Cricket 1896

“ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron. no. 484. v o l. xv. THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 1896. f b i c e aa. CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD. MR. C. McGAHEY. It is only a few years since Mr. McGahey began to play cricket for Essex, but he is already considered as one of the best bats in the team. With the crowd he is a very great favourite, as a man who can field brilliantly and can and does hit very hard is bound to be. He did not blossom into a great cricketer all at once—few men who hit much can ever do this—but even his failures showed that he was likely to be a useful man before very long. He has gone through the usual experi­ ence of trying to play a steady game with more or less success, but he was meant by nature to be a hitter, and it is probable that a hitter he will remain ; as such he is more likely to be useful to his county than in any other way. Mr. McGahey is well known in the football world as a powerful and clever full back, and though he has not yet played for his country, there is no reason why ho should not do so later, for he improves year by year. For a long time he has been the main­ stay of the City Ramblers team. In 1894 he played in nearly all the Essex cricket matches, but was dropped against Yorkshire and Oxford University. As it happened this was decidedly bad luck for him, for these two matches were played on hard wickets, whereas he had played on nothing but dead ones. He was, however, chosen to play against Hampshire, and after making 10 in the first innings, scored his first hundred in the second, when a total of 256 had to be made if the match was to be won. “ But we lost by nine runs,” he said, “ although F. E. Rowe scored 66 . It was an ex­ citing finish and, as you can imagine, I was very disappointed indeed when we were beaten. In 1895 I was more successful than in 1894. My highest score was 147 against Somerset at Taunton, but you will remember that our total was 692, and that they really had only two bowlers, Mr. Woods and Tyler. I well remember Carpenter being missed by Tyler when he had made about 30, and then making 18 and 16 off his next two overs. Few bowlers can have had a more painful experience.’ * “ You used to be a bowler when you were young?” “ I was never very much good at bowling. This may or may not have been because I didn’t get a chance of going on until two men were very firmly set, and was soon taken off. I used to get a little work from the off when the wicket helped me. Now that I occasion­ ally get a chance of bowling, I have to all intents and purposes given it up.” ‘ ‘ But you go on sometimes in county matches?” “ Yes, I go on. I have never got a wicket in first-class matches, but I havn’t been punished very much; as, however, I have only been on three or four times this isn’t very remarkable. I thought during the last Surrey match that I really had got a wicket at last, for I was bowling to Abel when he hod made 199, and I made sure that he was caught at the wicket, but the umpire didn’t think so. I was very pleased to see Abel make the next run, and so bring his score to 200 , but I must own that I could have seen him out off my bowling at 199 without a pang.” “ Where do you prefer to field ? ” “ I like the long field best. All last year I was deep field to Mead and down at the sheet when Kortright was on. I didn’t have many catches—perhaps five or six. You see it is the longest odds against getting one at fine deep leg off .’iortright, and as Mead has two men out the batsmen are as a rule very careful. Last year I dropped Abel at Leyton when he had made about 60 ; he made more before he was out. It was the easiest catch imaginable, and I don't know how I could have missed it, but the ball wouldn’t stop in my hands. When we were playing Yorkshire at Harro­ gate 1 caught Brown low down at mid off, and in making the catch I had to fall down at full length, with the result that I was smothered in mud, and must have looked a pretty picture when 1 stood up again.” “ Do you think that Mr. Kort­ right is faster than Richard­ son ? ” “ I think he is, more especially in the first dozen overs or so. I know that the ball comes to me down by the sheet at a tremen­ dous rate, but we have a viry good wicket-keeper, who doesn’t allow many byes. I don’ t think that Kortright has ever bowled faster or better than he did against Surrey last year, when he took six wickets in fifteen balls. The first time 1 ever played against Richrirdson was at the Oval, when he took all ten wickets. I had never seen a bowler quite like him before, and from the way in which he bowled that day I wondered how it was possible to play him at all. He bowled me with a ball which pitched a little off the off stump and hit the leg stump ; with his pace this sort of ball may be very interesting at practice, but in a match it is a little too much of a good thing. Brockwell made a hundred in this match, and the score altogether was very large. I felt, very sore for a couple of days afterwa*d$ through running about so much in th$ field.” M r . C. M c G a h e y . From a Photo by R. W. Thomas , Cheapside, London , E.C.