Cricket 1896

M a y 7, 1896. CRICKET: A WEEKL? RECORD OF THE GAME. 121 Braund distinguished himself for the Next Seventeen b y getting rid of Brock­ well, Street, and Mr. Key with successive balls. This is a great feather in his cap, for even when short of practice these men are not easily disposed of as a rule. The other performance of the hat-trick was b y Roberts, the Gloucestershire bowler, against twenty-two colts. T h e downfall of the Surrey team in their match against the N ext Seventeen is not likely to awaken any great hopes b y other counties, that the eleven is played out. Richardson was not in form then, but it is by no means likely that he is going to be a failure this year; he is not the sort of bowler who collapses. Lohmann will soon be on the scene, and if reports are to be trusted, he is as good as ever. I t is true that Surrey could do very well with two or three new bowlers, but there are several men who may reasonably be hoped to come to the front. T he supply of really good cricketers seems to be decidedly on the increase at the Universities, and this year both Oxford and Cambridge ought to have teams far above the average. It will be extraordinary if they are not both ex­ ceedingly strong in batting, while in bow ling the prospects are much better than usual. The inclusion of G. L. Jessop in the Cambridge Eleven, and S'. Stocks, the Leicestershire amateur, in that of Oxford, would raise the standard of bow ling considerably. O w in o to the difficulty of persuading professionals to remain in Lincolnshire, and the lukewarm support which has of late been given to the County cricket club, together with an adverse balance, it has been thought advisable to dissolve the C.C.C. While this decision was inevitable, it is greatly to be regretted. It is but natural that good professionals, unable to make a living in their own county, should prefer to qualify for some other county which is able, as well as willing, to appreciate their services. A m o n g the spectators a t Lord’s on Monday after lunch were two elderly gentlemen, interesting and stout. One of them was slightly incoherent in his remarks, possibly because he felt the heat too much for him. He insisted to his friend that the match which was being played before him was between Yorkshire and Notts., and as a proof of this he triumphantly pointed to Mr. H . O. Pea­ cock, who, he said, was Lord “ ’Awke.” He was still under the impression that Yorkshire were playing Notts, when he went off the ground towards the end of the day’s play. A t present it seems probable that the place which is to be filled up in the Cam­ bridge Eleven will belong to a Freshman or Bray, who may get in fo r his wicket- keeping. A t the same time Bumup, who ought to have played in last year’s match at Lord’s, will probably have a chance if any of the eleven are out of form. He is a decidedly useful man to have in a team, for though his bowling has not been as successful as it seemed likely to be, it is occasionally useful, while his batting is bold and sound, and his fielding good. He does not seem to know what nervous­ ness means; and it is even betting that he would walk to the wickets at Lord’s without a shudder. He has made a good start in the Seniors’ match, and is certain of a good trial by his captain, whose own nerves are under splendid control. A m o n g the first-class cricketers who scored largely last week in club matches were G. Brann, 95, for Surbiton ; R. S. Lucas, 98 for Teddington, and 46 for a scratch team ; G. J. V. Weigall 86 (not out), for Blackheath. T h e Old Rossallians are making a strong effort to institute an annual cricket tour, and it is very much to be hoped that they will succeed in their object, for, apart from the fact that their presence will be welcome wherever they play, there is a great deal to be said in favour of Old Boys’ cricket tours. Matches have already been arranged for this year’s tour, in which it is probable that the veteran, Mr. Townshend, and Mr. F. A. Phillips, both Oxford Blues, will take a prominent part. The follow ­ ing matches comprise the to u r: JULY. 6. Lytham, v. Lytham. 7. Kendal, v. Kendal. 8. Sedbergh, v. Sedbergh School.* 10. Rossall, v. Rossall School.* 13. Eccles, v. The Western. •Two-day matches. T h e Gentlemen of Ireland team which is to play the M.C.C. and Ground at Dublin on May 14, 15 and 16, has been chosen as follows:—L. H . Gwynn, A. P. Gwynn, A .M . Porter (DublinUniversity), R. H . Lambert, S. C. Smith (Leinster), F. H . Browning, J. W . Hynes (Phoenix), A. D . Comyn, J. M. Meldon (Co. Galway), B. Hamilton, and W . D. Hamilton (Dondrum). T h e twenty-fifth anniversary of the Emeriti Cricket Olub was celebrated on April 28th by a dinner at the Sport’s Club. The Duke of Norfolk— a member of the club for a very long time—who was present at the dinner was to have taken the chair, but resigned in favour of Lord Clifford, the president of the club, and one of the original committee. Am ong the members who had written or telegraphed to the hon. secretary, J. G. O’Brien, regretting their inability to attend were Lord Denbigh, Lord Petre, Sir H. F. de Trafford, Sir T. C. O ’Brien and Mr. C. E. de Trafford. The number of members is increasing annually, and the match list is becoming more and more attractive. C a p t a in E. G. W y n y a r d , the Hamp­ shire cricketer, gave the R .M .C . a very severe test on Saturday, by bringing against them a team which included himself, Capt. Quinton, H . F. Ward, D. A . Steele and Baldwin, all of whom are in the Hampshire eleven. The two Captains each scored a hundred, while Baldwin and E. G. Kitchener, a recruit for the county, made hay with the B.M .C. wickets. Nevertheless, a beating such as the College had to bear, was excellent training for their team. T h e success of league matches for the smaller boys both in cricket and football, at Charterhouse, has been so great that a second cricket league has been formed. Whatever may be thought of leagues, when professionals are engaged in them, there cannot be much doubt that in schools they greatly tend to improve the cricket of the smaller boys. S h e l t o n is still the senior professional of the Phoenix Park C.C., Dublin. He must have been with the club for some twenty years. About a dozen years ago, he was a bowler who would not have done discredit to any English county team. H e is not to be connected with Shilton, the Warwickshire professional. In the match between the Vice-regal team and the Bar, which always attracts a fashionable Dublin crowd, Lord George Scott, the old Oxford Blue, made 55, and the Hon. W . Cadogan, 23 not out. The V ice-regal eleven was soundly beaten, although the Bar, according to the Irish Field, was for the most part composed of “ Has been’s and never was’s.” T he follow ing query is from Tarporley in Cheshire:— “ In a cricket match last week, the batsman hit a hall to leg rather sharply. The umpire failing to evade the course of the ball was struck on the shoulder, the ball glancing up in the air, and being caught by a fieldsman. Was the batsman out? There is considerable discussion on the point in the neighbourhood. ’ ’ This is an elementary question, and it is only necessary to say that the batsman was out, or at any rate, ought to have been. A n important addition has been recently made to the cricket grounds in in the neighbourhood of Aldershot by the preparation of a “ Playing Field ” in connection with the Army College, at Heath End. During the winter months the field in front of the College buildings has been levelled, no less than 6,000 cubic yards of earth having been moved in the operation. An absolutely level area, measuring 145 yards b y 90, has thus been secured. To the efforts of Mr. R. Courtenay Welch, the College is chiefly indebted for its new ground. A n o t h e r instance of the repetition of cricket was furnished by the Old Harrovian, F. G. H . Clayton, at Oxford on Monday. It was three years ago, if I remember rightly, that he furnished a sensation at the University, in the shape of two big innings of 230 and 70 (not out) m the Freshmen’s Match. On Monday last, if not quite so successful himself, he shared with another Old Harrovian the credit of a per­ formance very rare in any kind of mate .