Cricket 1896

122 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M a t , 7, 1896. Opening the batting with B. N. Bos- worth Smith for the latter’s eleven, he helped to put on 230 for the first wicket. Am ong the bowlers on the other side, were J. C. Hartley, who has been tried occasionally for Sussex with some success. The quality of the bow ling they had to play, naturally enhanced the merit of the feat of the two Harrovians considerably. T h e follow ing circular which has been sent to the chief clubs in England will speak for itself. Cricket readers will hardly need to be reminded of the services C. T. B. Turner rendered to Australian cricket, and thereby to the game generally. “ Town Hall, Sydney, N.S.W ., March 26, 189t>. “ D e a r S ir ,— Here in Australia we have just initiated a national testimonial on behalf of Mr. C. T. B. Turner, the New South Wales bowler. “ The idea occurred to us that we might be acting agreeably to your notions of propriety in matters cricketing if we gave the leading counties and cricketing public of England an opportunity of contributing to this worthy fund. “ We know well that supporters of cricket in England have a great deal to do with their money, both in maintaining the efficiency of English cricket and in providing the customary ‘ benefit’ matches for the different pro­ fessionals. Still, we also feel, since Mr. Turner had impressed his bowling prowess so deeply on the mind of cricketing England, that it might possibly be only a graceful act on our part were we to give you some chance of showing your appreciation of this brilliant and conscientious cricketer. “ W e are, yours faithfully, J. A. D o b b ie , B.A., T om D a v is , M.P., J a s . K id m a n , A ld. J . C. W a in e , Honorary Secretaries, Turner Testimonial.” L. C. BRATTND, who made his first appearance in the Surrey eleven this week, learned his cricket on the Athletic Ground at Richmond. His batting, while at practice at the nets there some three years ago, attracted the notice of one of the Surrey executive, with the result that he secured an immediate en­ gagement at the Oval. Y oung Braund, who is now only twenty-one, has done good service for the Richmond Town C.C. for some years. Latterly, too, his all­ round cricket has been of great use to Surrey’s second eleven. H e is a promising cricketer, being a likely bat with a neat style, as well as a fair bowler (fast round) and an excellent field. H e is keen on Association Football in addition. The Richmond Wednesday F.C ., of which he is hon. sec., owes its formation, last winter, in a great measure to him. N ot long since, I had occasion to refer, incidentally, to Lord Harris’s election to a seat on the Board of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway. Just lately, announcement has been made of his appointment to another responsible position in the world of commerce. This is the Chairmanship of the Naval Con­ struction and Armaments Company, at Barrow. T h a t Arthur Shrewsbury has been able to take his place in the Notts County eleven in the first match of the season, and that in weather, perhaps, a little too keen to be altogether pleasant, it is to be hoped may be accepted as a promising augury of his regular presence in the county team during the summer. It is true, the batting o f the side, generally, was not of a very high order. Still, the fact remains, that he was the highest scorer in the match with an aggregate of 73 as the outcome of his two innings. Gunn, who had made 85 for Notts Castle against Derby Midland at Derby, on Saturday, had to be content with scores of nineteen and one. S co tch cricket has lost one of its most prominent figures b y the death of D . B. Don Wauchope. A brother of the great Scotch half-back, he gave promise at Pettes College of attaining a high reputa­ tion himself as a footballer. As it was, an accident rendered it advisable for him to give up the winter game. Fortunately, it did not interfere with his pursuit of cricket, of which he was very fond. For the Grange Club he did good service both as a batsman and bowler. In Edinburgh cricket circles in particular he will be greatly missed. Like all the Don Wauchopes, he was keenly interested in athletic sports of all kinds. The programme for the Haverford College team, who are visiting England for a few weeks, commencing from the end of June, with a view to improving their cricket, is pretty nearly if not quite completed. The matches arranged for them are as follows :— JUNE. 29. Cheltenham, v. Cheltenham College.* JULY. 1. Winchester, v. Winchester College.* 4. Rug-by, y. Rugby School. 6. Haileybury, v. Haileybury College. 7. Marlborough, v. Marlborough College. 8. Lord’s, v. M.C.C.* 16. Repton, v. Repton School.* 18. Harrow, v. Harrow. 20. Oxford, v. H. Leveson-Gower’s Oxford Eleven.* 22. Godalming, v. Charterhouse School. 23. Eton, v. Eton College. 24. Clifton, v. Clifton College.* 27. Malvern, v. Malvern College.* * Two-day matches. The dates between July lOand 15 inclusive have been left vacant b y request in order to admit of the young Americans seeing the matches between Eton and Harrow, and Gentlemen and Players at Lord’s. W i l l i s C uttbll , who made his first appearance for Lancashire this week is, as are Albert Ward andBaker, a Yorkshire- man by birth. Like his father, who played for Yorkshire with considerable success a quarter of a century ago, the son, W . Cuttell, was tried for his native county. This was in 1890, and as he did little in the two matches in which he figured, the Yorkshire authorities evidently did not consider him worthy of a further trial. A Sheffielder “ by birth and education,” he had his first engage­ ment with the Lytham Club in 1886, when he was twenty years of age. Since 1888 he has been engaged exclusively in Lancashire— during the last four years for the Nelson Club, for which he has done excellent service by his all-round cricket. I t is not often that a bowler is fortu­ nate enough to secure a wicket, and a good wicket, with his first ball of the season for his county. It was Richard­ son’s experience this year for Surrey. Selected to commence the bow ling against Warwickshire on Monday in the opening match at the Oval, he sent down for a start a pretty good one, which knocked Walter Quaife’s middle stump out of the perpendicular. A wag sug­ gests that, by no means a sheer old hulk is Our Tom Bow ling. But this is not a comic paper. W i t h in the last few days, death has removed a cricketer who enjoyed a high reputation in the early part of the sixties. A contemporary of E. B. Faw ­ cett, D. R. Onslow, and others at Brighton College, William Hodson subsequently assisted Sussex, but only for a short time. Standing well over six feet, he had great hitting powers, which he used to advan­ tage. Besides, he was a splendid field, especially at long leg and cover. T h e responsibilities of his appointment as Governor of British Guiana, it will not surprise his friends to know, are hardly likely to wean Sir Augustus Hemm ing’s attention from the cricket field. A recent letter from him gives some interesting particulars of the game and its surround­ ings there. The cricket ground, he says, is excellent in dry weather, faster than anything we have an idea of in England, but very true. The Governor himself, though he could not have been there very long, had already, b y the sixteenth of April, gone up two or three times a week for practice, besides having a couple of games. The great want appears to be a lack of opponents, as there is only the one club there, so that matches between made-up sides, such as.Civil Service v. the Rest, have to be played. There are some very fair players with, by no means a rare experience, a want of good bow ling. I p the gentlemen (or ladies) who write about cricket for some of the newspapers, which only flirt with matters connected with sport, are to be believed, the Aus­ tralians must be the most arrant duffers ever seen on a cricket field. Because their batsmen (with the object of getting rid of all stiffness) hit out boldly, they are condemned as useless swipers; their bowlers are but poor creatures who, except that they occasionally make the ball “ talk,” are unworthy of their Colonies; their fielders are butterfingers. In fact, the team must be about on a level with a third rate London club. Nevertheless, if it happens to be vic­ torious, the phrase “ W e have all along prophesied, etc.,” will be doubtless available.