Cricket 1895

J une 27, irfJj. CRICKET A WEEKLY ltEUuKD <JF THE GAME. 227 CRICKET NOTCHES. B y the R ev . R. S. H olmes . The jubilee of the I. Zingari Club, which should have been celebrated next month, is an event of more than ordinary interest, the freedom of the said club being a coveted dis­ tinction in amateur cricket circles. Asked to tell something about it, I shall be disposed to answer : — The I. Zingari is a sort of peripatetic M.C.C. ready to go anywhere on cricket bent; like many another valuable organization, it owed its origin to a supper table, around which were gathered in July, 1845, four trusty friends, who there and then “ formed a club, christened it, framed rules, and the following day informed W. Bollard that he was Perpetual President, and twenty of their friends that they were members of I. Zingari.” The famous four were F. and S. Ponsonby, R. O. Long, and J. L. Baldwin ; and of the original 25 only Messrs. Spencer, Ponsonby, and Baldwin have witnessed the jubilee. The last-named has been the Annual Vice-President all through the Club’s history. The thing was so novel that, so the report goes, the twenty selected members answered that they did not know what the intimation meant. In reply they were jocularly informed that, in return for this rare honor, they would be expected to pay an entrance fee of 50 guineas, and a yearly sub­ scription of the same goodly amount. As a matter of fact, the I. Zingari Club in its sixth rule states—‘ ‘ That the entrance fee be nothing, and the annual subscription do not exceed the entrance, but the expenses of a match (i.e. of the I.Z. umpire, &c.) be de­ frayed by the members engaged therein.” 1 wish my space would permit of the repro­ duction of the entire code of rules of the Red, Black, and Gold Club—16 in all—some of which bear the stamp of genius. Here’s No. 3: — “ The mode of election is as follows : — the candidate shall be placed at a wicket, with or without a bat, as the club may decide, and be bowled at by the Annual Vice-President, or by any member so deputed by A.V.P. One straight ball to exclude. The number of balls given not to exceed the num­ ber of members comprising I.Z.” Law 7 :— 4‘ That all directions connected with the game may be conveyed in the French or Italian languages.” Law 8 :—“ That no member upon any occasion play as an opponent to I.Z., any transgression of this rule to entail imme­ diate expulsion from the club.” Law 14 :— “ That in future no questions of any kind be put to the P (erpetual) P (resident), A.V.P. {see above), or to the Committee.” After the rules comes a Supplication :—“ Members playing in Zingari matches are more than most earnestly requested to abstain from wearing any colored shirt, jacket, or trousers.” . And a Reiteration fitly rounds off the printed orders :—“ Keep your promise— keep your temper—keep your wicket up.” The club has never boasted of either club house or ground ; and, although its Treasury has always been empty,/ it has been deemed right and proper to protect it by two Secre­ taries, a Chancellor, a Liberal Legal Adviser, and aTreasurer andAuditor, besides aMutual Military Messman. Of late years the office of Chaplain has been created and duly filled up ; wh it rendered this functionary necessary ? Tne Prince of Wales and other members of the Royal House are Zingari. It was right that their Jubilee should be kept with befitting honors. A new issue of the I. Zingari book for members, the first edition of which appeared in 1862, and which has furnished most of the foregoing particu­ lars, was a suitable memorial as well. The cricket match, too, was quite in place. But I should like to suggest, with all deference to the officers of the club, that the most enduring memorial of the Jubilee would be a book giving in extenso all matches played between 1845 and 1895. The Free Foresters have such a work in the press ; the Incogniti have completed such a record; whilst several clubs of lesser importance have immortalized themselves in print. Why not the chief of all? Of the Jubilee match a passing word must suffice—I. Zingari v. Gentlemen of England. The elevens represented fairly well the present day amateur strength and ability. One missed certain familiar names, of course, but it did my eyes good to see A. G. Steel’s name once more in a front-rank match, and, by your leave, he has lost but little of his old knack with the bat—38 not out. Others were present who cannot find time to help their counties, but that is their business, not yours or mine. A match of 1,155 runs proved that the bowling scarcely kept pace with the batting. The latter was great throughout; Hampshire’8 captain passed the fifty each time; Stoddart all but touched the century in the second hands; in their only innings W. G. the second, Hill (of Somersetshire fame—it is necessary to individualize a cricketer bearing that name to-day), and the young Cantab, Burnup (who so far has not been deemed good enough to have a trial for his Varsity), all did well. But the last stage was the best—172 for no wickets—W. G. and Sellers being the executants. One fully reckoned on another century from his bat; one a week is his average, and that mighty average per innings—83—wants a tremendous lot of keeping up. One cannot chatter in the presence of such masterful skill; terms of laudation were an impertinence. I do not wonder that the national