Cricket 1894

FEB. 22, 1894 CRICKET s A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 23 A REMINISCENCE BY MB. HILLIARD. The following interview with a veteran who has seen thirty-seven years of inter­ colonial cricket is reproduced from the Australasian Newspaper. “ Thirty-seven years of intercolonial cricket, and still alive.” That is the remark with which one feels inclined to greet the veteran New South Wales cricketer, Harry Hilliard, who played in the first five matches between New South Wales and Victoria, and has seen every match since. The old gentleman wears his 68 years very lightly, but there is a weary look in his eyes, and it needs no seer to discover that a few more matches like the present one would finish him. “ The batting and bowling are a great deal better than they were in my time, but I won’t admit that yon can field any better than we could. The wickets are better, and the bowling is a great deal more tricky than it was. They bowl with the 1head ’ as the saying is. But making allowances for the fielding ground, I say that we used to field quite as well in my time as they do now. The other day someone was talking to me about the splendid fielding, and I said, ‘ So it ought to be ; they play in a parlour now.’ But look at the grounds we had to field on. Why, the first match we played ia Victoria in 1856 was on this ground, and there wasn’t a bit of grass on it. We all played with our boots off. Some in naked feet and some kept their stockings on. Youdidn’tknow where the ball was coming at you then, and you had to watch for it. But even then if you missed a catch the bowler would be almost inclined to give you a smack over the ear. “ Talking about bowling, I mind once when the Victorians were making between two_ and three hundred in cheir second innings, because our men eould not bowl straight. It was all underhand bowling, too. You see Gilbert, our captain, would keep himself on all day bowling, no matter how they were pasting him. (Another trait which has come down from the good old times.) And he tried all the others at the other end, but they couldn’t get any nearer the wicket than he could, Why, Tommy Wills hit one out into the Bichmond Paddock there, and they made 8 runs for it. It took two men to throw it back. So I got sick of that, and at the end of the over I collared the ball. ‘ What are you going to do with that ? ’ said Gilbert. ‘ I ’m going on to bowl,’ I says. ‘ Who told you so ? ' says he. ‘ I’m going on to bowl, anyhow,’ I says ; ‘ there’s not one of you can go near the wickets, and I’m going to put ’em in some straight ones.’ ” “ And did he let you bowl ?” “ Let me ? He couldn’t help it. I did bowl, and I sent in some straight under­ hand ones and soon made a separation.” “ And when did round-arm bowling come in ?” “ It was Captain Ward first taught us & Sydney ; but it was Gad. Elliott, of Victoria, who taught us best. We did not know much about it then, and he mowed us down. There was one match where we only wanted 16 runs to win, and it cost us seven wickets to get them. There was great excitement, I can tell you. But there wasn’t much difference between bowling and throwing for a good bit. I remember one match where it was all throwing, so I thought. Tommy Wills and Wardill (a brother of Major Wardill) threw for Victoria, and we had two men to throw for us—one of them was a black fellow, Twopenny we used to call him, and he was a good thrower. But they got more particular after a time.” “ And so you have never missed a match between New South Wales and Victoria?” “ Not one. I took ill in 1860 and never played again, for my nerve was gone, but 1 have followed our boys around since then. I went home with the first Aus­ tralian Eleven, too, and enjoyed it im­ mensely.” KENT COUNTY C.C. On Feb. 12 at the Golden Cross Hotel, Charing Cross, a meeting of the Kent County C.C. was held, under the presidency of the Eight Hon. A. Akers-Douglas, M.P. It was decided not to confirm the games pro­ visionally arranged with Essex. It was definitely agreed that Ihe proceeds of tbe match w'ith Surrey at Catford Bridge should be set apart for the benefit of Wootton. After a deal of discussion it was decided to hold the usual Colts’ practice this year. The proposal by Mr. W. B. Pattison that Messrs. George Marsham, W. H. Patterson, F. Marchant, K. McAlpine, S. Christopherson, and the Rev. R. T. Thornton, be appointed as managing committee for the year, was negatived. A letter from the Yorkshire County Cricket Club asking for an expression of opinion as to the desirability of calling the Cricket Council together to consider the question of county classification and the appointment of county umpires, was allowed to lie on the table, with the understanding that if anything were done in the matter Mr, Marchant should be the Kent representative. Messrs. F. Marchant, W. H. Patterson, F. A. Mackinnon, Rev. R. T. Thornton, Gen. Denne, and