Cricket 1894

86 fJRICKETs A WEEKL1 RECORD U ? THE GAME. a p r i l , 2 G, 18 !m THE SEASON OF 1894. THE LONDON CLUBS. The B attersea C.C. has a-ranged matches with the chief Metropolitan clubs, Surrey C. and Ground, Essex C. and Ground, and others. A home week will take place at Battersea dur­ ing July, aud a tour in Kent during August is in course t f arrangement. Several very pro­ mising new players have joined, and as all the old mm bers are available, a (uccessftil season is anticipated. Last year only 9 matches were loss out of 47 played. A. E. Brown is again the captain, and H. A. White, of 102, Adiian Terrace, West Brompton, hon sec. W . J. Phillips, having resigned the post of hon. sec. of the B uckhurst H il l C.C., has been succeeded by W . Boper, 2, Stag Lane, Buckhust Hill. The latter has a-ranged a list of fixiures for the coming seas in con­ spicuous for quality as well as quantity. The card this year contains a new feature in the shape of a “ week,” from June 18th to 23rd. One fixture therein has uofortuna'ely b.en scratched, but it is hoped the vacancy will soon be filled. 'Ihe club has engaged as groundman and p.o. E Bussell, in place of his brother, T. M. Bussell,, the Essex wicket-keeper, who has been taken on at Lord's, and whose services it is expected will be greatly missed in the chief matches. The ground looks well, and if the weather will only get warmer duringthenext few days will soon be in its usual good condition. The list of members is slightly smaller than last year, and old friends of the club will be sorry to hear it has lost that keen cricketer, Gerald Palmer, who for some seven or eight years now has played havoc with the wickets of visiting elevens. Otherwise the team will b 3much the fame as last year. The great want of the Club is a fast train from Liver­ pool Stieet about 1 30 on Saturdays, and, to­ gether with o'.her clubs on this line, Buck- hurft Hill is petitioning the (i.E.H. Co. to provide one. The B rixton W anderers have now over four acres of private land laid out for cricket and tennis, and with a muster roll of more than two hundred members llieir position is assured. The match list for the year is an attractive one, with Mr. Cross again as cap­ tain. H L. Puckle, of Duppas Hall, Croydon, ret .ins the secretaryship, a post he has held for seven or eight years The Club buildings now comprise a clubhouse adjoining the ground, in which the Club’s meetings are held. There ate also two pavilions, a refreshment shed, as well as stables and a granary, which is also used as a cricket store ilouse. The Wanderers meet the Gentlemen of Holland in August, and also play Surrey Club and Ground, Mitcham, Norwood, Erratics, Croydon, Clapton, Dulwich, Brighton, and Lewes Priory as usual. The Wanderers’ tour to Brighton at Whit untide makes Ihe eleventh succeeding year of these popular fixtures. The ch ief matches o f the B rom ley C lub are those w ith B ic' ley Park, Beckenham, Dulwich,Granville,Northbrook, i nd Plaistow, t'ae la'ter forming the home and home matches on bank Holiday. Several new players ha e joined, but at present there has been no chance for them to prove their form. Still it is expected that the eleven will be stronger in bowling thau last year, with every likelihood also of improvement in the batting i: the promise shown by some of the younger members towards the end of last season is rraintained. The card includes the same clubs as in 1893, in fact, there is no alteration of any kind. The captain is A. H. Hewett; the hon. sec , C. P. Hewett, 21, Palace Grove, Bromley, Kent. The Hon. W. C. Maxwell, having gone to South Africa, has resigned the faptaincy <f the C hisw ick P ark C l u b . A s a consequence tbe matches this year will be captained and the teams selected by the respective manag rs. The ground, which has had plenty of dressing in the autumn and with sulphate of lime in tbe spring, is in excellent condition, and the wickets should be “ bad to beat.” The committee are hoping in the course of the summer to erect a cover.d grand stand, which if not ready for any (f the cricket matches will, it is expected, be available by the time footbal commences. W. Williams and C. M. Tuke will play more regularly for the club this year; and as P. E. Bodinuton has quite got over the injury to his knee which prevented him from placing last jear, and J. Farr intends playing a lot this s a?on, the team should be a strong one. J. B, Oakley, it may a’so be added, is now on the Committee, and will p'av for Chis­ wick Park a good deal. The usual entrance fee of £1 Is. for playing members is sus­ pended this year. The commit'ee have also arranged to have a band, either that of the T Division of Police or of the 4th Batt. Queen’s Own West Surrey Regt., playing on the grounds every Thursday evening during May, from 8 to 10 ; so that after finishing practice at the nets members will be able to get their iinner or supper in the pavilion, and take things easy for the evening. If this should prove an attraction, the arrangement will be continued throughout tbe season, weather permi ting