Cricket 1896

162 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M a y 28 , 18 96. ‘ Nay, m y lord, ask Sugg what he is d o in g ! ’ Once, at Southampton, Mr. Bancroft came in to bat. He occasionally, as you know, runs his partner out, but this time he held his bat towards me and said, ‘ Now this time I ’m not going to run anybody out at all.’ After the third over, he forgot about this, called Soar, and I ran him out b y three yards; but he apologised so nicely to Soar that he did not mind a bit.” ‘ ‘ Have you ever run your broth er out ? ” “ I don’t think so. But he and I have often argued whether there is a run if the ball is played to cover point slowly, and once we were able to test our theories. H e playedthe ball slowly towards me and called Briggs, who must have seen before he got half way what was likely to occur, for he called out, ‘ Oh, F ran k ! ’ As it happened, the ball hit the sticks without Storer having to handle it, and Briggs had only got about three parts of the way. I daresay Briggs will remember this. I should like to say that I have to thank Storer for a great many ‘ run outs.’ No matter whether the ball comes to him as a half volley, or a full pitch at his head, it all seems the same to him, and I cannot recall an in­ stance of his missing to take it. I par­ ticularly remember the way in which he ran out Holland last year, at Leicester, from a very bad return of mine.” Good bat as he is and useful change bowler, Sugg has gained his greatest renown as a wonderfully fine field, and he is certainly one of the men who are worth playing in a county team for their fielding alone. It is hardly too much to say that as soon as the bat is raised he can tell pretty nearly where the ball is going. Every ball that is bowled means something to him, as indeed it should—but often does not— to every fielder. During one season he broke a finger, which he had broken in nearly the same place in the previous year, and he did not get it set until cricket was over. “ The finger never improved, for I was constantly hit on it,” he said, “ but I dared not go to a doctor in case he should tell me that it must be cut off—for it was very bad. A t the end of the season my doctor put the finger in splints, and before the next season it was again quite sound, only very much deformed.” “ Y ou did not run out many men during that season ? ” “ I think I ran out about 25— four were in one match—and after it was over, seven members of the committee came up to me and each handed me a sovereign as talent money. I need hardly say that I was very greatly pleased at this kind­ ness ; the more so, as at least tw o of the gentlemen— the Hon. W . M. Jarvis and Mr. John Smith—had been splendid fields when they played cricket.” *•Can you remember any of your best catches ? ” “ I remember catching Mr. D e Trafford, at Derby, off a ball which came nearly three yards to m y left hand. M y fingers touched the ground when I got the ball. But this is one of the chances of the gam e; they may come off and they may n o t; they generally don’t. I also remember catching Lockwood—he will remember it too. Y ou know that stroke which men make when they try to drive, and the ball goes quickly off the edge of the bat high over cover-point’s head ? H e made a stroke like this and I made the catch after running in the same direc­ tion as the ball at full speed for nearly 20 yards. Last year I caught Lohmann out in much the same way, and the Surrey players reminded me of the other catch, though it was some years ago. But catches like these are a great deal due to luck, and one is apt to forget the catches one misses. I shall, however, never forget one per­ formance of mine in missing catches. When I first began to play for Derbyshire we had not a good fielding side, and catches were often dropped. Oddly enough, they never came to me. So, before one match, I said, 11 wish to goodness some o f these catches would come to me.’ They did come—three of them ; and I dropped them all.” “ What was your first important score for Derbyshire ? ” “ It was 53 against Essex. W e had been travelling all night, and six of our best bats were out for 41 runs. Then I went in at 12.30 to partner Chatterton, and at half-past four we were still to­ gether. Chatterton made over 120. At the present time I might, perhaps, if I had happened to come off, have made twice my own score in the same time, for I played a much slower game in those days.” “ H ow do you account for your falling off in batting a few years ago for two or three seasons.” “ I have always thought that it was chiefly due to having to go in ninth or tenth. M y non-success ended in a match during which Bag^Jiaw was taken ill. H e usually goes in first wicket down, and although I had bagged a brace in the previous match at Birmingham I was sent in to take his place, and was fortunate enough to