Cricket 1895

324 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. A u g . 8, 1895, a conflict of emotions in the spectators. A dull enough match, relieved only by the final stage when Yorkshire knocked up 50 runs in some thirty-five minutes. I don’t suppose we should have had this pleasant relief had the Northern batsmen not risked a little, confident of the result. Only one innings topped 30 ; only two more travelled beyond 20 ! W.G. got the only duck of his side. Peel and Wainwright did all the damage for Yorkshire. I could not refrain from ex­ pressing surprise to my friends at the time that on both sides the bowling was entrusted to at least one man, who had quickly to be replaced. Was it prudent to put Jackson and Ferris on first? But there—either of them might have come off ; only they did not. W.G. made a couple of delightful catches which only an old hand would have brought o ff; standing behind point and near in, he hedged up inch by inch unseen by the batsman, and took the ball within a few feet of the bat. It was very “ downy.” Young Townsend gave immense satisfaction. I may be wrong —I often am even in matters cricketal, dearly beloved—but I can recall no amateur since A. G. Steele’s appearance in 1878 whose bowling impressed me so favourably. He has a wonderful break both ways, the leg break being, as in Steel’s case, his staple ball; for so big a break his accuracy is remarkable. It is to be hoped we shall hear more of him at one of the ’Varsities, for he should have a big future. At least one hopes so in these days when there is such a painful dearth of amateur bowling. No wonder the Old Buffer sighs for the days of Kempson, and Yonge,Mynn andHarvey Fellowes. Kortright is the only amateur to-day except Townsend who figures in the first twenty bowlers. I do wish we could have reprinted in pamphlet form Steel’s chapter on bowling in “ Badminton ” cricket; it is, perhaps, the very best thing ever written on any branch of the game ; and then circulate it broadcast in our public schools. I would make a present of it to every boy from the youngest u p ; let the smallest sandwich it between his Latin Grammar and Arithmetic, daily feed upon it, until it shall become a part of himself. We might soon have a generation of bowlers, more especially if at our schools professionals were engaged to coach only, and not to bowl at the nets, and if, too, all private clubs banded themselves together and dispensed with the professional bowler’s services in all their matches. Brighter days would soon dawn. No cricketer worth his salt will grudge Hampshire their splendid successes of last week, whilst those of us who have a turn for history will hasten to offer our heartiest con­ gratulations. Remember how much the game owes to this county ; it was the Hambledon Club that were the makers of history more than a hundred years ago. And don’t some of us remember the doings of the same county early on in the sixties ! To beat Leicester­ shire by no less than 342 runs was a triumph, but to take down Yorkshire was to do what no other county had succeeded in doing since June 20. And it was their batting that did the trick. Against the Midland county, scores of 229 and 334 for seven wickets carried off the batting honours of the week, (for the wickets were dead, and Leicestershire’ s bowling is not to be treated disrespectfully). Wynyard and Hill scored within three and four runs respectively of a century in the two hands, but the other warrior—Quinton— played the bolder part in the victory. A second innings of no less than 178 exceeded Leicestershire’s first total by 31, whilst it more than doubled their second. Baldwin and Soar looked well after the bowling. I have been asked to assign a reason for Hampshire’s defeat of Yorkshire. I can give none. At any rate I could not say they showed superior cricket, nor should I like to say that they owed their success to luck. For if the rain in their second innings somewhat handicapped the bowlers, we must remember that the spin of the coin had gone against them. Pluck probably did it. There were more unsuccessful appeals when they were nearing the goal than an old fogey likes to hear. I simply mention this without casting a single reflection on the honesty of either fielders or umpires. Hampshire have to thank one man—Hill (A. J. L.)—for their two wickets’ victory; indeed, he was the only batsman on either side that ran up an innings of 40, and this he accomplished in each innings. The smallest slip on his part in the second innings would have sent Yorkshire home first. Better or braver batting I never want to see. In this match Peel brought his week’s aggregate up 1,o 20 wickets, whilst Wain­ wright with 15 wickets made us wonder that hitherto he had been so harmless with the ball. I have seen a newspaper clipping which states that in past years Wainwright has had his bowling hand filled with some contrivance or other in india-rubber, and that was the secret of his extraordinary off-break; that Lord Hawke had been deputated about it and promised that this help should be dispensed with in future; hence Wainwright’s failure during the present season. Take this for what it is worth; it is really too rich. As Hamp­ shire owed their promotion to Yorkshire’s kindly offices, it was ungenerous of them to inflict this stab; but remembering the ban­ quet recently given in their honor at South­ ampton, Yorkshiremen have the satisfaction of knowing that they “ took it out of them