Cricket 1896

CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J a n . 30, 1896. CR ICK E T IN SOUTH A FR ICA . WESTERN PROVINCE v. CAPE TOWN. The second match of the season be­ tween these clubs, played on December, ended in a very equal draw. H. E. Smith, the Surrey bowler, took eleven wickets of Cape Town for 157 runs. Rowe had seven of Western Province for 86. Score:— W estern P rovince . A. Richards, c Street, b Rowe .................17 Hearne, b Rowe......... 7 Capt. Cuthbertson, c Street, b Rowe ... 13 M. Bissett, lbw, b Rowe........................90 W . H. Richards, b Rowe........................10 V. Van der Byl, b Middleton ......... 0 C ape T own . First Innings. C. F. Prince, c Reid, b Van der Byl................. Smith, b Middleton .. 27 H.H. Castens, b Rowe 14 A. Reid, c Prince, b Middleton ......... 3 F. B. Moore, lbw, b Rowe........................21 B. Graham, not ou t... 6 Extras ..........16 Total .224 Second Innings H. H. Francis, b Smith 9 c Cuthbertson, b Smith ..........76 42 c A. Richards, b Smith ............ 29 Street, c Milton, b Smith ... 27 c A. Richards, b Graham..........81 J. Anderson, c Richards, b Hearne ........................ 9 c Smith, b Van der Byl ............54 C. Allen, b Smith.................28 c Heame, b Van der Byl ............ 22 L. B. Smuts, c Richards, b Sm ith............................... 10 Middleton, c Castens, b Smith F. Kuys, b Hearne A. Lawton, b Smith ... J. Willoughby, not out G. Rowe, b Hearne Extras................. Total ......... 6 not out................. 0 c Van der Byl, b Smith .......... 0 b Smith .......... 2 st Castens, b Smith .......... 2 not out................. 9 Extras.......... ..145 Total (8wkts.)221 CR ICK E T IN M ADRAS . B y an A nglo -I ndian . I have often heard the question asked, in fact, I have myself often put it— “ Why does Cricket have so little about Indian cricket in general, and almost nothing of Madras cricket in particular ? ” —The real reason, I suppose, is that no one out here has quite sufficient energy to write and tell you anything about what happens; so being' a firm believer of “ the better the day the better the deed ” theory, I will this Christmas Day indite you a few lines, which if they do nothing else may act as an example to others better qualified than myself to give information. Cricket iu Madras, it is unnecessary to inform Cricket readers, or, at any rate, those of them who remember the results of the matches played by Lord Hawke’s Team in this Presidency three years ago, is of by no means indifferent quality in the better class matches. Madras, indeed, at the present time could probably place as strong an all-round team in the field as either Bombay, Bengal, the North- West, or Central Provinces, to say no­ thing of Burma, between whom (not forgetting Ceylon and Singapore) we may in a few years time see a similar competition to that now waged by the Australasian colonies for Lord Sheffield’s trophy. The last occasion when a representative Madras Presidency team took the field was just a year ago, when a strong team went up to Bombay to tackle the Bombay Presidency and the Parsis, though in neither case did the cricketers from the South prove successful. Excuses, though, were justifiably made for their then com­ paratively indifferent show. As besides the fatigues of the journey proving too much for one or two members of the team, who owing to cii cumstances could not get a proper amount of rest before going into the field to play, the best bowler on the side cut his hand so badly as to be practically unable to bowl, while two of the other invalids were his chief understudies in the bowling department. This year, however, it was confidently anticipated that, whether Lord Hawke’s team come to Madras or not, the Christ­ mas holidays would at least produce a couple of interesting matches with Bom­ bay and the Parsis, and preparations for both these were practically complete, and the team to represent Madras actually discussed in the principal cricket organ of the Presidency, when, like a bolt from the blue, it was announced that the Bombay authorities could not see their way to send a team as one of their best men could not play. That, at least, is the generally accepted reason given for this disgraceful breach of cricket faith, and it would be hard to find a feebler one. Scarcely had the indignation at this news subsided, when it was whispered that the Parsis were taking advantage of the belief that their presence at Madras this Christmas was indispensable, and asking for the whole, or a portion of