Cricket 1896

100 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. A pkil 30, out like a horse kicking, and sends the ball far among the spectators. Or Lord’s may be the scene, and Jack Heame and Rawlin are playing havoc with the wickets of Somerset, to the delight of the Bank Holiday crowd. Or the Oval, with Maurice and “ our George ” playing a plucky uphill game against the keenest of fielding and bowling by Lancashire’s men. A h ! shall we ever see those two batting together again? No stauncher and more whole-hearted cricketers ever played. I think Lohmann the best bowler that ever handled ball; but some­ times when I have watched him batting, I have grudged that he should ever bowi at aB. And yet to see him bowl was a cricket education in itself. Mention of Lohmann reminds me that I did injustice to Mr. Norman Gale, when two weeks ago I spoke of Andrew Lang as the one poet of our national game. I ought not to have forgotten the man who wrote:— May warmer heavens make you whole For Surrey ! How men would roar to see you howl For Surrey ! Nursed and helped and mended, Truly kept and tended, Come and he our splendid George ! Shuter wants you home again! England wants you—cross the main! Say good-bye to Cape Town sky, you George of George’s—come again ! Here are some more cricket verses, not a poem, this time; they are seven years old, and perhaps it is “ like my cheek” (the slang is not m ine; a candid friend is in the habit of using it when he speaks of me) to resuscitate them ; but they may appeal to one here and there, though more by reason of the memories they will awaken than from inherent merit. BALLADE OF VETERAN CRICKETERS. {Anno 1889.) There’ s good old B arnes ; the season’s fleet, But Billy still makes runs galore, Stands at his block with active feet, And slogs to boundary many a four ; And H all , though somewhat of a bore, Is, as of old, the sure stonewall, Who raises fieldsmen’s thirst for gore— Yet G i l b e r t G race is king of all! Under the Red Rose banner meet The mighty men of days of yore, Heroes of many a batting feat, When stolen runs ran up the score ; H ornby , renowned in sportsmen’s lore, B arlow , responsive to his call, And he, the veteran Scotchman hoar'—• Yet G ilbert G race is king of all! And old T om E mmett ’ s hard to heat, Although of years have passed a score Since first he bowled with youthful heat, And at his wides his comrades swore, When Kentish cheers swell to a roar At Beckenham, for Notts’ great fall, Then praises on L ord H arris pour— Yet G ilbert G race is king of a ll! L’ENVOI. Critics, your croakiugs pray give o’ er ! Not yet shall come our Champion’s fall, Though younger men to fame may soar, Yet G ilbert G race is king of all! I have by me a whole stock of such stuff; but I don’t anticipate any great demand for it in consequence of this sample. Strong or otherwise, I will at least be merciful. Not every week during the season shall my random rhymes be inflicted upon my readers. It is strange how soon an old cricketer drops out of the memory of all but the most enthusiastic. One would have thought that anyone with even a slight knowledge of cricket history would have known something of the great deeds of such a light of other days as George Parr. Yet I remember well that on the evening of the day on which the notices of Parr’s death appeared in the papers I was talking to three or four men who followed current cricket pretty closely, one of whom was old enough to have seen Parr play when at his best; and I chanced to say, ‘ 1Did you see in the papers this morning that George Parr was dead ? ” “ George Parr ! Who on earth was he ? ” was the retort. And tbe ignorance was not assumed. This would have been understandable enough had it come from a man who knew nothing about the game. For instance, the friend, some account of whose arguments against the utility of cricket research I have given earlier in this paper, himself an Irishman, had never heard of Sir T. C. O’Brien! “ Did you ever hear of W.G. ? ” I asked. “ Oh yes; was’nt he the man who had the testimonial ? ” Our dear old Champion ! Is he destined to go down to posterity among those who are not of the cognoscenti as “ the man who had the testimonial ? ” One can imagine how in course of time it should come to be forgotten that the testimonialwas publicly subscribed as a recognition of his services to the game of cricket, and how some future historian, after much research, should hint darkly that there was that about £9,000 that savoured of rank political jobbery. I have often thought of compiling a few cricket examination papers, but have been kept from doing so, thus far, by this consideration : that most of the men who would be at all interested in them would easily be able to answer any question I could put—I could scarcely hope to puzzle such authorities as Mr. Holmes, Mr. Tate, Mr. Gaston and Mr. Lacy; while those whose ignorance would be made manifest by answering, could not be induced to attempt to do so. However, I will give one such paper, and will undertake not to repeat the experi­ ment if it meets with no approval. In any case, I shall be too busy with each week’s cricket, very shortly, to have space for anything of the sort for some months to come. Here goes, then, for CRICKET EXAMINATION PAPERS. - No. 1. 1. What first-class counties, in what years, have ever gone through a season of county cricket undefeated ? 2. Allocate to their respective counties, the following players: T. Armitage, J. Bray, W. Cropper, Mr. R. N. Douglas, Mr. J. Eccles, Mr. H. W. Forster, G. Griffith, G. P. Harrison, J. Jackson, Mr. G. M. Kemp, Mr. C. F. H . Leslie, Mr. F. A. MacKinnon, G. Nash, E. O’Shaughnessy, J. M. Preston, W . G. Quaife, J. Ricketts, H. H. Stephenson, Mr. C. I. Thornton, G. Ulyett, Mr. G. F. Yernon, E. G. Wenman, G. Yates. 3. In how many different ways is it possible to lose one’s wicket ? 4. Is it possible to be l.b.w. to a bowler bowling round the wicket ? Give reasons for your opinion. 5. Mention three well-known first-class players who were educated at each of the following public schools : Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Uppingham, Wellington, Marlborough, Repton. 6. Which were W.G.’s best years in first-class cricket as regards: (i.) Total number of runs scored; (ii.) average; (iii.) total number of wickets taken ? 7. What instances are there on record of father and son playing for the same side in a first-class match ? 8. What English batsman has made the most centuries against Australian bowling ? 9. For how many counties is it possible for a man to be eligible at one and the same time, and how ? Give any instance of which you know where a man has been eligible for more than two. 10. Give the name of the batsman who headed the Australian batting averages (first-class matches only) in the follow­ ing seasons: 1878, 1884, 1886, 1890, 1893. To the man with a thorough knowledge of cricket history this should prove an easy paper; but I fancy there are many who pose as authorities in a small way on the game who would find themselves sorely put to it if called upon to answer it without help from any book. I don’t suppose there will be many who will care to send me in answers; but if any should do so I shall be delighted to examine their papers. I must stipulate, however, that no recourse whatever should be had to books. If there is any desire expressed for my own replies to the questions asked I will give them in a later article. Iu a most interesting and genial le^te ■ which I received from him the other day, tbe Rev. H. A. Tate asks : “ How many centuries has Murdoch made in first-class cricket ? ” The answer may be of interest to others besides Mr. Tate, so, even at the risk of offending those who don’t care for “ those beastly dry statistics,” I will give the list here. If it were as long as Shrewsbury’s I should scarcely feel that I was doing justice to my readers in inserting it ; but as it will only run to twelve lines I feel that I may spare space for i t :—