Cricket 1895

90 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. A p r i l 25, 1£95. the prettiest bats ever seen at Newlands.” Davidson, the Derbyshire professional, playing on the same side, finished his first winter in South Africa on this occasion with some exceptionally good all-round cricket. Besides making the top score of 47 for the All Comers, he took nine of the ten wickets of the Natal Team. T h e new woman is taking up cricket, evidently with the same energy which has characterised her in other and more important spheres of life. Ladies matches seem to be popular in South Africa as well as Australia. In one at Simon’s Town, between Eleven Ladies and a team of the Boyal Navy, at the end of March, the Sailors bowled and fielded with one hand only, and also played with pickhandles. In this match the principal scorer was fittingly enough a lady, with the good cricket name of Ayres. F e l ix , of the Australasian, otherwise our old friend, T. Horan, describes a recent ladies match at Melbourne as a pretty and picturesque performance. Miss M ‘Donald, so says T.H., and I see no reason why he should not be called “ Truthful Tommy,” simply played like a book. In this case the ladies were coached by two well-known cricketers, in the persons of Percy Lewis and A. E. Trott. The game at Melbourne had, it is satisfactory to be able to add, its prac­ tical side. The proceeds were to go to charities, and a sum of no less than two hundred pounds was the outcome. H. K . F o st e r , who took a double first for Oxford in the Inter-University racquet matches last week, it goes without saying, is the same old Malvemian who came out third in the batting averages for the Oxford eleven last year. Sons of a keen all-round sportsman, the Bev. H . Foster, well known in his time in connection with the Free Foresters, there is little or no cause for wonder that H. K. and his brother W. L., who has done much for the athletics of the Boyal Military Academy at Woolwich during the last two years, have gained honours in the field of sport. As Mr. Slade Lucas and the majority of the amateurs who accompanied him to the West Indies left Barbados on Satur­ day last in the Atrato, they should be home again in the course of the next ten days or so. Irrespective of the cricket, the tour was made additionally pleasant by the warmth of the reception accorded to the members of the team everywhere. Whatever effect the trip may have on West Indian Cricket in the future, it is certain that Dr. Anderson’s energy in arranging for, and bringing to a success­ ful issue the first visit of an English team cannot fail to give the West Indian Islands the bold advertisement which was perhaps alone needed to bring their many natural advantages prominently before the outside public. I n view of the fact that he is to have his benefit this year it is satisfactory to notice that Nichols, the Somersetshire professional, has begun the season with a very exceptional performance. To get all the ten wickets in an innings anyhow is an extraordinary achievement. But in the match on Saturday last at Taunton, between the Taunton Moonlighters and Norton Fitzwarren, Nichols went one better, for he actually bowled the whole of the ten wickets of the latter. Moreover, the merit of the feat was enhanced by the fact that Mr. H. T. Hewett, the ex­ captain of the Somersetshire eleven, was one of Nichols’ victims on the occasion. S h o u l d all have gone well with the “ Ophir” the English cricketers return­ ing to England under Mr. Stoddart’s charge should be due at Naples at the latest on Sunday week, the 5th of May. As some of them, in view of the earlier county matches, are pretty sure to come overland from there it is quite probable that one or more may be with us again within the next fortnight. The Surrey trio, Brockwell, Lockwood, and Bichard­ son, may be expected back, I have reason to believe, by that time. C. J. E a d y , the Tasmanian cricketer, whose portrait was given in Cricket last week, had the questionable pleasure, if not of “ seeiDg ourselves as others see us,” of hearing something about himself during his recent visit to Melbourne. Going with two friends to a barber’s shop, the hair artist, of course, in the fashion, must talk about hat and hall, and not knowing whom he was talking to, informed Eady that “ they were bringing a fellow named Eady over from Tasmania. He didn’t quite know why they were doing it, as Eady had only made two hig scores against a weak team, during which he gave four easy chances which were not accepted.” This rather astonished the Tasmanian listeners, especially when the harher wound up with “ The Tas­ manian umpire, in fact, would not let Eady go out even if he had wanted to." Good old umpire ! T h e y have a cricketer of the name of Gunn in Australia, and his Christian name is “ spelt with a W ee” or rather with a W for its initial letter. The South Australian Gunn was playing in the middle of March at Adelaide, in a match for Adelaide v. North Adelaide, in which J. Darling, who was so successful against the English team, did a fine piece of fast scoring. He made his eighty (not out) in just over an hour, and his hits included one five and eighteen fourers. When he had made sixty a ball he had played rolled so slowly on to his wicket that he did not attempt to stop it, and the bails fortunately for him were not removed. T h o u g h , of course, it would have been more gratifying from a purely cricketing standpoint, if the improvement in the receipts as shown in the balance sheet of the Essex County C.C. had come from the summer rather than the winter game, it is none the less satisfactory to find that there is an improvement, no matter whence it came. The general meeting is to be held in the Pavilion on the County Ground at Leyton, on Thursday next— the same day as that of the Surrey County C.C.—at 5.30 p.m. The retiring—I do not mean that the disposition of the others is in an opposite direction—mem­ bers, retiring by rotation, that is to say, Messrs. W. Comerford, A. J. Edwards, B. C. Gosling, and G. Pagensecher (dear old Pargy) offer themselves for re-election. T h e death of Mr. Bobinson Latter, on the eleventh of April, removed a typical representative of the good old school of all-round sportsmen. Born in Bromley, he had lived all his life of seventy- five years there. In his early youth he was a playing member of the old Bromley Town Club, as well as of the West Kent C.C. in its palmier days. Though never a great batsman he had physical advantages given to few men. Being 6 feet 3J inches in height and broad in proportion, he was able to hit with great freedom which he did to good effect. A good field he had too the rare accomplishment of ambidexterity and could throw in well with either hand. A keen lover and follower of cricket, he was always very interesting company with many reminiscences of the old days when Fuller, Pitch, Martingale, and other celebrities used to play in the neighbour­ hood, as well as of some exciting single wicket matches in the old “ White Hart ” field. N o r did his cricket interest cease with himself. On the contrary, he heartily encouraged the game of cricket amongst his sons, and indeed wherever he could. Busy life caused him to give up playing somewhat early, but ever since the Bickley Park C.C. was formed he took the greatest interest in it, and was almost constantly to be seen on the ground on match days with the late Mr. J. Bouch (who only died a week or two before him). Four of his sons have played for B.P.C.C., the two eldest, Edward and Arthur, after being towers of strength in their time to their school eleven (King’s School, Canterbury). In his day Arthur was a very fine bowler. T h e third son, Bertram, was captain of the same school eleven, and proceeding to Christ Church, Oxford, played in Freshmens’ match, Seniors’ match, becoming captain of Christ Church in 1881. He was afterwards secretary for a time of Bickley Park, and has played much for that club, as well as Incogniti, on whose comii.ittee he has served for some years. The youngest son, Algernon, who was also captain of Canterbury School Eleven, went to Trinity, Oxford, and made a century in the Freshmen’s match; was captain of Trinity in 1893, and made very big scores in college matches, though he never seemed to come off, except that once, in more important matches. He has scored well for Oxford University Authentics, Bickley Park, etc. He has played three-quarters for Black- heath F.C., and also for South v. North. He is now a master at Felsted School.