Cricket 1895

4 4 2 C R IC K E T : A W E E K L Y RECORD OF THE GAME. O c t. 3 1 , 1 8 9 5 . communication from Australia intimating even that a team is coming. S t o r e y cricket is the poorer by the loss of two amateurs, both of whom would have done good work for the county had circumstances permitted. In the one case, that of W . S. Trollope, the requirements of the legal profession pre­ vented him giving the time that would have been requisite to play regularly, so that his appearances in the Surrey eleven were few. On his form at Eton, A. C. Cattley, a younger son of the Surrey Treasurer, ought to have been a useful player for the county, and would have been had occasion required. As jt was, during the last few years ill-health had kept him out of cricket altogether. Willie Trollope had been for some years a member of the Surrey Committee, so that a vacancy has arisen on that body. C r i c k e t readers of charitable instincts — and their name happily is legion—will be concerned to hear that I£. Voss, a ground bowler at the Oval for nine years, four of them as superintendent, has gone almost blind. His case as far as one can hear is practically hopeless, and he has suddenly been deprived of the means of earning a livelihood. With a view to assist Voss and the wife and two children dependent on him, a local committee has been formed with the object of providing a fund for the maintenance of the family. Mr. C. E. Walbourne, of 44, Cranmer Eoad, Croydon, is the Hon. Sec. to the fund. I can testify of my own personal knowledge to Voss’s respectability and worth in every way, as well as to the really deserving character of the case, for which Mr. Walboume and his committee are pleading. I n view of the fact that a recent pronouncement from America seems to indicate the possibility of a visit from a Philadelphian as well as an Australian team next summer, a special interest attaches to the performances of the player whom Philadelphia delight to honour as its best all round cricketer. What claim Mr. G. S. Patterson has to that title at the present time can best he shown by a reference to his batting and bowling last month against Mr. Mitchell’s Oxford and Cambridge team. Personally, I have had occasion many a time and oft to call special attention to Mr. Patterson’s achievements. He is now, as he has been for several years, the central figure in Philadelphian cricket. A c c o r d in g to the Am erican Cricketer, the performance of G. S. Patterson and F. H. Bohlen in putting on 200 runs for the first wicket of the Gentlemen of Philadelphia against the Oxford and Cambridge team was by no means the first record of the kind by these two gentlemen. They have indeed exceeded that total twice in local championship contests while in partnership together. On June 10, 1893, they made 257 without the loss of a wicket; on June 25, 1895, they scored 240 for the third wicket. The longest partnership on record in a first- class match in the United States is that of G. S Patterson and A. M. Wood, who compiled 267 for the third wicket, September 5th, 1892. Patterson and Wood also put on 217 for the first wicket on August 7th, 1894. Patterson, part­ nered successively by E. W . Clark and W. Brockie, compiled 236 for the fourth wicket and 250 for the fifth wicket re­ spectively on August 21st and 22nd, 1894. The longest stands ever made in the United States without the loss of a wicket, however, are credited to W. Robertson and A. G. Sheath, who scored 340, July 29th, 1894, and to M. R. Cobb and H. Tyers, who made 305, August 17th, 1893. T h e Parsees, I have the greatest satis­ faction in mentioning, had full revenge for their defeat at the hands of the Bombay Residency in the return match played at Poona, on September 26th, and following day. This time they made short work of their opponents, and getting the Resi­ dency out for 32, and in the second innings for 72, won by 10 runs and an innings to spare. How much of their success was due to one man can be judged from the fact that Billimoria took thirteen of the eighteen Residency wickets which fell to the bowlers, and at a cost of only 49 runs. Besides this he contributed 32 not out to a total of 100 from the bat. G l o u c e s t e r s h i r e cricket, in spite of his failure ever to come within even measurable distance of his Australian form as a bowler, the department in which he was most wanted by the county, will none the less find it by no means easy to replace J. J. Perris. That the fact of his departure to Australia last Friday wasnot worthy of morethan the briefest of paragraphs in some of the dailies "was only another illustration of the scant attention which is meted out to any one who loses, in the smallest degree, his hold on the public. Nevertheless, there are hundreds who will regret that Ferris is lost to English cricket. In any case, the best wishes of the English cricket public, to whose amusement he con­ tributed in no small degree during his stay of four years here, will follow him to Australia. S u r r e y will be well represented in the high offices of cricket at the two great English Universities next summer. The Captaincy of the Oxford eleven, as was announced a week or two ago, devolves onH . D. G. Leveson-Gower, who, by the way, has also been elected to the Presi­ dency of the Vincents’ Club. F. Mitchell, the Cambridge Captain, will have the assistance of the Surrey amateur, N. F. Druce, in the post of Hon. Sec. G. R. Bardswell, I may add, will be the Hon. Sec. of the Oxford University C.C., with H. M. Burge again as Hon. Treasurer. The office of Assistant Hon. Treasurer at Cambridge has fallen on the old Upping- tonian, C. E. Wilson. W i t h a view to make all the pre­ liminary arrangements for the tour of the English cricket team, which he has arranged is to visit South Africa during the winter under the command of Lord Hawke, George Lohmann left Eng­ land some weeks ago, and by this time should have got fairly well on with the work of completing the programme and the other incidental negotiations. In­ formation respecting the tour has hardly been scattered broadcast on this side at all events, although, no doubt there may have been good reasons for a certain amount of reticence while matters are unsettled. Hayward, of Surrey, and Butt, the Sussex wicket-keeper, have been engaged by Lohmann, and each in his different capacity should be very use­ ful. It is stated that the team are to leave London on the 10th of next month. In the dull season, cricket literature— whether happily or unhappily, is a mere matter of taste—is mostly of the statis­ tical order. There are some poor crea­ tures who do not find colums of figures either grateful or comforting. To them I would suggest that they would very likely read with enjoyment the “ Great International Cricket Match,” by Basil Thomson, in the New Review of this month. I did, at all events. My dear old friend, “ The Old Buffer ” — Fred Gale in the flesh—has, it will be of interest to Cricket readers to know, taken to the platform again. The en­ thusiastic reception he had when he ap­ peared on the platform a few weeks ago, justifies him in the belief that his lecture on cricket would be welcome in different parts of the country. That it is amusing as well as instructive it is superfluous for me to add. What is more important for me to add is that F. G.’s address is 7, Wellington Square, Chelsea, S.W. A BALLADE OF CRICKET. The burden of much batting— slog away, O, batsman ! pile up threes and four on four Mixed up with ones and well-placed twoers— yea, With might and main hit up a mammoth score; Then to the crowd, at the pavilion door, Bow thine acknowledgement, and then retire Amid their cheers, thine innings being o’ er. This is the end of every man’ s desire. The burden of much fielding — when the ball, Hard driven, flies toward the swift and low, And with a smothered swear thoulet’stit fall. The while thy wrathful captain shouteth, “ Blow Thine eyes ” ; and, to fill up thy cup of woe, Discourteous lookers-on with jeers enquire Whether thy mother knows thou’ rt out or no. This is the end of every man’ s desire. The burden of much lunching—yea, too much Salmon and chicken, shandy-gaff and beer In pailfuls, fruit tarts, jellies, and all such, W ith countless duck’ s eggs in their wake are here (And all for half-a-crown, which is not dear). This ended, fill thy favourite pipe of briar W ith Jones’ s Navy Cut that hath no peer. This is the end of every man’ s desire. Then, when the winter cometh, take thy rest, And, seated by a huge and roaring fire, Recall those scores, thy biggest and thy best. This is the end of every man’ s desire. C. O. P akk .