Cricket 1894

274 QBIGEETs A WEEKLY RECOBD OF THE GAME; JULY 26 , 1894 standing among our counties. Of course a tieket-holder has the entree to any ground when his county club is playing a match ; this privilege, X believe, extends both to Lord’s and the Oval. But why not go further? They do at golf. A golfer, being a member of a club, can play on any links without let or hindrance; he can claim this privilege, which is a characteristic mark of freemasonry. Such a privilege in cricket would do much to strengthen the bonds of good fellowship. Of course it would require to be safeguarded: it would never do to allow the members of Lord’s and the Oval unrestricted licence in this direction; but with that exception I see no reason why the possession of a county ticket should not be free of every cricket ground, at any rate, of every pavilion. And I am not putting in a word for myse’.f in urging this matter on the attention of the authorities. The n ia is washing all the life out of crick et; and I much fear there will be no play at Leeds to-day. The shooting at Bisley m a y account for the que r weather in and around London, but not in the North. Last week thoroughly maintained public interest in tbe game, whiist it yielded some of us matter for reflection. I am S o n y I cannot cut in with an original o ’ js rvat'onon Somer­ setshire’s matches at Manchester and Hud- fie’.d, the dailies having forestalled me. The Western county has made history with a vengeance. But my hole-and-corner memory enables me to supplement the list of matches completed in one day, as furnished in “ Pavilion Gossip ” last week. M.C.C. v. Notts at Lord’s, in 1891, gives me a point. By-the-bje, it is instructive to notice with what fidelity all newspaper correspondents and writers on cricket respect a statement which any one paper has published—witness the Kempson and Bathurst bowling in the Gentlemen v. Players’ match in 1853. There was perfect unanimity in the press, but all were wrong. I have since been able to con­ firm my meraoiy statement re Evans and Steel in the 1880 match. Unanimity counts for nothing, either in morals or in sport, yet most people swear by it. Lancashire had the most satisfactory week they have known during the present season, though their opponents were not of the strongest. But after their run of bad luck, or bad cricke*, a couple of easy wins will prove very welcome. Generally bad starters — at least for several years now— they have never taken so long to getinto their old stride. Their bowling—what there is of it—has been all right, that is to say, Mold and Bripgs have done all of it. I can scarcely remember two men in one and the same county eleven that had so much thrust upon them, or who have failed so seldom, notwithstanding the severity of the ordeal. Even Turner and Eerris, during the 1888 «eason, were let off more easily. Mold had a wonderful week, taking 25 wickets at a cost of only just six runs a w icket; he is in as great form now as Bichardson was a few weeks since. In the same matches Briggs took thirteen wickets for 11 runs apiece, thus leaving only two wickets to be accounted for by other bowlers or by such Occidents as run out. It is as­ tonishing that Mold never seems to require a rest ; if he did, the consequences would bs disastrous to his county. I am heartily glad that Hornby was persuaded to resume his old place ; Ms batting has, of cours3, suffered by advancing age, but his presence was needed— has, indeed, been for some weeks— to rally the team. H e is such a refreshing contrast to many veteran captains one could name, in that his presence is of the nature more of a sea-breeze than of a wet-blanket, especially on young players. More than one beginner in county cricket has told me that dread of the captain has made them incapable of bowling their best; insinuation, if not threat, of suspens’on has taken all the heart out of them. There is not one cricketer in fifly, or even a hundred, who can worthily captain an eleven. And the Lancashire batsmen are looking up, at least Sugg is. Of late he has failed so repeatedly that there were rumours of an enforced rest; he has woke up at last. One hundred and fifty-five runs in three innings prove conclusively that the man of many counties has some really good cricket left in him. Everybody will rejoice who can appreciate a thoroughly fine fellow : it pains me more than I can express to see a big cricketer begin to go off. I shall never have the heart to go and watch W .G. when he is on the down-line; that won’ t be yet awhile: Sugg’s batting is very odd to me. When he simply plays the ball, he is tame in the extreme ; just as Key is pokey. But when he hits, there is nothing more brilliant and interesting to the spectator. Against Somersetshire he rattled up 105 runs in 80 m inutes; but his best was against Gloucester­ shire, 29 in two overs of the lobs, 50 in all from fifteen hits in half an hour. Arthur Smith's 50 in the first match makes one wonder wby he does not play in every match. His first (or almost his first) county match two or three years since, against Gloucestershire, resulted in a century score from his bat. Ward has also bestirred himself : and not before it was wanted ; his 109 against Glou­ cestershire was, of course, not a remarkable effort, but it will doubtless prove a healthy fillip to a finely-strung cricketer who is easily depressed by a run of bad luck. Lionel Palairet (69) and W .G. (49) played the best innings for their respective counties, but neither of them could stop Lancashire in the race, for they landed home each time with plenty iu hand— an innings and 68 runs