Cricket 1896

4 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J an . 30, 1896. in November and December. In pennant matches Albert Trott has made 120 and 98, his elder brother 106 and 62, Graham 136, and Charley M ’Leod 88. Gregory put together no fewer than 253 for South Sydney v. East Sydney. Iredale has scored 105 and 156, Bannerman 122. In Adelaide, Lyons has made 136 not out, George Giffen 174, and Clement Hill 157. I don’t think there is much foundation for the report that Harry Trott is to be captain. Giffen, by far the most experienced man on the side, should certainly have that post. Granted that his having it may possibly mean his bowl­ ing at one end nearly all the time, I maintain that worse things than this might happen for his side. Stoddart’s men acknowledged that even when they were well set on the perfect Australian wickets they never felt quite sure that Giffen, with his untiring wiles, might not succeed in taking their wickets next ball. Granted that he is an autocrat, is that not just what the Australians need ? Blackham and Scott were too easy-going, good fellows as both were for the post. There is little fear of the great George’s erring in this direction. But one more reference to matters Australian—two, rather, for I must just express my pleasure at hearing that South Australia and Tasmania have arranged to play a match at Hobart this season. The matter to which I would refer is that of Mr. J. J. Ferris and the N.S.W. Cricket Association. It seems that the Association declined the offer of Ferris’s services for the Christmas inter­ colonial on two scores :— (1.) They considered that he had severed his connection with the colony by his residence in England. (2.) They had no assurance as to the form he was in or as to his beiug really worth a place in the side. This reminds one strongly of the Irish­ woman who was taxed with having made a hole iii a kettle lent to her by a neighbour. She declared :— (1.) That she never had the kettle. (2.) That there was no hole in it when she returned it. (3.) That the hole that was in it when it went back was there when she had it first. Seriously, though, why did not the N. S. W. C. A. decline Murdoch’s services two years or so ago, when he was on a visit to Sydney, in the first score As to Ferris’s form—well, we in England know that; while he may have lost his bowling (personally, I have always believed, and do still believe, that it will come back to him some day) he is quite worth his place in almost any team as a batsman. I, for one, have a vivid recollection of his saving Gloucestershire from defeat at the hands of Surrey less than six months ago. W.G. had not been in ; but the wickets of the other batsmen had fallen like skittles before Richardson and Lohmann, and only Ferris saved his side from disaster. The mention of Lohmann naturally brings to mind the South African tour, which has, I fancy, attracted more attention than it would otherwise have done (though not more than it deserved to do) on account of the recent exciting events of which Johannesburg, at which town the team were down to play three or four matches, has been the centre. It is a pity that South African cricket, great as have been the strides it has made of late, has not yet progressed far enough for elevens of the various provinces to meet an English team with any chance of success. There is somehow much less interest in a match against odds than in one on even terms. The fifteen or eighteen may take it seriously enough; probably they do. The eleven may d o ; but probably they don’t. The spectators, we may fairly assume, do. But we who read of it many miles away find it difficult to follow suit. I am very glad, therefore, that three representative matches are to be played, one each at Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Port Elizabeth; and I trust that the Afrikanders may have a greater measure of success in them than has so far attended their efforts in these games. Of matches between South Africa and England—the title may be cavilled at now ; but I foresee the day when England v. South Africa will prove as exciting and be held as important as Eugland v. Australia—there have so far been three, Major Warton’s team meeting eleven of the Allied Colonies twice, and Mr. W. W. Read’s once. Some account of these matches may be interesting at this time. The first took place at Port Elizabeth on the 12th and 13th of March, 1889, aud ended in a victory for the Englishmen by eight wickets. The Afrikanders were a good team, including A. B. Tancred, C. H. Yintcent, O. R. Dunell and W. H. Milton, but could only make 84 and 129. Tancred was top scorer in each innings with 29. Dunell made 26, not out, and 11 ; and Milton scored 19 in the second iunings. The Englishmen’s scores were 148 and 67 for tw o—Abel 46 and 23, not out, Fothergill (who also took five wickets for 35) 32. Mr. “ Round-the- Corner ” Smith had seven wickets for 61, and Briggs six fur 73. A. R. Innes took five for 43 in the winners’ first innings. A fortnight later the batting of Abel and Wood and the bowling of Briggs resulted in an overwhelming defeat for the Colonists at Cape Town. They were beaten by no less than an innings and 202 runs—292 to 47 and 43. Though Ashley, of the Western Province, bowled well, taking seven wickets for 95, Abel scored 120 and Harry Wood 59. Briggs’s bowling almost amounted to a slaughter of the innocents. Possibly the wicket may have gone all wrong. Any way, he actually took ] 5 wickets at a cost of only 28 runs. The match between Mr. Read’s team and South Africa was played at Cape Town on March 19th, 21st and 22nd, 1892. The Colonists, who had first innings, scored 97 (at least, so say both the Sportsman and Wisdtn ; but the runs as given in the Sportsman—Wisden does not give full score—add up to 99. Can any colonial reader explain for me the discrepancy or say which is right ?) Frank Hearne made 24, Milton 21 and Godfrey Cripps 18. Then England ran up 369. Harry Wood scored 134, not out, his highest in a match of any importance; Chatterton scored 48, and the Captain and Jack Hearne 40 each. The second innings of the home team only realised 83—Frank Heame 23, Mills 21, Milton 16; and the old country thus won by an innings and 189 (187 ?) runs. Ferris had thirteen wickets in the match for 91. So far, I fancy, South African cricketers have been handicapped in these matches through being rather overawed by the importance of the occasion. That seems the most feasible way of accounting for the total failure of men who had scored well against the English bowling in minor matches, at any rate. Thfre should be an improvement in this respect this time. The greater confidence ac­ quired by meeting first-class sides during the 189-1 tour should stand such men as Routledge, Halliwell, Middleton, and Rowe in good stead. I rather hope that Smith and Street will not be played in the Eleven. They are mere “ birds of passage ; and a victory gained by their help would be deprived of half its prestige. Frank Hearne stands on a different footing; he has made his home in South Africa. I was delighted, by the way, to see how splendidly he per­ formed in the second match of the tour. That 94 must have been a really great innings. Well, good luck to the Afrikanders in these three matches. If they win all three, we in England will scarcely grudge them their triumph. But that they are likely to win all three I do not for a moment think. If they win one against such a team they will do uncommonly well. The earlier English teams were both, perhaps, stronger in bowling—the second most undoubtedly was; but neither had as strong a batting side as this. In fact, never before has any touring side contained so many dangerous hitting batsmen—men who are likely at any time to run up a long score in a way calculated to demoralise the best of bowlers and fieldsmen. Such men as Sir Timothy, Sam Woods, and Hewett are in the very front rank of hitters; while Lord Hawke, C. B. Fry, A. J. L. Hill, Loh­ mann, and Haywood are not men who waste much time when they get “ set,” though I have seen them all play the steady game when it has been necessary. With Lohmann and Tyler as principal bowlers, Hayward, Hill, Woods, and Fry as changes, the team has enough trund­ ling, even with South African batting as greatly improved as there is good reason to believe it really is. The earlier teams, in my opinion, had too much bowling, considering the quality of the opposition, Mr. Read’s especially. The average class of batsmen who go to form eighteens and twenty-twos could scarcely be expected to stand long against the attack of such a quintet as Mr. Ferris (who bowled at his best during that tour— and never again after it), Martin, Pougher, Jack Hearne, and Alec Hearne. Look at the figures the men had ! NEXT ISSUE, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27th.