Cricket 1894

OCT. 25, 1894 CRICKET i k WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME; 425 weather was anything but propitious. In any case, the two clubs who were jointly responsible for the visit of the English team have every reason to be satisfied with the support they received from the Philadelphian public. This of itself is a hopeful sign with regard to the continued development of American cricket. A cu rious coincidence in the way of bowling was furnished in the match between the Brooklyn and Staten Island Athletic Clubs, played at West Brighton, Staten Island, on the 22nd of lastmonth. A. Brown and A. Durrant bowled unchanged throughout the innings of the Islanders, and—this is where the curiosity comes in—with identical figures in every item. They each bowled forty-eight balls, with four maiden overs, for thirteen runs and five wickets. The force of similarity could hardly further go. “ K nowin ’ g that you like to hear of the grand old game of cricket played in different parts of the world, I beg to en­ close you [writes a correspondent stationed at Las Palmas, Grand Canary Islands] scores of two matches played here on the 22nd and 29th September respectively. Of course the ground, which is compara­ tively a desert, accounts for the low scores made. Still we hope soon to be able to make a fairly good pitch, although the ball owing to the depth of the sand will never be able to travel far.” No wonder that cricket flourishes like the green bay tree, when its missionaries are so keen as well as so indifferent to difficulties. T he creditable show made by the Canadian team in the International match against the United States last month would seem to justify the belief that there has been a marked improve­ ment in the quality of Canadian cricket during the last year or two. How much of this is due to the better wickets, and how much to the advantage of professional coaching, must, of course, be a matter of opinion. S ev era l o f the eleven who represented Canada in the recent match against the United States are either of English education or known to Englishmen. G. S. Lyon, who captained the team, and now holds the record for the highest individual score in Canada, learned his cricket in England. P. C. Goldingham was, unless I am mistaken, in the Chel­ tenham eleven, and the Bev. F. W. Terry will no doubt be remembered by many C ricket readers as a Somerset­ shire player. H. McGiverin, whom the Canadians consider to be one of their best bowlers, had not long returned to Canada after residing for a couple of years in England. T h e advantage of publicity was never, perhaps, more strikingly shown than on the occasion of the departure of Mr. Stoddart and the other members of the team he is personally Iconducting to Australia. A judicious notification through the press brought a very large muster of cricketers to Fenchurch Stieet Station on the morning of September 21. Such a scene has never been witnessed on any similar occasion, and certainly parting guests were never sped with greater heartiness. Mr. Philipson had arranged to meet the steamer at Naples, but the other twelve members of the team went from London in the “ Oph'ir ” to the accompaniment of as hearty a demonstration as any one could wish. Certainly, to judge by the enthusiastic reception they had on their departure, no team ever left England under more favourable auspices or with better wishes. A valu ed correspondent, who himself has played a very prominent part in Canadian cricket, writes me very court­ eously to correct a statement I made “ from information received ” that the total of 390, which contained G. S. Lyon’s score of 238 not out, now the record for Canada, is the largest total made by a Canadian team. Curiously enough, the match between Montreal and Ottawa, in which Mr. A. Browning scored 204, for thirteen years the Canadian record, produced a total of 402 for Montreal, or Mr. Brown­ ing’s figures exactly reversed. The last wicket of Ottawa, who went in second and scored 135, fell only two minutes before time, and thus gave Montreal the victory in a one day's match. “ As the Ottawaground,” writes’my correspondent, “ stands in a field of some fifteen acres, and there are no boundaries, you will, I think, agree that a total score of 537 runs all run out, and with the thermometer at 90, was more than an average day’s cricket.” To which I say ditto! C ric k e t readers who have found pleasure in Mr. Norman Gale's charming verses, will be glad to hear that some of them at least will have the advantage of a proper setting. Mr. Gale's Cricket Songs have been set to tuneful music, and, so far as we can judge, the spirit of the author has been faithfully reproduced by the composer, Ellis J. Wynne. “ The Hope of Surrey,” dedicated to George Lohmann, and “ Advice Gratis,” will per­ haps be the most popular with cricketers of musical abilities. That these songs should emanate from the office of C ricket may be taken, I hope, as a delicate com­ pliment to the tuneful and cheery character of the paper itself. T he scheme for regulating the County Championship has just been given to the world by the Marylebone Club. The general principle had been accepted, and as the counties concerned, or at least the majority of them, were agreed as to the details, the adoption of the scheme was pretty well-assured. That it is likely to be a permanent solution of the question very few I should fancy really believe. I n season and out of season I have argued that the Counties themselves are the proper administrators of County cricket. That their function s’lould have been abrogated in favour of a body, however influential or disinterested, seems to be only intelligible on the ground that they either felt their inability to solve the problem, or that it was better to have an official classification at any price. Still the thanks of all cricketers are due to the Committee of the Marylebone Club for the care and trouble they have taken to prepare a workable scheme, and the Counties one and all should, as they no doubt will, loyally co-operate to give it proper effect. S t il l , the following letter from a well- known cricket enthusiast will be read with interest:— At first sight the new championship regulations issued by the M.C.C. appear as clear as daylight, but when applied in practice one or two nice points seem likely to arise. Taking the county fixtures of 1894 as a test, and reckoning Hampshire as a first-olass oounty, we should get the following figures: Surrey and Yorkshire played out and home matches with twelve other oounties. Lanca­ shire with ten, Notts, Kent, Sussex, Glouces­ ter, and Warwick with nine, Middlesex and Somerset with eight, Leicester with seveD, Derby with six,Essex and Hants with five. The four last-named would therefore be struck out of the competition, as not playing “ at least eight out and home matches with other coun­ ties.” But, here comes the cru x! Are games played against those four rejected oounties to be reckoned in tbe championship ? If not, the position of Warwickshire would be a peculiar one. Having arranged double fix­ tures with nine other counties, they would prima fa cie be more than eligible, but if their games against “ the four rejected” did not count, how could they have a place in the competition with an available programme of only five out and home games ? Assuming that this is the correct interpretation of the rule, the only eligible counties under the new regim e would presumably he the nine shires who represented the first class division in 1893. If, on the other hand, games played against “ the four rejeoted” did count, then we should have tbe anomaly that York­ shire would be credited with a point if successful against Essex, whereas Essex would benefit nothing by defeating Yorkshire, or at the best, would only benefit negatively by oausing Yorkshire to forfeit a point—a point which presumably would go to the credit of nobody. The only other interpretation -that can be put upon the rule, is that the minimum of eight matches is intended to give a sort of hazy locus standi to a county, and that Warwickshire’s position in the order of merit would depend upon the points obtained in a total of ten matohes, i.e , five out and home. What is the correot reading ?—Yours, &o., J. B. Payne 2, Holly Village, Highgate, N, 22 Oct., 1894 I enclose the final bowling averages |writes Mr. A. C. Coxhead], including all bowlers who have taken fifty wickets. On studying the figures generally, many points of interest present themselves, of which one is the deteriora­ tion of certain men under excessive work. J. T. Hearne, Martin, aad Attewell have all bowled over 1,200 overs, the first nearly 1,500, with damaging results. All cricketers, particularly Surrey ones, NEXT ISSUE NOVEMBER 29