Cricket 1896

“ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron. N o . 4 2 3 . V O L . X V . THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 1896. PRICE 2d. CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD. COLONEL J. PENNYCUICK, C.S.I. The exigencies of military life in the Royal Engineers have been the cause that most of Colonel Pennycuick’s cricket has been played m India, where he has been located during the last thirty-five years. During that time he has, of course, frequently been able to come home, so that he has never lost his conncction with English cricket, whirh began long before he went to India. He has now retired from active service and is living in Kent. Altogether he has pl»y» d in about 600 matches, has scorf d 12,000 runs, and taken 2,300 wickets at an average cost of nine runs. Last season, when in his fifty-fifth year, he took 90 wickets, and 100 in tho previous season. In 1866 ho took 210 wickets. This is a very fine record for any man, more especially for one whose duties are constantly clashing with the game. Among the performances upon which the Colonel looks back with the greatest pleasure are his six wickets for 36 and seven for 40 for Madras against Bangalore, and five wickets for 33 ; and five for 24 in another match between the same clubs. Both thes-* matches were the return, and both ended in favour of Madras, whereas the first matches had been disastrous to them. To the efforts of the Colonel is due very much of the improve­ ment which has taken place of late years in native cricket. He was extremely popular both with the natives and the Europeans, including the chief officials, and after the Madras C.C. Jubilee pinner, which took place just before his departure, he was chaired in triumph to his carriage. At the dinner he received a most interesting momento of his cricket in India in the shape of a beautifully framed set of photographs of Madras cricket grounds. It was only to be expected that the Colonel would be able to recall many interesting experiences both in Jndia and in England. “ One of the matches m which I was playing for the M.C.O.,;Vhe «iid, “ was against Marlborough College. At one end of the ground a very rough lot of people had got in from outside and began chaffing (if their remarks could be called chaff) our long leg, a fine powerful fellow of about six feet. After standing this for quite a long time he turned round on them and said : ‘ Look hore, you fellows, I ’m not a match for you at this kind of chaff, but J’m ready to tako any two of you on in another way.’ The conversation then dropped suddenly, and there was no more chaff. I am nearly sure that the long leg was A. W. Tritton. I saw A. G. Steel playing for Marlborough against Cheltenham in 1877, and predicted that in five years’ time he would be the best all-round man in England, with the exception of W . G. Grace; he seemed to have no nerves at all. The only time I ever played against him was at Horsham, for the M.C.C. Ho bowled me two or three ordi­ nary slow balls, and I was just beginning to think that he was a good deal over-rated as a bowler, when he stuck in one at about forty miles an hour and knocked my off stump about ten yards out of the ground. I told him that it was playing it very low on me to call him­ self a slow bowler.” “ Did you often go on tours for the M .C .C .?” “ Sometimes. I remember going to Scotland for the M.C.C. in 1876. We were playing against Perthshire, at Perth, and Rylott was in the long field. Whenever a ball came in his direction a beast of a dog went for it, and then Rylott had to wrestle with the animal to get it out of his mouth. This gener­ ally took quite a long time, but the batsmen always continued to run until the ball was thrown up. It did not seem to occur to any of our opponents that this was not cricket, and no one offered to remove the d og; in fact the crowd were highly de­ lighted. But Rylott did not seem to see any fun in it, and he was considerably worked up at last. I had been on tour in Scotland with the Foresters in 1870, and I went with the Crystal Palace in 1883. It was wonderful how the cricket had improved in those 13 years. The Foresters won all their matches, but the Crystal Palace, although the team was a very hot one, lost them all but one.” Of exciting finishes the Colonel has had a fair share. In a match between Vellore and Doveton College (the principal European school in Madras) it was evident that there was going to be a close finish, “ and,” said the Colonel, “ both sides agreed to go on regardless of the clock. When the College had lost nine wickets, and still had 4 runs to make, it was so extremely dark that we agreed that the next over should be the last, whatever happened. I was bowling, and the ball was skied straight up. I believe that nobody but me saw the ball, and I ran and caught it between the batsman’swicket and the popping crease, and we won. Our adversaries declared that I must have had another ball in my pocket, and produced it at tho right moment instead of the one we were playing with.