Cricket 1896

106 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME. A pril 30, 1896. T h e Cape Town C.C. lias won all its championship games this season ; in fact the club has not lost a championship match for three years. T h e last match between Calcutta and Madras was played in 1884, and though in 1893 it was proposed to resume the series nothing came of it. Hopes are, however, expressed, that next Christmas will see another meeting between the teams. W it h reference to a remark in “ Between the Innings,” on April 16th, as to the instances of a side winning by a margin of an innings and over 400 runs in a first-class match, A. W. Armit- stead points out that Lancashire beat Somersetshire at Taunton last year by an innings and 462 runs. T h e unfinished innings of Kenny Bum for Wellington v. Derwent (Tasmania), to which reference was made last week in “ Pavilion Gossip,” ended for 213. During the past season Burn has seven times scored over a hundred, commencing on November 20th with 134 (not out) against the Richardson fam ily; next for Tram­ way against a Railway team, 146 (re­ tired) ; Wellington against Derwent, 121; Wellington v. Break o’Day, 117 (not out) in the first innings, and 162 (not out) in the second innings; South Tasmania v. Geelong Bohemians, 128; ending with Wellington v. Derwent match, in which he compiled 213 runs. His club average is 135. T h e season of 1895-96 of the Yokohama C.C. has been, as usual, successful. A good deal of money has been spent on improving the turf, but the club has a balance to its credit of $398’ 11. The event of the season was the cricket week during which the club drew with Kobe and Shanghai. On September 21st White scored 113 for the club against the Fleet. I n the past athletic year (cricket and football) just brought to a close by the finish of the football season, the Abbey School, Beckenham, has won no less than 26 matches out of 32 played, lost 3, and drawn 3. Their opposing teams include the largest preparatory schools in the Kingdom, and during the athletic year, both in cricket and football, the Abbey School beat every opponent it played, and only lost one match to three of them in the whole period. For the last three years the school has obtained over 80 per cent, of victories. With the help promised by W. L. Murdoch and K. S. Ranjit- sinhji for the coming cricket season, which opened at the nets (where cocoanut matting is laid down) last Saturday, the prospect is full of promise. T h e reconstitution of the Chiswick Park C.C., and on a proper footing, is a matter which is bound to interest every Cricket reader who knows anything of the clubs of great or greater London. For­ merly, the Chiswick Park Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club Company, Limited, carried on the ground and charged each member a certain sum as an annual sub­ scription, while itself arranging the fix­ tures, besides engaging professionals, and, indeed, managing affairs generally. O f late, however, we have changed all that. During last winter a committee, consisting of local cricket members, has been negotiating with the directors of the Company with the view, if possible, of inducing them to grant a lease of the cricket portion of the ground to the cricket members. These arrangements, it is satisfactory to be able to add, have been carried out, so that the Chiswick Park C.C. will for the future be carried on as a members’ club altogether uncon­ nected with the Company which holds the ground. T h e committee, it may be added, con­ sists of C. M. Tuke, A. Worsley, W. F. Fuller, A. A. Surtees, H. M. Forsett, W. Watson, J. Nicol, N. A. Loraine, and R. Clarke. H. D. Howes is the hon. treasurer, and Jas. Clarke, whose address is 33, Chancery Lane, the hon. sec. Among the principal clubs Chiswick Park plays this year are Hampstead, Wimble­ don, Homsey, Ealing, Richmond, Crystal Palace, Wanderers, Uxbridge, and North and East Ridings of Yorkshire C.C. Tours in the -South Coast and Thames Valley have also been arranged. E v e r y o n e who has read or heard the Harrow School songs, familiarised to the public ear by the sweet music of John Farmer, will remember Mr. Bowen’s delightful creation of the Leathery Duke in that best of Harrow songs, “ Willow, the King.” I t was the Leathery Duke who scored so high two or three months ago, when J. Worrall was making the hugh score which eventually proved to be the best on record, and I should fancy that this time the Leathery Duke in question is in the safe-keeping of the old firm at Pens- hurst. From the letter they had, and of which the following is a copy, it will, at all events, be their own fault if it has passed into other hands. 147 & 149, Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Feb. 11th, 1893. Dear Pips,—I have the honour to inform you that ike ball used in the World’s Record Match (see enclosed clipping from Melbourne Argus) was from your establishment. I was one of the umpires in the match, and was fortunate in securing the ball at the finish of the match. I thought you would like to hear this news, thus my object in writing. Yours truly, To Messrs. Duke & H. J. A l e s s i o , Sons, Penshurst. Umpire to V.C.A. P.S.—If you would like to possess the ball, reply to Age Office, Melbourne. T h e following circular, emanating from the Stockport C.C., will speak for itself:— “ Sam Brown has been our leading Pro­ fessional for 14 years. He cannot be expected to remainmuch longer in active service. It has been decided to accord him a Special Benefit before he finally retires. For this object the famous Harrow Wanderers have kindly consented to play us a two-days’ match on the 24th and 25th July. “ No club ever had a better servant thanwe have had in Brown. Besides being a first- class cricketer, he has always been courteous, steady, willing, and thoroughly honest. During the fourteen years he has been with us many tempting offers have been made to him by other clubs, but he never could be induced to leave us. “ It is to be hoped that all our members will shew their appreciation of Brown’s ser­ vices by contributing something, however small, to the benefit fund. Several members have already promised five pounds each. So good a start is surely an augury of a big success.” I n this matter I am like Douglas Jerrold’s footboy, who so reverenced the butler as “ always to say ditto t o - Mr. Giles.” At least of my own know­ ledge I am able to support, and heartily, the above appeal bearing the signature of Mr. J. Homer, the hon. sec. of the Stockport C.C. A t the match between the Lancashire X I. and Eighteen of Leyland and district on Monday, a presentation of a purse of gold and a timepiece was made to G. Nash, the old Lancashire county bowler. Nash has been the professional of the Leyland Club for ten years, and is now leaving Leyland for his native town of Aylesbury. Leo. G. R o bin so n writes from Durban as follows:— In a match played at Durban on March 28th, 1896 (Umzinto v. Durban), I was batting for Durban, and T. B. Ashton (Umzinto) was bowling. The first ball I received I stood out of my ground and hit. Ashton had noticed me leave my ground, and stood to bowl his next ball, when I again came out of the popping crease. Ashton immediately ran to his bowling crease, and deliberately threw the ball at my wicket. As it happened, the ball was wide on the leg side, and two runs were made. The question then arose, had the ball hit my wicket, should I have been out ? The obvious answer to this is that the bowler ought to have been no-balled by the umpire; and if this had been done, Mr. Robinson could not have been out bowled. As it is to be presumed that the bowler was not no-balled, Mr. Robinson would certainly have been out if the ball had hit the wicket, or if the wicket-keeper had stumped him. Of course, in any case, the batsman could have been run out if he had attempted to run. C o lo n el R h o d e s , one of the Reform leaders on whom sentence of death has just been passed at Pretoria, is, unless I am mistaken, the bold dragoon who scored so heavily as a subaltern some thirteen or fourteen years ago. After leaving Eton he entered the 1st Royal Dragoons in 1873, and some years later played a very important part as a run- getter in military and club cricket. One season when, if I remember rightly, he was in Ireland, he was particularly in evi^erce wi:!i SoVer.il hundreds to his credit.