Cricket 1895

Nov. 28, 1895. CR ICKET : A W E E K L Y RECORD OF THE GAME. 453 (W e have here some names that w ill be found in “ Scores and B iographies.” The spelling o f the w ord “ b e ts ” has changed since 1736.) So m uch for extracts. These w ill serve as samples o f m any m ore which I w ill spare the reader. The w ord “ gamester ” has an uncanny look. I w ill sim ply now refer to an advertisement o f a m atch in 1776 betw een Hampshire and A ll E ngland which has a w oodcut o f a m atch in p ro­ gress, and this announcem ent:—-“ Just published, price Id ., a list o f the G entle­ men Cricketers, w ho finished playin g at Broad H alfpenny, Ju ly 5, with the the state o f the game. S old b y T. Pratt, Scorer, and at the P rin tin g Office, Seven- oaks. A correct list o f the ensuing game m ay be had within half an hour after the game is finished.” Is this the first published Card of the Match ? N O R T H A M P T O N C O U N T Y C L U B . At the annual general m eeting, held on N ov. 1, at the P eacock H otel, it was unanim ously decided to enter the second- class counties championship com petition. M r. G. J . Thom pson was appointed as assistant secretary at a salary o f £75 per annum . The chairman ( M r T. H orton ) offered to defray the expense of a first- class professional fo r members o f the team n ext year. E arl Spencer, K .G ., was re-elected president, and the vice- presidents included the Marquis of Exeter, the Marquis o f N ortham pton, the Duke of Buccleuch, L ard W antage, L ord Erskine, the E arl o f Ellesmere, the H on . P . H enley, Sir H ereward Wake, Bart., Sir Philip Manfield, the H on . E . D ou glas- Pennant, M .P ., M r. J. Pender, M .P ., Mr. H . Labouchere, M .P ., M r. A . Drucker, M .P ., M r. E . P . M onckton, M .P ., and M r. P . A . Channing, M .P . T H E P R O S P E C T S O F 1896. T H E COUN T IES (in b r i e f ) . The D erbyshire Comm ittee have arranged out and hom e matches w ith Hampshire, W arwickshire, Surrey, Leicestershire, Y orkshire, Lancashire, Notts, and Essex. They hope to play one m atch w ith the Australians and M .C .C . and Ground. Challenges have been sent to M iddlesex and Gloucester­ shire, but so far w ithout definite replies. W . Chatterton is to have a benefit, but has not yet decided which match. A ll the old players w ill be available. The E ssex comm ittee propose to play the same matches as last year to wit, Surrey, Y orkshire, M iddlesex, Somerset­ shire, Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Hampshire, and D erbyshire, w ith perhaps Gloucestershire. A ll the first-cla ss counties have been challenged, bu t some as yet have not replied. The team w ill be m uch the same as in 1895, w ith M r. tl. G. Ow en ascaptain. There are several likely youngsters, and through the liberality o f M r. C. E . Green, Maurice Bead and A bel have been engaged to coach them for three weeks at the com - mencent o f the season. The ground w ill be in first-class condition as no football has this w inter taken place over that part, and some fresh wickets recently been laid dow n look very prom ising. Gloucestershire plays the same counties as last year, in addition to the Australians and the Philadelphians in the event of their com ing. A ll the old players w ill be available w ith the exception o f M r. J. J. Ferris, w h o has returned to Australia. H ampshire’s matches fo r n ext year w ill be w ith Surrey, W arwickshire, Somerset, D erbyshire, Y orkshire, Sussex, Leicestershire, Essex, Australians and the Philadelphians, and M .C .C . M artin from the Oval has been engaged as head ground man, w ith a view to im proving the wickets. A ll the old players w ill be available. In 1896, K ent propose to play Surrey, Sussex, M iddlesex, N otts, G loucester­ shire, Somerset, Y orkshire, Lancashire, and W arwickshire; also one m atch with the Australians and one w ith M . C. C. The hom e matches w ill be played on the follow in g grounds: tw o at Canterbury, tw o at Tonbridge, tw o at Catford, and one each at Beckenham , Maidstone, Gravesend, and Blackheath. The sea­ son w ill p robably be opened w ith a m atch at Gravesend against G lou­ cestershire, then the team w ill g o north to Manchester on W h it M onday, and afterwards to Leeds and B irm ingh am ; M iddlesex and Sussex w ill com e to T on ­ bridge for the week, lo th to 20th June. Lancashire and the Australians are invi­ ted to Canterbury fo r the week, comm en­ cing on Bank H oliday, A ugust 3rd. The E leven w ill lose W alter W righ t’ s services, partly, at all even ts; as he has accepted an engagem ent