the Right Hon. A. Akers-Douglas, the retiring members of the Committee, were unanimously re-eleoted. The resignation of Mr. Knatchbull-Hugessen, who had been a member of the club since 1870, was received with regret, and his place on the committee was filled up by the election of Major Spens. Subject to his acceptance of the office, Sir John Lennard was elected pre­ sident for the ensuing year. Though there was a strong opposition, a pro­ posal by the Rev. R. T. Thornton that a sum noi exceeding £150 be placed at the disposal of the sub-committee appointed to engage young players was eventually carried, as the sub-committee had pledged themselves to some extent. The chairman then gave notice of his intention to raise the whole question of importation at the next general meeting, in order that every subscriber to the club should be afforded an opportunity of speaking and voting on the subject, The account?, which were duly passed, showed receipts £3,915 7a. 7d. and expenditure £3,303 33. 2d., leaving a balance of £512 4s. 5d. The principal items in the credit account were £1,027 subscriptions, etc., £1,115 8s. Canter­ bury week, and £1,042 9s, receipts for home matches, etc. The expenses for the Canterbury week (including £294 7s. 3d. half share of the gate money in the Australian match) were £733 13s. 10d., and expenses in connection with out fixtures ran into £1,284 17s. ^ C e i ^ E S P 0 N D E N C E - § * O ld T im e C r ic k e t . To the Editor o f C r ic k e t . D e a r S i r , —Will you kindly get a roomy dog collar nicely padded inside, and chain my old friendRichard Daft up,and keep him till I come Richard the Fourth I will call him, a3 he is most certainly one of the “ Kings of Cricket;” and the three previous King Richards hare been dead quite a while. He, that is Ricardus IV., writes that Sir Frederick Bathurst bowled imefcrhand. Oh, neverf never! Richard, since 1835, when I first saw him,when a W in­ chester boy, and Sir F. was in the Guards, and used to bring an eleven occasionally against his old school. His bowling was the early round- hand bowling, knuckles uppermost, below the elbow, his hand extending about the height of the hip away from the body, and it was so un­ til Sir F. gave up in 1854 ; so I saw him bowl to the end. Harvey Fellows’ bowling was the same. Underhand bowling was the old style, with the palm of the hand uppermost and the little finger next the body. Turning the knuckles up and extending the arm from the body was the “ original sin ” of Lillywhite and Jem Broadbridge in 1827, which occasioned the change of the law in 1828,and “ round hand” bowling was allowed. Then it grew to “ round arm,” the height of the shoulder, which was also allowed in 1836 to my knowledge. Now the M.C.C. have wisely declined to define the difference between throwing and bowling. * In Felix’s book he says, “ mind the *flip of the wrist.’ ’’ The arm must come round like the spoke of a horizontal wheel. Now the flip of the wrist is allowed. The M.C.C. very wisely have refused to define a throw, and now a pretty many bowlers “ go as they please,” and occasionally throw like Blue Billy o h !—I decline to define what that means. To the credit of the bowlers, the majority do not throw. I read in some records of the past, recently published in one of the sporting papers, that Sam Redgate’s bowling was quick underhand. He was the king of round arm bowlers in his own day, and I first saw him in 1837. Also that Mr. F. P. Fenner of Bath was champion single-wicket player. I passed three long evenings with Mr. Fenner la9t September and he never told me so. I think if A. Mynn had retired he might have been. Touching Sir F. Bathurst, let me give you scene at Lord’s— Time: June, 1845, at Lord’s. Match: Gentle­ men of Kent v. Gentlemen of England. W. Dennison, pioneer of daily press reports, bowling slow round; F.G. batting. First two balls of over, slow, straight, and well pitched. F.G. ran in, turned both into half volleys, and both were lifted and went into never; 4 runs for first, 3 runs for second run out. Before the next over, Sir F., ball in hand, to F. G., lo q . : “ Are you an old Winchester boy ? ” F. G .: Yes. W h y ? ” Sir F .: li I thought so by those two straight barters. I will give you a ‘ leg barter ’ if you et do vn at p avilion wicket,” History—One bye run. F. G. at Pavilion nd. D ovn cams leg birter, hit for three; a all or two after, leg shorter. Exit F. G. F. G .: “ That was not a leg barter.” Sir F .: “ I only promised you one." —Yours, eto., F. G. Wrauor Lodge, Sandgate, Feb. 5. P l a y in g for the North Meltourne Trades on December 13tb, at North Melbourne, against the South Melbourne Trades, J. Carl­ ton executed a sensational bowling perform­ ance, securing six wickets in six successive balls. W ith the third ball afterwards he also obtained a wicket, thii3 making seven wickets in nine balls-