Cricket 1894

“ Together "joined in cricket’s manly toil.”— B y r o n . No. 361 VOL. X III. Roistered for Transmission Abroad THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 1894. PRICE 2d. CRICKETNOTCHES. B y th e R e v . B . S. H olm es . I am often told at home that the one thing which never fails to wake me with the lark is a County Cricket Match. I can only hope it never will fail. Young lads cannot sleep the last night of the school term. Holidays have come at last. That’s exactly my condition on this early Monday morning. There is to be a holiday to-day out Brad­ ford way. I have heard that Yorkshire are to play Kent. And these notches must be got rid of somehow before one can go. Somewhat hard on a man who jesterday did the work of three ordinary mortals. But pleasures are all the sweeter when they cost us something. Anyhow, I find a cricket m»tfh on the top of tbis weekly yarn doubly enjoyable. One must welcome home the all-conquer­ ing team that is far too modest to wear the title they have so honourably won. It’s York­ shire's first home-match of t e present season, and no sensible person would care to miss it. But, first of all, everybody will be interested in the latest news of Lohmann. He sent me on Saturday last the sun­ niest of letters—the contents of wbich were evidently for my­ self only. But one may tran­ scribe this sentence — “ My health has improved wonder­ fully. I shall probably visit Australia in September next.” And here’s a hint to his many friends at home. “ I am always delighted to hear from people who are fond of cricket, and especially from those who understand the tjame.’1 Whether I do or not, I have made up my mind to send him a regular monthly budget of cricket news. I cannot refrain from quoting one more line—‘ 'Your Revised Laws of Cricket are, I think, splendid, and I should like to see them adopted by the M.C.C.” Though he takes exception to a remark of mine that “ no cricketer should play against the County of his birth,” as pressing hard on men like lrmself. But did I say that ? If so, it must have been written,, like this, at 5 a.m I meant to say that no cricketer ought to play against the county of his birth, if he ha I ever played fo r it. We all send Lohmann mes­ sages of heartiest good will. Norman Gale truly voices the common sentiment:— BUTT (S u s s e x W i c k e t K e h > e u ) From a photo by Hamlcins, Brighton. “ May warmer heavens make you whole For Surrey! How men would roar to see you bowl For Surrey! Nurs’d and help’d and mended, Truly kept and tended, Come and be our spleudid George! Shuter wants you home again ! England wants you—cro3s the Main ! Say Good bye to Capetown sky, you George of Georges, come again! ” Isn’t it delightful ? But that is only a fragment of one of the twenty-eight “ Cricket Songs,” just published. They are all up to sample. Ciicket has never known such a singer. Ihe poet is also a _____ cricketer ; the lingo reminds one of Bramall Lane or the Oval. I wish some could be set to music. I happen to possess a couple of Cricket mu-icul songs, but they are wretched jingles, though one is dedicated to A. N. Hornby. Khyme execrable, music worse. In “ Cricket Songs” everything is tip-top,though “Buzz Her In,” and “ Duck ’ are perhaps the best of the batch. To the author I venture to say in the name of all crioketers— ‘•My Dear Sir! Our Hearty Thanks 1” But what has induced the Leadenhall Press to send me two copies of “ A Professional Pugilist ? ” One 1 forwarded to “ F.G.” at once, as that art is more in his line. Yet it is a capital story, as exciting, I should say, as the real thing. To all who love boxing I would recommend this novelette. The illustrations—by K. Skeaping, whose name I remember to have seen as the artist of one ofJ. K. Jerome’s books — are worth double the cost of the book. llevenons a nos moutoni, A copy of the Cape Argus, just to hand, containing a very strong article on “ Cricket Amateurs and Professionals.” I could almost declare tha parts of it are from my own pen. 1 endorse every word of it. It just puts the case betwe n the paid and the unpaid, the genuine professional and the sham ama­ teur in the naked light of truth. As a famous cricketer wrote me last week.— “ The latter is obnoxious to the bona fide amateur as well as to the professional, and the soon r his privileges are stopped the better. ’ This “ receiving payment on the sly ” is the curse