w ith a cricket league in the N orth o f E ngland, and w ill be prevented from p layin g in county cricket on the last three days of the week. W alter H earne reports that his knee is stronger, and so that it is hoped he w ill again be o f use. M r. M archant w ill con­ tinue to captain the E leven. The cap­ tain w ill have the same m en as last year to p ick his teams from , excepting, o f course, W alter W right. Lancashire are likely to play N otts, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Gloucester, Somer­ set, Warwickshire, M iddlesex, Leicester­ shire, Derbyshire, and three matches— Lancashire, N orth o f England, and E n g ­ land— against the Australians, w ill p ro b ­ ably be played at Manchester. The ground is receiving a careful preparation and is lookin g w ell. A ll the old hands w ill be available, and the coun ty expect the valuable services of M r. A . C. M acLaren in J u ly and August. H allam and L an ­ caster are you n g players o f prom ise, and m ay d o much better next season. Leicestershire has challenged all the first-class counties, and hopes to arrange matches w ith Surrey, Lancashire, Y o rk ­ shire, Derbyshire, Essex, Hants, W ar­ wickshire, and N otts or M iddlesex. K n igh t w ho was put in the eleven at close o f last year is engaged at the ground alon g w ith several of the y ou n g players found in the trial matches at end of season, w ho will have a coach to bring j them forw ard. The ground played ur.- comm only w ell last year, and is bein g well attended to. A ll the old members o f the team w ill be available if required. In addition to matches w ith the A u s­ tralian team , N otts also hope to have a visit from the Cam bridge University eleven at Trent B ridge, the proceeds of the latter g o in g to Sherwin’s benefit. Besides these, the N otts eleven are to play Gloucestershire, M iddlesex, Y o rk ­ shire, K ent, Lancashire, D erbyshire, and Sussex each tw ice. Then there w ill be the annual trial o f Colts on Easter M on ­ day, and a m atch betw een N otts and Y orkshire Colts at W orksop. The Surrey program ipe, never an un­ pretentious one, w ill this year be further extended, b y the addition o f out and hom e fixtures w ith O xford University. These, w ith tw o matches w ith each o f the thirteen first-class counties, as w ell as the Australians, Gentlemen v. Players, and E nglan d v. Australia, w ill represent as busy a card as a C ounty has had to get through. The N otts matches will occu p y the tw o Bank H olidays as heretofore. Sussex, Who have lost G. L . W ilson, now on his voyage to Australia, propose for its programm e ou t and hom e matches w ith N otts, L ancashire,Yorkshire, Surrey. M iddlesex, Gloucestershire, Somerset­ shire and Hampshire, as w ell as hom e fixtures each w ith O xford and Cambridge, the Australians at B righton, and the usual matches w ith M .C .C . and G round at Lords. W arwickshire w ill play, fo r certain, Surrey, K ent, Lancashire, Y orkshire, Gloucestershire, D erbyshire, Hampshire, Leicestershire, and Essex o u t and home. P ossibly other matches m ay be arranged. The team w ill be the same as last year, except that Shilton’s place w ill p robably be taken b y W ard, w ho, it is hoped, w ill train on into a useful left-handed bow ler. D iver w ill be available all the season in­ stead o f a portion as before. The pavilion on the C ounty G round is bein g enlarged b y the addition o f a capacious new dining room w ith seating accomm odation on the top, the enlargem ent o f the dressing rooms, the alteration o f caretaker’s houre into comm ittee room and secretary’s rooms, the addition o f shower baths, and adequate lavatory accomm odation for players and public. The additions, alto­ gether, w ill cost about £1,500. W hen complete, it is hoped the building w ill be very com fortable, w ith adequate accomm o­ dation for players and spectators. The Comm ittee are gradually raising em bank­ ments around the Ground, and b y de­ grees is m aking the place into a w ell- equipped hom e o f cricket. The Y orkshire comm ittee propose to play all the counties with the exception of Leicestershire, as w ell as O xford and Cam bridge, and Gentlem en o f Y orkshire v. Players o f Y orkshire. In all likelihood a g ood trial w ill be given to H aigh, who was successful as a bow ler last year, and now has an engagem ent at Leeds. The Scarborough Festival w ill m ost p robably consist o f the follow in g matches: A u g. 27, M .C .C . and G round v. Y orksh ire; Aug. 31, N orth v. South o f E n g la n d ; Sept. 5, Australians v. An England XT.