in victuals.” It would be a revelation to the Surrey agitators to visit Bramall Lane, and see with their own eyes the damage done to that ground by football. And it will be aggravated every succeeding year. I wish the County Club were the lessees of the ground, and not the tenants of the Sheffield United Club; unless some check is put on football, Bramall Lane will have to be closed for county cricket. And perhaps this would be a gain, as the light down in that hollow is generally unfit for high-class cricket. Soar might have had an earlier trial, not bowling a ball until 68 runs were scored in the second innings, and then he quickly polished off five batsmen for 21 runs; but Baldwin and Buck­ land needed no re-inforcing in the first hands. Surrey’s single innings victory over Derby­ shire, although they lost the toss again, had just two prominent characteristics—an inn­ ings of 50 by Hayward, and two bowlers unchanged from start to finish. Lohmann and Richardson had never before combined in this way, although both of them had a hand on the four previous occasions on which this same unusual distinction had fallen to Surrey bowlers since 1873, Lohmann figuring three times, Richardson once. In anticipation o£ an unbroken series of matches - nine in all— Lohmann’s splendid success ought to inspire confidence in all Surreyites. There are some tremendous struggles before them — next week providing the severest tests— and there may be an accident or tw o; but it is hard to imagine that Surrey will lose the substantial lead they now enjoy. I should have liked to see Gloucestershire or Sussex in their place. The former county is doing famously ; indeed, since 1877 they havt only twice won the same number—five—of matches as have fallen to their share this year. Of course there were fewer fixtures years ago. It was no mean performance to beat Warwick­ shire by 254 runs. A novel experience for Gloucestershire to close an innings and then run in home. In batting and bowling they had the whip hand throughout. W. G. (70) had had enough of single-figure innings, and Ferris and Rice were also in evidence. But Jesaop was the hero of the match, scoring 90 runs, and bagging nine wickets for 71 runs, Townsend taking one more, but at a cost of more than five runs apiece in excess of his chum. The stars in their course* are fighting against Lancashire, spite of their easy defeat of Warwickshire. Briggs on the sick list— temporarily only, let us hop®—and match after match spoiled by rain at Old Trafford. Mold, however, is still going great guns—twelve wickets against Warwickshire, and five later on. But the brightest feature of their cricket 'is the ability of their youngster, a genuine product of their own soil. Tyldesley stirted well against Gloucestershire, with 13 and 33 not ou t; but against Warwickshire he left his mark on the score sheet—152 not out, with only one hard chance at 9. He and Benton moved the tally on some 148 points. The hero of the record innings—a score card of which in red ink has just reached me, and the same on satin, too—did not save his duck, although he had an aggregate of 60 against Derbyshire at the week-end. Baker (73 and 49), however, outpaced all his colleagues. Derbyshire put in some splendid work, passing their rival’ s first total of 242 by 49 points, and at the finish wanted 118 runs, with every wicket in hand save their captain’s. The match should have been played to a finish ; there was really nothing in it. Most persons pronounce Lancashire fortunate to make a draw, but Mold is far too formid­ able an antagonist to justify such an opinion, especially as he had cyphered Evershed in his first over. It was Davidson’s match, and he attained the distinction of a double-first, scoring 1000 runs and com­ pleting a total of 100 wickets at the same time—an honor which has been won by only two previous cricketers in one season, viz.: W . G. and C, T. Studd, and neither of them notched his two-fold score in the same match. Davidson’s record was, 77 runs and 10 wickets for 131 runs, Walter Sugg (84) playing the best innings that has come from his bat. Somersetshire are at the bottom, and likely to stay there for the present season. Kent’s aggregate of 284 was 117 points higher than the Westerners’ . It was Alec. Heame’ smatch, seeing that he took half the wickets and scored 83 runs. In the separate innings his analysis was 7 for 29, Martin’ s 7 for 31. Hedley was quite in the fashion with 8 out of 10 wickets in one innings, but where were his county’s batsmen?—Oh for the return of Hewett! I had a very interesting conversation with a lady from South Africa at Bradford last week. A cricket enthusiast. She told me that in her opinion the Durban Oval was the prettiest ground in the world, being situate in a lovely park. The wickets were covered with cocoa-nut matting, but the fielding portion was greener than any turf she had seen at home. She pronounces football unfit for the climate, and is confident that before long cricket and lawn-tennis will be the only sports indulged, but at different seasons of the year. Lohmann’s prolonged sojourn in the Colony had given a powerful fillip to the game, and the Colonials are eagerly antici­ pating the visit of the Englishmen this year. C RICKET Report Sheets, lOd. per dozen, post free. Order of Going-In Cards, 7d. per dozen, post free. West’s Pocket Scoring Book, 1/2 each, post free.—To be obtained at the Office of Cricket, 168, Upper Thames Street, London, E.C.