Cricket 1894

“ Together 'joined in cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron • N o. 3 6 6 VO L . X III. Beistered for T ransm ission A broad THURSDAY, JULY 12, 1894. P R IC E 2d. CRICKETJNOTCHES. B y t h e R e v . E. S. H o l m e s . It is no easy task to get started this week, as I am leagues away from cricket and cricketers, nearly 600 miles north of London, within gunshot of Her Majesty’s Northern Castle. Moving from place to place daily, one never knows when a daily paper will turn up, nor can you prophesy its precise date. Last week I kept speculating at Oban, and on the Caledonian Canal, as to what they were doing at Lord’s and the Oval, and for want of definite information, bad to content myself with sundry mental excursions into cricket history. At Inverness station I caught sight of this journal, and was delighted to find tbat there is a regular demand for it in thore parts. “ There’s lots of cricket about here,” I was informed, but I saw none. In the train a fellow - traveller produced a copy of C r ic k e t ; I made sun­ dry enquiries as to its contents, and where it was published, and asked whether it was worth reading. The answer I must repeat: “ Why, man, that one article is worth more than twice the sum charged for the paper.” “ Ugh ! some garrulous parson, I see.” “ You may think me rude, but if you and I together knew about one half of what he does of cricket, we might set up as authorities on the game.” Now, wasn’t it delightful to have yourself championed by a perfect stranger ! Until he sees this in print, my companion will never have dreamed how heartily his blunt speech was appreciated. I take this opportunity of thanking him for his warm defence. I am told that Aberdeen is much given to cricket; to-morrow I shall go and see for myself. Anyhow, there is an Aberdeen Crioket Club, the secretary of which some time since sent me a volume (quarto), which was drawn up in the interests of a bazaar for their club. Next week I hope to be in Edinburgh, and shall visit Eaeburn Place, the home of the well-known Grange Club, for whom the old Blue, A. G. Asher, is now playing. I cannot get away from the special meeting of the M.U.C., called to reconsider the “ follow-on ” law. The more I think of it, the more I am convinced that their proposed alteration will prove a glaring failure. Are they aware of the feeling of cricketers gener- V . TIE O C K W E LIj (S u r r e y ). ally ? Correspondents—all strangers to me— tell me that every cricketer they know wishes the follow-on to be abolished altogether. As a writer from Balham puts it—“ It is absurd that the side which makes a splendid score, and then gets rts opponents out for a smaller score, should be punished by having to field a second time. What incentive can there be toget the opposite side out, if, as a penalty for good cricket on your part, you have to do it all over again without a re6t ? Fancy Roberts, after making a huge break at billiards, and his opponent failing, but lead­ ing the balls ia a favourable position— fancy Roberts saying he could not think of ,taking the advantage offered, but would allow his opponent another innings first.” Is the follow- on fair, even with the new limit o£ 120 runs ? Let’s take an exam ple: a fortnight since Surrey scored 401 against Yorkshire. Now, suppo e Yorkshire had not gone to pieces, but had run up a first total of 281. This would have consumed a greater part of the second day, and then im ­ mediately Surrey w ouli have had to go into the field again. Bemember the blazing sunshine at that time, and that for at least four hours they had been fagging out. Meanwhile most of ibeir opponents have been resting, and will be as fresh as da;sies for a second turn with the bat. Lockwood and Co. are just played out. Yorkshire have no difficulty now in scoring off almost every ball. 'Iheir second total reaches 300, and concludes about dinner-time on the third day. Then Surrey go in again, wanting some 180 ru n s; every man of them is exhausted, and scores with increasing difficulty. If they don't lose, it's because they pUy for a d ra w -th e only safe course under the circum­ stances. My own set judgment is that-, when it appears likely that the follow-on will only just take place, the captain of the leading team should not try and get his opponents out, and should for this purpose take off his regular bowlers, and put on any bowler—the poorer, the better—off whom no batsman can fail to score freely. Let them have a lead of 100 runs on the first innings, and they (the side in first) cannot possibly lose the match, as Surrey did last year through haviD g to follow on against Middlesex at Lord's. Did not the M.C.C. recommend the Australians to try the effect of allowing the captain of the leading side the option of going in again ? Haye they not adopted the suggestion with advan tage to the game ? Are not the M.C.C., by their proposed alteration, doing the very