Cricket 1895

M ay 23, 1695. ('R ICKET : A WKKKLY 1IECUKD OF THE GAME. 147 CRICKET NOTCHES. B y t h e R e v . R. S. H o lm e s . Last week’s cricket confirms my previous pronouncement, that the game sadly needs reforming somehow or other. Once again I regret that I cannot stop to indicate where such changes or modifications might with advantage be introduced. Besides I feel satis^ fied that nobody would at the present time lend me a patient hearing; during the playing season current cricket absorbs all attention. And well it may just now. Scarcely is the season more than a fortnight old than we have dur batsmen just raining centuries in every direction. Was there ever such a week before ? I cannot remember such prolific scoring in front-rank matches. Perhaps it may be said that this class of match was never so greatly in evidence. But they numbered only nine last week, quite enough, however, to give us three individual innings of more than 200 runs apiece, three between 150 and 200 runs, whilst as many as ninemore ran well into the second hundred. Again, it is a long time since the same county—Surrey—or indeed any other county registered 968 runs in two successive innings, whilst one has to go back ages before the earliest recorded match to find a parallel to Nott’s modest score of 726 against Sussex. Prodigious! One cannot but cry daily for rain and a warmer atmosphere, else all our bowlers will soon get knocked up. The three scores of 200 runs are noteworthy in that they came from the bats of men who can no longer be classed among the young and rising generation. Abel never got so far before, and is to be congratulated upon his most distinguished success in the year when he takes a benefit. Gunn never did so well in a county match, and better only once in any match, viz., 228 against the Australians at Lord’s in 189. And if we cut out an isolated week in the thirty-one years in which our dear old champion has been before the public— a week in the August of 1876 when he notched 839 runs in three successive innings—exclud­ ing that week, W. G. last week surpassed all previous efforts, and once again started the entire sporting world into shrieks of enthusiastic admiration. And each innings must have been worth watching. They were all devoid of blemish, both Abel and Gunn, whose totals were separated by only two runs—217 as over against 219—took just about fivehours apiece ; so their rate of scoring was 43 runs an hour. But W. G., during his stay of twenty minutes longer, turned out the runs at the rate of no less than 54 runs in the hour. I expected— we all expected—he would soon complete the list of his centuries, but nobody was prepared for an innings of 288 at this hour of the day, for at the age of 47 (well nigh), aman has lost some of the vigor and endurance of earlyman­ hood. A week ago I expressed my willingness to risk one half-penny that within a month of the M.C.C. v. Sussex match at Lord’s just before we should have another three figure innings from his bat; but the most sanguine was not prepared for such a performance. I don’t suppose the Master himself was. It was very pleasant being down at the Oval whilst the innings was in progress; we got three telegrams—W. G. 109 ; W. G. 169 ; W. G. 243. And there was many a hearty wish expressed in the Surrey pavilion, that he would pass his previous best in a county match, the innings—318 not out—before which Tom Emmett fulminated the most terrible threats, but after which he seemed to cool down in a very marked degree. No wonder, as a friend remarked to me at the Stoddart banquet, W. G. turned up there; who would not under the circumstances .? Surrey had a great week at the cost of Essex and Warwickshire. They were not to be bustledagain,thatlickingby Leicestershire was beyond a joke. Note that they had lost the toss in both the matches of last week, and yet won each match by more than an innings, having 125 runs to the good against Essex, and no less than 223 against Warwickshire, their opponents scored but indifferently; indeed Carpenter’s 145 was the only respectable contribution in the 44 innings played, there being no other score that exceeded fifty. Lockwood has had his re­ venge on the prophets : he had left all his cricket in Australia or in mid-ocean, and would never again recover lost property, and I know not what else. Yet in the one match he had nine wickets which cost nine runs each, and in the other he claimed an innings of 158 runs. I saw this last effort: it was the result of the soundest cricket, slowish at times, but without a serious blemish; his off- play was very fine, especially his hard late block, and Gunn’s favourite wrist drive on to the pitch of the ball. It may be mentioned that Lockwood never once removed his sweater ; no wonder, for it was mid-winter in London last week. I never felt the cold more keenly in the cricket season, indeed it would have been impossible to sit an hour in such a temperature. Surrey’s genial, secretary made me very comfortable. Richardson so far is not bowling as of old. It is very manifest that he has lost some of his pace. He is as straight as ever, and one fast ball on the third day pitched about a foot outside the off, and hit the leg stump. Apparently, he can­ not at present deliver the ball on the swing of his run, but rather checks himself a little before letting it go. I fully expect he will soon be himself again. The latest Surrey