against Somersetshire, and 243 runs against Gloucestershire. W ith just a little help from that unseen forc9 in all sports—luck— Mold would have established a record in first-class cricket, viz,, a double hat trick in a single innings; he mis-ed it by a ball only, but am iss is as good as a mile. Alfred Shaw is the only bowler I know of who has the credit of the hat-trick in each innings of a match, against Gloucestershire in 1884. I must mention Somersetshire’s double, else somebody will be certain to write me about it. I apologise for so doing; one gets weary of the endless repetitions of the same statement. It was an enjoyable match at Huddersfield, though it did not last long enough for anybody concerned in it, the playeis excepted ; few of them will complain of the fate which ordained that a three days’ match should be tucked into less than five hours. Yet there was little or no poor oricket, at any rate there was no “ rot.” The wicket may have been at fault, though a careful examination at the close convinced me that good work depends more on the workman than on his tools, or at least quite as much. The ball now and then got up awkwardly, and the very short fast ones popped over the head of batsman and stumper, as they will often on the most perfect pitch. Brilliant fielding was the main cause of a short-lived match. I did long to have tbe “ Old Buffer” by my side; how he would bave been refreshed. In match after match this year Hirst has had the most provoking luck ; with three men in a row in the slips the ba'l has, by a miracle, gone between them times without number, and by no intention on the part of batsmen. A t Hud­ dersfield it was not so ; but what lovely (th's is absolutely the right word, reader) catches we: e made off him ; one by Wainwright with the right hand at short slip reminded me of Lohmaml. Jackson held a beauty from Palairet’s bat, and could not repress his delight; he had previously missed a terrific ball that will probably disfigure his hand for some days. But Tyler’s c and b that settled Jackson was as good as any ; the flight of the ball was much too rapid to be followed by the ring; if he hadn’t stopped it with his hand, it would have gone clean through him. Lord Hawke’s (56) success was most welcome : and he deserved every run he got. fco did Peel (44)whc,for a fortnight past,has not once failed with the bat. But Hirst’s splendid work gave the keenest satisfaction, he was on his native heath; apart from that, an innings of 31 (not out),and ten wickets for 53 runs—his five in the first innings costing only nine runs—deserved substantial recognition, I am told that in Yorkshire six wickets in an innings secure talent money. Wainwright bowled better— eight wickets for 85 runs— than he has done for some weeks. It is worth mentioning that already this year Yorkshire have lost the toss no less than fifteen limes. I do hope the M.C.C. will give orders for the Yorkshire v. Kent match to be played. I urge it solely in the interests of the game. So long as there is such an institution as the “ County Championship ” — a thing with which I am not much more in love than is Mr. Ellison, but there it is, and it cannot be brushed aside—and so long as Yorkshire and Surrey are running so close in the race for first place, it would be a thousand pities if, after the race, there is occasion for heated discussion and effusive writing, and all because one match was not played at all. A vacant date could easily be found that would be convenient to Yorkshire and Kent alike. The Huddersfield ground presents all the points common to the more recently-made Yorkshire enclosures; football, cricket, an 1 bowls, not to mention lawn-tennis, in o n e ; but on quite distinct spaces. A wide cycling track turrounds the cricket arena, as at Leeds and Sheffield. The cricket ground is very like the better-known Bradford ground, the seats all round being well raised, and thus affording an easy and apparently near vie w of the game. There was one item I wish every ground would reproduce—a capital hot lunch in an airy marquee, and from the card. So much charged for each dish—a shilling only— and all of the very best, perfectly cooked, and served up steaming hot. And no unseemly scramble ; you could have it as early as one o’clock, or as late as three. Some of us don't care for a heavy meal in the middle of [the day, but we like it nice. I have been so disgusted with the ordinary cricket lunch-room food, service, and com ­ pany, that I avoid it ; sandwiches are not satisfactory, but then you know what they are built up of, if home-made. But the carling them about is a nuisance. My old friend, F.G., used to be strongly in favour of a chop or steak at cricket, and, as usual, he was quite right. Surrey had a poor week with a draw (much in their favour) and a defeat. Only against second-raters. Would they have beaten Derbyshire ? I should not care to say so positively after their collapse at Leicester. Suppose the rain had come on before their second innings, and stopped all further play, we know what the popular verdict would have been— “ Lucky Leicestershire! ” Per­ haps we shall pipe to a different tune now. The result of this match has gladdened my heart, not because Surrey lost, but because Leicestershire won. I hope they will serve other first-class counties the same way. They and Warwickshire will force the hands of the powers-that-be, and compel their matches to count in the first-class competition in future. I don’t know that Essex is cjuite strong enough to put forth an equally strong case; Derbyshire may be. But if these matches all are reckoned in the averages, it