLD TIME CRICKET. To the Editor o f C r ic k e t . S ir—I have perused with much interest the most excellent jottings on “ Old Time Cricket,” which appeared in your issue of December 28th. I have not the slightest idea who is the writor, but you will, I am sure, grant me a small space to point out a few inacouracies. On page 472, it is stated that the late Hon. Robert Grimston made the highest score, 11 and 54, for England v. Kent at Lord’s in 1844. Now the Hon. R. Grimston made these runs in the match Gentlemen ofEngland v. Gentle­ men of Kent, a very different kind of contest to an England fixture. The statement, too, that the Hon. R. Grimston was an excellent longstop is also greatly exaggerated. On page 471, Beldham’s name is spelt wrongly. There is an h in the name ; also the same page Lord Winchester should read Winchelsea. Surely, too, your correspondent “ H. R .” on page 481 is in error in crediting Mr. Fenner with being the single wicket champion of England. The “ Lion of Kent,” the famous Alfred Mynn, was the champion single wicket-player in Fenner’s day.—I am, Sir, Yours very truly, A l f r e d J, G a ston . Ditchling Rise, Brighton, January, 1894. T he latest news from Cape Town indi­ cates that the machinery with a view to the approaching visit of a South African