recruit, Holland, is almost the finest profes­ sional batsman I have seen among first-season batsmen. Perhaps Billy Oscroft, thirty years ago, in his first regular year was as good, if not a trifle better. But Holland comes close after him; for a boy only j ust nineteen he has a wonderful style; he might have been trained at Eton or other public school, and he seems to have a every variety of stroke, being especially strong on the leg. And I.heard of other coming Surrey men, Braunde and Corden to wit, not to mention Street. Every man in the present teamwill have to be at his very best to keep in the ranks, when so many youngsters are waiting at the door. There can be no manner of doubt that Surrey’s appointment of W. J. Graburn as coach has done a heap of good. Given his continued able services, and there will be no necessity to go poaching for colts. Surrey are training their home-born cricketers. The initiative was the work of poor Fred Burbidge, and has been tried for some fifteen years. I wishall the coun­ ties would follow suit, especially Lancashire, which is so rich in cricket; nurse it, train it, let this be the business of a competent man, not simply an old cricketer of mark, but rather an enthusiast and a man of insight; for it is in cricket, as in most other depart­ ments, the highest practical proficiency is not always found allied with the genius of com­ municating the same. The residential quali­ fication was never intended to discourage local talent. I imagine that its primary purpose was to offer an opening in first-class cricket to such cricketers as could get none in the county of their birth, either because there was no county club, or because there was no vacancy in the county team. By-the-bye, is not this residential qualifica­ tion often quietly ignored? One of the counties recently played a new man—I repress names, for I have, to my regret, often given pain in this way. Such player has been in that county less than a twelvemonth. I could name several such cases, where no proper qualification can be produced. And they are all amateurs. Had they been pro­ fessionals something would have been done. It was in this way Crossland got his expulsion from county cricket. During the winter he went back to his native county. Enough. The authorities wanted to be rid of him and his bowling, here was their chance. It was about the shabbiest official act I can recall in my long acquaintance with the game of cricket, I am wandering on. The fact is, I cannot deal in detail with all the cricket of the week. And there is no reason why I should, for everybody has access to the daily reports, which, as a rule, omit very little of importance. The Warwickshire bowling, which sent Surrey to the right-about on the Oval a year since, did not impress me as their fielding did. I did not see a catch missed in an innings of 520 runs, although Lockwood should perhaps have been run out. Warwickshire, one fears, is in for much leather hunting, unless they can find another bowler unlike the present lot. A good left-hander would be useful. I believe the umpires called but one wide, but there must have been at least 100 or 150 balls that looked very nearly wide to me. It was wearisome. Brockwell has no such tricks, he goes straight for the sticks ; and on Thursday last, and on a hard and perfect wicket, got out no less than eight men at a cost of 22 runs only. I never saw him bowl so fast, and the ball seemed to nip back a lot. Anyhow, there was a sudden transformation scene—60 for one wicket, 123 for ten ! Alfred Shawwill rememberhis reappearance on his old ground; 501 balls in a single innings is almost an unprecedented fact in England, though Giffen bowled more in the final match of Stoddart’s tour. And three centuries again at the expense of Sussex ! If I remember rightly, this is the third time in whichNottsbatsmenhavesimilarlytriumphed, but there is only one left of the famous triumvirate. Howett and Baggaley look strangely unfamiliar names in this connection; none the less are they and their County to be congratulated. Shrewsbury, Gunn, Barnes —the association of these names had grown monotonous ; besides, the knowing ones have told us, again and again, that there was not another Notts batsman worth backing f 61 - runs. I saw the little man at Lord’s to-day, cricket bag in hand. The bag looked as big asthe bearer of it. Slightly thicker, Baggaley appeared shorter than ever. A pity Gunn cannot lop off some of his inches. It may be reassuring to Notts—it certainly came as a surprise to me to learn—that up to the end of last week Attewell heads the bowling list, Trent Bridge lies conveniently on my route up north this week end. Eight hours and-a- half’s batting, and at the rate of 85 runs an hour, ought to satisfy the Nottingham public. I have always said of Gunn, forinstance, give him balls to hit, and he’ll hit them. Bowlers are more to blame than hatsmen for tedious scoring. In this wonderful score there were four partnerships which yielded more than 100 runs apiece, viz., Gunn and Daft, 115; Gunn and Flowers, 103 ; Gunn and Dixon, 109 ; and Howitt and Baggaley, 201. For Sussex, Newham (75 not out) alone made a decent show. Beaten by an innings and 378, was the ultimate verdict; and yet were we not confidently informed that Sussex were certain to take Notts down ? They did last year after a lapse of twenty years ; will a similar period be required for history tj