testimonial is turn­ ing out to be worthy of its high-sounding title. The London Telegraph is a delightful study to crowds of us day by day. It has occurred to me that a charming, permanent souvenir of this testimonial would be a well bound book containing the hundreds of letters accompanying the donations. The London Daily ” deserves our ungrudging thanks for having as nicely gauged the national sentiment in this year of Grace. I cannot recall so universally popular a movement. A letter from West Australia, requesting answers to a couple of questions, must stand over for another week. One of the best things of the week was the licking Cambridge took at the hands of Sussex. Of course the match produced a thousand runs; one looks for this in every first-class engagement at Brighton. But one did not look for so complete a triumph over the Light Blues. When Sussex got as far as 592 in their only innings, Cambridge should have got further than 236 and 256. The Druces both failed, and the younger’s abnormal average has shrunk by no less than eleven points. The last of the Studds reeled off a charming contrast—96 not out and 0. To the Sussex total, which was 110 runs more than their previous best, viz., 482 v. Glouces­ tershire three years ago, Murdoch was the largest contributor—226 - and he had a hand in three partnerships of more than 100 runs apiece. A great innings in every sense of the word, his highest since he became naturalized. Not his highest in England, for on this same ground in 1882, but against Sussex, he scored 286 not out for the third Australian team. What a pity Wilson (G. L.), Brann, and Bean did not manage 20 more runs between them, for these rightly distributed would have resulted in four centuries in one and the same innings. We have to wait a little longer for a record of that nature. Humphreys did better execution with his lobs than in any match since 1893, taking twelve wickets at a cost of 18 runs a wicket. But we will not further analyse the bowling. In the first innings Sussex gave away no extras ! Lancashire and Surrey have been sweeping the board, and it looks as if they meant to keep the fun all to themselves. The season is but young, however ; plenty of time for accidents. Yorkshire and Kent have been the chief sufferers of late, and there has been much ink spilled in consequence in the county of broad acres. The Surreymatch nobody finds serious fault with, but to be beaten so decisively by Derbyshire is gall and wormwood to local patriotism. But is it all patriotism ; I some­ times fancy we say patriotism when we ought to say pence. The genuine Tyke will have his “ bob” on, and he doesn’ t like parting with it. Perhaps he will deem it prudent not to risk it at Sheffield to-day. Surrey had not been seen at Bradford since 1888, when they notched a single innings’ victory. As a matter of curiosity I have looked up that match. It is a bit depressing to note the changes which seven years have brought about. The two Reads, Abel, Key, andWood were here then ; so were his Lord­ ship, Peel, and Wainwright. No more. Eight only out of twenty-two! Lohmann took thirteen wickets for 119 runs, and scored an innings of 80 in the first match, whilst Richardson took the same number of wickets —but for 134 runs—in the second. The choice of innings means but little on this ground any more than at Brighton—the most perfect wicket in the country, so Turner, the Australian, once stated to me. When York­ shire had put on 120 for the loss of only Brown’s wicket, there was much jubilation. Then Richardson went on again, and at the other end, and there was no looking at him. The same in the second innings ; once again he was harmless enough at the outset, but, on being called upon a second time, was just unplayable. There never was a more perfect wicket, and at the close of the match I examined it carefully ; there wasn’t a flaw in it, it would have lasted another three days. Finer fast bowling one could not see ; his expresses whipped back the breadth of the wicket. But ought a colt to receive a leg- stump Yorker his first ball ? That was cruelly hard on Denton. Two of the York- shiremen told me that the balls which dis­ missed them, would take their wicket every time in a hundred. And a Surrey batsman —I always suppress names now—stated that Surrey would have fared no better against such bowling. Which was chivalrous of him, to say the very least, Abel was sent about his business just v hen he looked to have taken root; the semi-darkness may explain his misfortune. It is the third time at Brad­ ford when, to my knowledge, the light has given in so mysteriously that you could not see the stumps from the pavilion at four o’clock. Hayward (108) made up for others’ failures ; slow enough on such a ground, but perfect cricket. There’s a style about his play one associates with Varsity or Public School cricket. Wood (59 not out) proved a capital stayer. By the by, here’s another old-un breaking out in a fresh place ; his last four innings read thus: 27, 77, 59 (all not out) and 56. In the last ten years— -i.e., beginning at 1886—Surrey have won 16, lost two, whilst one has been drawn, of their matches with Yorkshire. It is pleasant to - learn that Denton, on the strength. I suppose, of his admirable batting against Middlesex at Lord’s, has been asked to join the M.C.C. staff. His decision will depend upon whether