Cricket 1895

404 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. S ept . 12, 1895. scored his three double centuries, and Stoddart his one. My good friend, Mr. Gaston, sent me the card containing Brann’ s two centuries, and only last week Gunn kindly forwarded the score card of Notts’ 726 against Sussex this year. These cards have for me a great interest. I am proud of such as I have. In a very genial letter from Kingston, Jamaica, the writer tells me that “ the visit of Mr. Lucas’ team last summer, has done a lot of good for us, and I think cricket has made quite a start in the island. W e are expecting S. B. Lohmann here again some­ time next month, under engagement to the Kingston Club. W ould you care to see reports of the Kingston C.C. ? I can forward some if you want them.’ , W ell, seeing that both th e K e n s in g to n and Kingston Clubs have issued an annual report for many years— the for­ mer club no less than sixteen such annuals—one would conclude that cricket had long ago “ made a start” over in Jamaica. I am heartily glad that Surrey won their final match, for I don’t know what would have been the sequel had they lost, or made a draw of it. For one thing the M .C.C. would have had to dis­ close their rule for placing the Counties in order. A t least that is the remark made frequently in cricket circles. I did not know there was any secret to divulge. Did not the M.O:C. proclaim to all whom it concerns that the Champion County would be that County w h ich , in m atch es brought to a conclusion, could show the largest proportion of points ? Simple enough that, in all conscience. And yet tho discoveries of “ mare’s- nests” have found all sorts of loop holes in it. I shall not reproduce them ; they might gratify the curiosity of the faddist, but they are scarcely unto edification; A t the same time one earnestly hopes that counties like Lan­ cashire will see their w ay'to arrange matches with all the first-classers another year; and the so o n e r every county follows the example of Surrey and Y ork­ shire, the more absolute will be the test. Surrey’s defeat of Hampshire was one of the good old sort, by a single innings. Maurice Read and Richardson did the trick, the former notching his first century of the year— 131, he has been bidding fair to do so in every match recently played, and one is delighted that so honest a cricketer has fittingly closed his sixteenth year in county cricket. Richardson tx)wled as if the season were scarcely a month bid— 15 wickets at a cost of just 10 run apiece. For the second time this year he bagged 9 wickets in a single innings. Taking into account the tremendous amount of work he has done, and the unprecedented result in the number of wickets taken, and remembering that he has not improved his analysis by an occasional slaughter of the enemy at a ridiculously small cost. I am disposed to say that Richardson is the very greatest fast bowler we have ever seen. And I have a vivid recollection, either from reading or personal acquaintance, with all, or nearly all, the giants of old. “ Where would Surrey be without Jupp ?” used to be a stock question of their critics some 20 years ago. W ith still greater reason may we ask to day, “ where would Surrey be without Richardson?” But where would any other county be without its crack bowler, or crack batsman? Perhaps we may add, that had Surrey not discovered Richardson, another big bowler might have turned up ; indeed he may be waiting at the door, seeking for admission. But a review of the season cannot be made to day. The Scarborough Festival was about the poorest I can recall; one day satisfied me. And as, in my judgment, the secret of its non-success is intimately related to the unfortunate exhibition of feeling which prefaced the third match, I venture to express an impartial opinion. Not being a lover of “ scenes,” I am thank­ ful not to have witnessed this ; but, having been present at other similar outbreaks, I would modestly ask whether the cricketers at Scarborough—the captains more particularly — did not somewhat exaggerate, or at any rate, misinterpret, this demonstration ? When I was at Bramall Lane some three seasons back, and the game was interrupted by rain, a big crowd lined the pavilion Tailings, and singled out the men of Notts for sundry un­ complimentary remarks. But as I remarked to my Notts’ friends, the row was confined to a few young lads, and was by no means as widespread or serious as they imagined. Of course, both at Scarborough and on every cricket ground, the public ought to know that after rain play is resumed at the discretion of the umpires only. But perhaps a holiday crowd does not know this, and ought not to be expected to know it. I wish, in the interests of cricket, that Hewett had not retired from the game, seeing that he took part in it for half an hour after the row. It was bad form, and quite unworthy of a sportsman. But what can be said from the spectators’ standpoint ? If any over­ stepped the lines of propriety, I am sorry. But put yourself in their p o s itio n . Many had travelled a long distance, and wanted value for their shilling. Moreover, on the first day of the festival—I can speak only of this—there was such a wanton waste of time, that we had less than four hours of cricket. Now, one admits that these festivals are not conducted on the ordinary county lines, but seeing that the matches count in the averages, a full h a lf-h o u r ’ s interval between the innings is a distinct breach of one of the authorized laws. An hour and a quarter for lunch was also a liberal allowance. More­ over, the town was placarded with the lists of the players for each match. Now, would it be believed that, out of the 22 thus announced for the second match— North v. South—only 11 put in an appearance ? Either the cricketers or the Scarborough officials were gailty of a distinct breach of confidence. Do you wonder now, that the public were not in a humour quietly to put up with, what seemed to them to be, a needless delay m the succeeding match ? There is nothing so tedious as these delays. I feel that it would have been wiserfor the umpires to announce from the pavilion e probable hour for the resumption of play ; tne onlookers could then have - strolled down either into the town or to the shore, and have returned in the best of humours. Unless Scarborough can arrange a more attractive programme another year, they wi be well advised to condense the festival into a week. Nine days’ continuous cricket is a big order at the close of a very busy season. And don’ t give us two matches m whicn Yorkshire take part. Most of us who live in CRICKET. F o r t h e B E H E F I T o f M L LILLYWHITE. The Last G R A N D M ATCH o f C R IC K E T , under the Patronage o f the MiUIYLEBONE& SUSSEX CRICKET CLUBS, AMD TOE HighConstable of Brighton, WUX TAXI FLAO O n t h e 9 9 t h f t S O t h A u g . , 1 9 4 9 , I d hi* Ground, between S U S S E X , ('With PILCH given,) against A L L E N G L A N D . OLD TIME CRICKET,—By kind permission of Mr. Alfred J. Gaston, 9 f Brighton, we hope to give at intervals exact facsimiles of many choice items in his collection of old cricket prints and windowbills. The above is a representation of the announcement of the benefit match to Willianj Lillywhite (**Old Lilly” ), Sussex v. England, 1842.