Cricket 1895

76 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. A p r i l 18, 1895. Eleven of Middlesex, will form part of the entertainment for the Hythe week. A fixture with Oxford University for the first time for many years is absent from Lancashire’s match list. Still the programme will be quite long enough, with home-and-home matches against all the now first class counties except Essex and Hampshire in addition to the usual fixture against M.C.C. and Ground at Lord’s. A card of 23 Matches will tax the resources of even a county so well equipped as Lancashire. Report speaks well of A. Hallam, who has been engaged with the Manchester club for the last two years as a bowler. He is right hand medium paced and was engaged, unless we are mistaken at the Oval for one season. Daring the winter a spacious new pavilion has been erected, and there is every reason to believe it will be ready for the opening match. The Leicestershire Eleven, who showed fine all-round cricket on several impor­ tant occasions last year, should do quite as well, if not better, this summer, con­ sidering that Mr. C. E. De Trafford, the captain, will have very much the same material. Woodcock has left America “ for good,” and with the advantage of an engagement at Lord’s, will be available now and at all times when wanted. Leicestershire, like most of the other counties, will play M.C.C. and Ground once at Lord’s. Other­ wise its engagements comprise the six­ teen fixtures necessary to qualify for the County Championship. These are repre­ sented by eight home and home fixtures -with Derbyshire, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Notts, Surrey, Warwickshire, and Yorkshire. Mr. E. C. Streatfeild, having duly ■qualified for Middlesex by residence, it is expected, will assist Middlesex when his school duties at Evelyns are over. Mr. J. Douglas, having now a mastership at Dulwich, will, on the other hand, not be available for the earlier fixtures. Still with the almost unlimited supply of amateurs available, assisted by J. T. Heame, Rawlin, and Phillips, there need be no fear that Middlesex cricket will show any falling off. The addition of home and home matches with Essex will be the only new feature in the Middlesex programme. Notts, which sustained a heavy loss in the death of its hon. sec., Captain Oates, would not appear to have a very encou­ raging outlook. Arthur Shrewsbury, who it was hoped would be able to play regularly once more, has been ill again recently, and it is doubtful whether he cun be reckoned upon. Still in Hand- ford, Hardstaff and Pike three useful players were introduced last year, This is of itself a hopeful sign that there may be others of equal promise in the i ear future. The removal of the Somer­ setshire fixtures from the programme will lie generally regretted, even admitting the necessity for retrenchment in some way. Flowers is to have the proceeds of the Lancashire match for his benefit, a well-deserved tribute of a long and ihonourable career. Somersetshire also gives a benefit—the Essex match—to Nichols, a player who has done his share towards the advance of the county. Another addition to the programme will be the home and home matches with Hampshire, which are bound to be interesting. Mr. S. M. J. Woods, who will captain the eleven, hope to have Mr. R. N. C. Palairet with him regularly, which will strengthen the side materially. Mr. V. T. Hill may not be able to play till late, but against this all the old plavers will be available, with the addition of Dr. J. E. Trask, Mr. Eustace Hill (both home from India), and Mr. H. W . Kettlewell. Mr. Woods’ leg may not allow him to bowl very much, otherwise the outlook of Somersetshire cricket this year seems very hopeful. Except that Mr. G. L. Wilson will, it is hoped, be well enough to resume his place regularly in the eleven, Sussex cricket presents very much the signs for 1895 as for 1894 at this time last year. In addition to the home matches with the two Universities, and the one fixture at Lords, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Lancashire, Middlesex, Notts, Somerset, Surrey, and Yorkshire, who have each to be met twice, constitute the opponents of Sussex this year. The decision of the Sussex authorities to play Yorkshire at Hastings, it is hoped, will be justified by a hearty welcome to the Yorkshiremen. Diver, so it is said, will not be in the Warwickshire eleven, which will be a great loss to the County. Still last year showed that there was more than one useful player in reserve. Moreover the executive is so fully alive to the exigencies of County cricket that there is little cause to doubt their capacity to carry out even their new responsibilities. In Mr. Bain- bridge they have, too, a popular as well as efficient captain, and with