their expenses—an almost inconceivable piece of meanness for the representatives of the richest of all Indian communities to be guilty of. This led to the second match being off, as the Madras people very rightly declined to be the first to in­ troduce an entirely new feature into Indian cricket, and efforts were then made to get a team over from Ceylon, but with­ out avail, so that a very interesting point as to how the places in the Madras Presidency team would be filled remains in abeyance. There has, however, been some talk of a fully representative Presidency eleven taking the field against a Madras native team, but whether this is arranged this season or not, it will not be long delayed, as signs are not wanting that the native colleges could evpn now put such a team into the field as would take a really good Presi­ dency eleven all its time to dispose of, there being at Bangalore just now a particularly fine batsman of the name of Jayaram, who, so good judges tell me, might speedily develop into a Ranjit- sinhji, given the opportunities, while some of the bowlers at the Madras Presidency College would take their part in the best of cricket. As yet, though, unfortunately there exists nothing in the way of combination between native schools and cricket clubs, but this once given they will prove a hard nut for the best to crack, and with a Governor of Madras, such as Lord Harris of Bombay, the cricket prospects of the so-called “ benighted ” Presidency would be un­ exceptionable. Lord Wenloch, the present man, who retires so shortly in favour of Sir Arthur Havelock, has never taken the keen practical interest in cricket that might have been expected from an old Quidnunc and I. Z. player, but then early in his career as Governor of Madras, Mr. Labouchere, in Truth, suggested that the famine-struck millions of Madras were left to die without the gubernatorial care, while H. E. was disporting himself with his staff at cricket! A gross perversion of the facts even for Truth, but sufficient to put rather a damper on Lord Wenloch’s cricket, and, in fact, except for an occasional game at Ootacamund, when Government has been away at the Hills, he has never played, making his first appearance in a match at Madras itself last week. However, I must not run on like this, but may mention just a few names of the best men now available in Madras to show that I have not been speaking without the book in what I said about a good team being procurable. The most recent player at home of those now out here is H. C. King, who was in the Marlborough Eleven the same year as A. G. Steel. That he is still fairly useful may be gathered from the fact that, when last in England he was considered good enough to play for M.C.C. and Ground v. Yorkshire at Scarborough, though sad to say he did not there shine, at any rate with the bat. Another comparative oldster is R. J. H. Arbuthnot, wiio has played for Kent on occasion when in England; while still another of the “ Old Brigade ” who can be counted on to field and catch with the best of ’em, besides being as good a bat as ever, is H. G. Wedderburn, who was nearly, if not quite, an Oxford Blue some quarter of a century ago. All these are household words in Madras cricket, though possibly they would all have to give way now to younger men, of whom H. Reynolds as an all-rounder, is perhaps entitled to first place. He will be well remembered about London as a cricketer, as for Kensington Park a few years ago, he both made runs and took wickets, a trick he still possesses. Bob Thoms, I know, wanted him for Middlesex one season, but he could not get away. Then another good all-rounder is H. R. Ellison, a nephew, I believe, of that good old cricketer, the Yorkshire President. He never did much while at Cambridge, but now would undoubtedly be chosen before a good many of the men who worea cricket blue at the time he was in residence. If I go on like this, though, I shall be tres­ passing on the functions of the Selection Committee, should that body be called into existence in the near future, besides which it would be invidious to make any­ thing approaching a list of representative Madras cricketers without more time than I can give to the subject even on Christ­ mas clay. So I will content myself to referring the more curious to the reports of the matches being played this week at Madras, which—despite the behaviour of the Bombay and Parsi cricketers ( “ chuckers ” they have only too justly been termed)—has from a cricket point NEXT ISSUE, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27th.