of course. The card of the D ulw ich C.C. for 1894, which, as usual, is of lengthy dimensions, consists of 67 matches, including fixtures with Surrey Club and Ground, Gravesend, Hornsey, Croydon, Plaistow, Beddington, Hampton Wick, Charlton Park, etc. Of a fairly numerous list of new members, several show promise of all-round ability, and to meet the increased call, three teams will be played on Saturdays up to the middle of July. The personnel of the team will be much the same as last year. All tbe regular bats and bowlers are available, and the great weakne s will still be the want of a good stumper. The annual Cricket Week at Dulwich commences on September 3rd. Ih e visiting teams will be the Erratics, Pallingswick, Vampires P.O., Gravesend, Clapton, and Brixton Wanderers, and the Dulwich execut.ve hope to equal the record of last season, when every match during the week was won. The ground, under Terry’s watchful care, promises lo b e in splendid condition, and with fine weather and a fair share of Fortune’s favours, the committee are looking forward to an even more successful season than the last. The D orking C lub has the same officers as last year, excepting for an additional mem­ ber on the committee. H. J. Ivery, the hon. sec., has arranged very much the same card as usual. There is, however, one new attraction in tbe shape of a match with Chariton Park at Dorking. Surrey as in previous'"year.--, sen ’ s an eleven representing the Club and Ground, to test the merits of fifteen of the district, on Aug. 14. The E sher C l u b , it would appear, runs its neighbour of Leat!:erhead close, even if it does not outdo it, in the matter of the un­ broken tenure of its Captaincy C. C. Clarke, the old Surrey cricketer, again manages the team, a post he has held, according to official information, for over a quarter of a century. W ith the exception of the August Bar k Holiday, the matches are all played on Sa'ur- days, extending from May 5 to Aug. 28 inclusive. The fixtures arranged by the hon. se c , Hugh G Peachey, are againtt Thames Ditton, Elstree, Kensington Park, Broadwater, M.C.C. and G., Bickley Park, Free Foresters, Incogniti, Quidnuncs, R.M.C., Sandhurst, Old Wykehamists, Eton Ramblers, Marlborough Blues, and Broadwater, in the order given. Excepting the fixture against Elstree, a return with Bickley Park on June 30 at Bickley, and Broadwater, all the matches are to be played at Esher. The elevens which are to r present the E l t h a m C l u b this j ear are to be arranged by E . French, Mayfield, Eltham, the hon. sec.; J. L. Spicer, J. Eagleton, the captain ; A. E . Phillips, C. H. Hunter, W. G. Mitchell, J. C. Wood, and E. J. D. Mitchell. Except­ ing Whit Monday and August Bank Holiday, all tbe matcl.es arcs on Saurdays. The fi'st cu b to be met will be Charlton Park, at Eltham, on May 5, from which date until September 8 inclusive every Saturday will be occupied. Eltham’s other opponents will hi — Blackheath, Northbrook, Sidcup, Hamp­ stead, Granville, Plaistow, Burlington Wan­ derers, Forest Hill, Dulwich, Chiselhurst, and Kennington Wanderers. The card of the E pso m C.C. contains sorns new matches, with Crystal Palace and Free Foresters to wit. The Burlington Wandtrers and Croydon figure twice on the list instead of once as it 1893, while of the two fixturts with Streatham one is a day match, the other half day—instead of two ha f day matches as lass year. ’Ibe fixtures mi«sing from the programme are those with Beddington and Old Suttonians. The captain is, as before, George H. Longman, and the hon. sec., I1'. W. Led er, 5, Laburnum Bead, Epsom. Ti e other offi ers remain unchanged, except that A. G. Essery and A. W. Pugden take the places cf A. C. Barton and B. Evans on the committee 'Ihe Week, s j called is from August 3rd to AugusS 11th, and the matches then to be played are against G. F. Burgess’ X I., Maldi n Wanderers, E well, Free For sters Addiscombe, Dorking, and Banstead. '1he Epsom Club had most successf 1seasons both in 1892 and 1893, and there is no reason to doubt they will be equally fortunate this year. No practice has yet taken place, as the ground will only be opened next Saturday. It will doubtless again be in excellent order, though the hot dry summer of last year tri d the turf very much, and showery weather now would be very valuable and beneficial. There has been a fair accession of members, and some of these are likely to be a great help. That popular Kentish club, the G r a n v il l e (Lee), opens the season with every prospect of succe.s. Several new members,, likely to be of great use, ha\e join 'd, while all the old players will be available excepting only G . F. Gerds, who is now at the Cape. C. J. M. Godfrey is again captain, and J. A. Johnston has takin the place of F. E. Lander as cap­ tain of the “ A ” team. T in hon, secretary is again Frank Glover, <f liusthall L< dge, Burnt Ash Hill, Lee, S.W. The card of [ engagements is a very lengthy one, includ- I ing matches against M.C.C. and G , Crystal Palace, Hlackheath, St eatham, Bickley Park, Beckenham, Clap on, Hampstead, Tun