Mr. J. E. Hill, Mr. L. C. Docker, Lilley, Law, Pallett, Shilton, Santall, W. Quaife, W. G. Quaife, Richards, Devey and White­ head to choose from, the eleven is bound to be strong. Shilton, whose ten years work for Warwickshire fully entitle him to the recognition of a benefit, has made a wise choice in the Yorkshire match at the end of June. Yorkshire, like Surrey, plays all the other thirteen Counties qualified for the Championship series. This would of itself be a sufficiently heavy programme, but it is not all. Besides there are two matches with M.C.C. and G., one with each of the Universities as well as one with Liverpool and District. Of the home matches Sheffield is to have four, Brad­ ford and Leeds each three, Dewsbury, Huddersfield and Harrogate each one. Except that Messrs. E. Smith and F. Mitchell will not be available till the later matches, the Yorkshire side will be very much the same as in 1894. Following on the lines of the existing championship another competition has been arranged for the minor counties, to be called the second-class championship. The inception is due to Mr. P. H. Foley, the hon. sec. of the Worcestershire County C.C., which, with Bedfordshire, Durham, Norfolk, Oxfordshire, and Staffordshire, represent the competitors for the first year. The new movement is pretty sure to popularise county cricket outside the front rank. In any case it is pleasant to reflect that the younger counties gener­ ally are receiving increasing support within their own limits year by year. It is early as yet, of course, to speculate seriously on University cricket. Mr. G. J. Mordaunt, as already stated, will be captain at Oxford, and Mr. W. G. Druce at Cambridge. Oxford has new engage­ ments in the matches with Oxford Uni­ versity and Yorkshire. Cambridge also makes a new departure in a home-and- home match with Dublin University. Oxford loses two of its best old choices in R. C. N. Palairet and L. Y . Bathurst, who are no longer eligible. Cambridge will have even more change, as there w ill be several places to be filled up. Details respecting public school cricket are necessarily very scanty. The Eton eleven, who lose L. H. E. Cunliffe, gone to Oxford, will be captained by C. C. Pilkington, Harrow by G. P. Gore (a good Harrow cricket name), Rugby by W. F. Gowers, and Marlborough by G. H. Beloe. The chief fixtures for the year are com­ posed in the appended table :— APRIL. 15. Bristol, Gloucestershire Colts’ Match. 15. Nottingham, Notts’ Colts’ Match. 26. Leicester, Leicestershire Colts’ Match. ‘29. Cambridge, Cambridge University Freshmen’s Match. 29. Leyton, Essex v. 16 Colts. M AY. 1. Lord’s, Annual Meeting and D inner of M.C.C. 1. M.C.C. and Ground v. Notts. 2. Oval, Kennington, Annual Meeting of Surrey County C.C. 2. Cambridge, Cambridge University Seniors’ Match 2. Leyton, Essex Co. Annual Meeting and Dinner. 6. Lord’s, M.C.C. and Ground v. Leicestershire. 6. Birmingham, Birmingham v. Essex. 6. Oxford, Oxford University Seniors’ Match. 9. Lord’s, M.C.C. and Ground v. Sussex. 9. Oval, Surrey v. Leicestershire. 9. Oxford, Oxford University Freshmen’s Match. 9. Bedale, Yorkshire v. X V III. of North Yorkshire (G. Anderson's benefit). 9. Taunton, Somerset Colts’ Match. 13. Lord’s, M.C.C. and Ground v. Yorkshire. 13. Oval, Surrey v. Essex. 13. Cambridge University v. Somerset. 13. Birmingham, Warwickshire v. Derbyshire. 13. Oxford, Oxford University: T h eX I. v. Sixteen Freshmen. 13. Barnsley, Yorkshire (2nd X I.) v. Barnsley and District. 16. Lord’ s M.C.C. and Ground v. Lancashire. 16. Surrey v. Warwickshire. 16. Bristol, Gloucestershire v. Somerset. 16. Nottingham, Notts v. Sussex. 16. Cambridge, Cambridge University v. Mr. C. I. Thornton’s England X I. 16. Liverpool, Liverpool and District v. Yorkshire. 16. Oxford, Oxford University X I. v. Next Sixteen. 20. Lord’s, M.C.C. and Ground v. Derbyshire. 20. Oxford, Oxford University v. Somerset. 20. Manchester, Lancashire v. Sussex. 20. Bradford, Yorkshire v. Warwickshire. 20. Sheffield, Yorkshire Colts v. Notts Colts. 20. Leicester, Leicestershire v. Notts. 20. Cambridge, Cambridge University v. Gentlemen of England (Mr. A . J. W ebbe’s X I.) 22. Aylesbury, Bucks Club and Ground v. M.C.C. and Ground. 23. Oval, Surrey v. Cambridge University. 23. Oxford, Oxford University v. Gentlemen of England (Mr. A. J. W ebbe’s X I.) 23. Gravesend, Kent v. Gloucestershire. 23. Nottingham, Notts v Yorkshire. 23. Lord’s, M.C.C. and Ground v. Essex. 27. Oval, Surrey v. England (Mr. W . W . Read’s Testimonial Match). 27. Oxford, Oxford University v. Yorkshire. 27. Leyton, Essex v. Middlesex. 27. Lord’s, Middlesex (2nd X I.) v. Kent (2nd X I.) 30. Lord’s, Middlesex v. Gloucestershire. 30. Birmingham, Warwickshire v. Surrey. 30. Oxford, Oxford University v. Kent. 30. Manchester, Lancashire v. Leicestershire. 30. Cambridge, Cambridge University v. Yorkshire. 30. Taunton, Somerset v. Hampshire.