Cricket 1895

J une 13, 1895. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME. 201 A n d so say all of us. The proprietors of Cricket in humble emulation of the largest circulation in the world have decided to subscribe a century of shillings. They will be glad to receive any sums sent to the office from Clubs subscribing to the paper or from Cricket readers. Such con­ tributions will be duly acknowledged and forwarded to the Daily Telegraph fund. I n last week’s Cricket I had occasion to refer to the good work done as a training ground for amateur cricket by the Abbey School, Beckenham. Since then it is gratifying to know that the eleven have more than justified the character I gave them. They have, in fact, beaten suc­ cessively, Cheam (first and second eleven), Bull’s, and E. M. Hawtrey’s of West- gate, and scored another innings of four hundred. I n the match v. Stratheden House, Blackheath, E. W. Dillon, the school captain, a boy of 14, scored 71, and had the following analysis in the two innings of the visitors :—21-2 CTcrs, 12 maidens, 11 runs, 11 wickets. If he improves when he gets to Rugby he will be useful there. T h e end of last week was fruitful enough of records of different kinds. In the matter of aggregates, the Sussex County Ground at Brighton ijust fell short by 58 runs of its own record of 1892. Still there were two or three bests, notably S. M. J. Woods’ 215, the highest individual innings for Somersetshire, Lancashire’s487, the county’s highest inn­ ings so far; N. P. Druce’s 199, the best by a Cambridge man in a first-class match on the University Ground ; Marlow’s highest innings for Susssex and Paul’s for Lancashire. The batsmen have been, it is hardly necessary to add, having a high old time of it this year so far. M e n t io n of N. P. Druce suggests the idea that a list of his scores in first-class cricket this year will be of interest, more especially as the match between Cam­ bridge and Dublin Universities concluded to-day is the last of the Cantab’s trials at home. 1st 2nd - r - ii Inns. Inns. iota l- Camb. Univ. y. Somersetshire 0 60* 60 „ v. Gentlemen of Eng. 29 8 87 „ v. C.I.Thornton’s XI.33 109 142 „ v. S u rrey...................50 (retired) 50 „ v. Yorkshire ........... 60— 60 „ v. M.C.C. & Groundl99 — 199 „ v. Dublin Univ. , ...116* — 116 * Not out. This gives in all a total of 664 runs for ten innings, with two not outs and another incomplete owing to an injury. On the principle that there cannot be two not outs in a completed innings, I calculate only two not outs. Still this gives a grand average for eight innings of just 83 runs. E v e n in this year of high' averages, that of Silverlock, the Newport, Mon., professional, is probably unique. His scores up to 8th inst. were 168 (not out), 9, 149 (not out), 9, 149 (not out), 73 (not °nt), and 154 (not out), five innings (not out four times) for 553 runs, his average and total thus being the same. After this W. R. W. Rice’s 554 (one run more) in college matches this year takes a respectful second place, but is also well worthy of record. His scores are 55 (not out), 107 (not out), 55 (not out), so far an improvement on the Newport man, then 9 (out), 133 (out), 37 (out), and 158 (not out). S-ven innings (four not out) for 554 runs, average 184‘6. WHlLEourown G.O.M.—more power to him—has been, after thirty years of hard and continuous work, outdoing all his previous performances, another Grand Old Man of cricket has singularly quite lately, and just at a time when rumour has been busy with a positive statement of his definite retirement from the game, been credited with his highest score in a quarter of century of cricket. I AM referring to the Australian veteran J. McCarthy” B—■, whose hind name is Blackham. Playing for Melbourne against the University on the Mel­ bourne Club Ground, on the last Satur­ day in April, the prince of wicket keepers contributed 146 to Melbourne’s total of 568, and was not out at the end of the innings. As already stated this score is the highest Blackham has made, in a career extending over a quarter of a century. Against the Richmond Club he once made 117, and for Victoria, in an Inter-colonial against New South Wales, 109. The infinite variety of these grand, old cricketers is positively refreshing. A nd now for quite a young player j ust for a Jchange. Scores of over two hun­ dred are not so common in Public School elevens that one can afford to overlook any exceptional performance of the kind. The most recent that I can myself recall, with the exception of that now under notice, were the 228 not out of J. H. Curtis for Clifton College against Clifton Club in 1894, and G. O. Smith’s 229 for Charterhouseagainst Westminster in 1892. T h e latest instance^has been furnished by E. M. Barrett, who scored 205 for Cheltenham College against Liverpool Club on Friday last. Young Barrett, who is not sixteen years old till next month, is a son of a keen sporteman, who played for the Gentlemen of Surrey some fifteen years, and subsequently, on occa­ sions, for Hampshire. The young Cheltonian is, I may add, Surrey by birth, and played early in the season at the Oval for the Young Amateurs against the Young Professionals of that County. T h e r e could hardly be a more striking coincidence than that furnished by S. M. J. Woods and D. L. Evans for Somerset­ shire in the matches against Surrey at the Oval last year and this. La 1894, the two amateurs, in the first innings, saved their side when the earlier batsmen had signally failed, putting on 74 for the seventh wicket. On that occasion, in the first innings, Woods scored 85, Evans 26, and curiously they had made precisely the same number of runs each of them in the first innings of Somerset at the Oval on Monday when they were out. Last year they put on 74 in fifty minutes, on Monday they increased the score by 75 in forty minutes. Perhaps the only real difference in the two performances was that the stand in 1894 was for the seventh this year for the eighth wicket. Mr. A. C o l l in s who has shown such promising all-round form this year on his first appearance in the Sussex eleven, learned his cricket at Brighton so I under­ stand. He bowls left hand slow round, and mixes his bowling with a good deal of judgment. He bats right hand and with plenty of confidence, has so far been fairly successful. In the run-getting match between Sussex and Somersetshire at Brighton at the end of last week, his scores of 24 and 46 were the outcome of some of by no means the worst cricket on the side. A ju d ic io u s suggestion was made in one of the sporting dailies the other day, that an invitation, to assist that county, might be sent by the Surrey executive to Mr. N. F. Druce, whose consistently high scoring for Cambridge has been one of the most noteworthy features of a run- getting season. The Brothers Druce, it may interest Cruket readers to know, were both bom and bred in Surrey, and within a few miles of the county ground. They were asked last year against the South Africans, but were unable to play. I have reason to believe that N. P. was asked to help Surrey against Lancashire and Yorkshire in the northern tour com­ mencing to-day, but could not get away. Still, the authorities earnestly hope that he will be able to assist the county later in the season. A m o n g the curios Mr. R. Slade-Lucas brought with him as souvenirs of his very pleasant tour in the West Indies are the rules and bye-laws of the Union Club of Kingston. The following are copied verbatim tt literatim :— 4. This Club shall have a Recording Secretary, a Financial Secretary, and a Treasurer. The Treasurer shall keep in his possession one week’s money when gathered. It is the prerogative of the Captain to see that the Treasurer keeps in his possession a sum of ten shillings to defray expenses. 5. If any Member or Members during the time of practising becomes disorderly, it is the prerogative of the Captain to stop any such Member from practising for that even­ ing. 6. This Club shall have a Captain and a Vice-Captain. If the Captain is absent the Vice-Captain acts, all Members must be on the field by the order of cricketing, carefully put together, wearing the emblems of the Club which is blue. 7. The Captain'must be apparel in his full suit, jacket, and cap to match. 9. The service of the Captain shall be for one year, Treasurer one year, Financial and Recording Secretary one year, if any miscon­ duct from either of these officials, it is the power of the Members in general to call an immergent meeting of investigation. The italics, of course, are mine.