get 121. Since then I have gone in earlier with beneficial results to my average and, I hope, to the county.” On one occasion Sugg was able to place even Carpenter, the great umpire, in a quandary. “ I had been severely hit on the arm,” he remarked, “ b y Bishop, the Essex bowler, while batting, and when we went out to field, I was unable to use it. When Bishop went in to bat he made a hit towards a far distant boundary. On the way after the ball, I began to wonder how I was going to throw it back to the wicket with my left arm, and I turned round to look at the batsmen, who were running their fourth run. Under these circumstances I just touched the ball with my foot and sent it to the boundary. Carpenter was in a dilemma and did not know what to do. H e said that he could see I had done it on purpose, but that he should allow only four, and would get the opinion of the M.C.C. as a guide for the future. I never knew what the result of his appeal to the M.C.C. was. Some people said that it ought to have been eight— four for an overthrow, but I must say that I don’t see where the overthrow comes in.” A t the annual meeting of the Derby­ shire C.C.C., a letter was read from Sugg who applied for a benefit in 1897. The chairman spoke warmly in favour of giving him a benefit match, and said that Sugg played cricket for pure love of the game. H e wished there were more like him. The resolution to give Sugg a benefit was cordially adopted. W . A. B e t t e s w o k t ii . WEST WKATTING PA RK v. N IH ILISTS.—Played at W est Wratting on May 23. W est W r a ttin g P a r k . W .N . Cobbold,c Bul­ lock, b De Zoete Z- ■ 29 W .R . Gray, c W ilbra- ham, b De Zoete ... 10 F. S. Nisbet, b W il- G. M. *T. Smyth, not out ............................. 82 A. F. Lumsden, not out ......................... 36 E xtras.....................10 Total (4 wkts) *230 braham .................. 39 W . L. B. Hayter, b De Zoete.......................... 24 G. M. Yates. C. M. King, R. Turner, W . R. Grieve and C. Mitford did not bat. *Innings declared closed. N ih il ist s . Hon, O. Bridgman, b Hayter .......... ... 0 G .E.W inter,bH ayter 7 H. W . De Zoete, Hayter .................. J.H. Bullock,c Smyth, b H ayter.................. T. Headlam, b King... G. F. Gowers, c and b Hayter ................... Hon. R.B.Wilbraham, b H a y te r.................. 9 N.Malcolmson, not out 7 A. W . J Cecill, c Tur­ ner, b K ing ...........22 D.Macpherson, not out 1 E xtras.................. 1 Total (8 wkts) 84 R. W orley did not bat. WEST W RATTING PARK v. TR IN ITY H ALL, CAMBRIDGE (2).—Played at W est Wratting on May 18. T r in ity H a ll . M. C. Hill, b Hayter 4 H. Jenner-Fust, b Hayter ................... 3 A. W . Browne, b Hayter .................. 62 F. S.Weston, c Smyth, b Nisbet .................. 4 M. N. Mackinnon, b Hayter ................... 1 E. Homer, c King, b Hayter .................. 4 S. Clayhills, b Hayter 9 A. M. Darson, run out 26 G. C. Tracey, c Smyth, b N isb e t.................. 20 J. H. S. Batten, not out .......................... 12 R.W . Heath, b Hayter 8 Extras .......... 5 Total ...148 W est W r a ttin g P a r k . F. S. Nisbet, b Mac­ kinnon .................. 1 W . N. Cobbold, b Hill 0 G. M. T. Smith, b H ill 45 W . L. B. Hayter, not out ...........................86 C. M. King, W . R. Gray, C. Mitford, W . R. Grieve, and D. Macpherson did not bat. A. F. Lumsden, b Hill 12 G. M. Yates, not out 32 Extras .......... 8 Total (4 wkts) 184 CRYSTAL PALACE v. CHISW ICK P A R K .-Played at Crystal Palace on May 23. C h isw ick P a r k . A . Priestly, b Lulham 7 Capt. Cooper-Cales, c Bicknell, b Lulham 10 J. Clarke, b Cosens ... 11 A .W . Watson, c Bick­ nell, b Cosens........... A.Worsley, c Bicknell, b C osens.................. : A . A. Surtees, c J. C. Umney, b Lulham... : R. L. Finnis, b W . F. Umney .................. C r y s t a l P a la c e . S. Colman, c Finnis, b Worsley ...........12 F. H. Nelson, c and b Worsley .................. 25 E. H. Lulham, lbw, b Clarke .................. 3 C. Mitchell, b Worsley 5 G. E. Bicknell, c and b Worsley ...........29 A. Cesens, run out ... 10 E. E. Barnett, c J. C., b W . F. Umney ... A. K. Brown, lbw, b Lulham ................... A.H . Wall, c Mitchell, b W . F. Umney ... Green, not out .......... B .......................... Total Dr. W .F.Umney, lbw, b Clarke .................. 0 R. H. Dillon, not out 70 H. R. Ladell, b Clarke 5 J.C.Umney,c Watson, b Surtees............... 13 W . E. Barber, not out 14 B 6, lb 1 ........... 7 Total (9 wkts.) ...193 C RICKET GROUND.—The London County Council Athletic Association are willing to let for cricket only during the months of August and September their ground at W ormholt Farm, Shepherd’s Bush, which is about ten minutes’ walk from Shepherd’s Bush and Uxbridge Road Stations.—Communications to Montagu H. Cox, Hon. Eec., Spring Gardens, S,W ,