Cricket 1896

242 CBICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J une 25, 1896. T h a t the life-long interest of the late Earl of Bessborough in Harrow cricket is to be perpetuated on the spot where his good offices were most exercised, is only a fitting recognition of his unceasing devotion to the School. A handsome raised seat of oak has lately been erected on the Nicholson Ground overlooking the Sixth Form Ground. It bears the follow ­ ing inscription :— “ This seat is a memorial of Frederick George Brabazon, sixth Earl of Bessborough, a life-long friend of Harrow. It was erected by Edward Ponsonby, Viscount Duncannon, C.B.” C. J. M. F o x , whose forthcom ing marriage I mentioned in Gossip a fort­ night ago, it appears from a recent an­ nouncement in the Daily News, took unto himself for a wife, Alice, second daughter of the late Thomas Flem ing Robinson and Mrs. Eobinson, of 22, Yictoria Eoad, Gipsy H ill, the very day I wrote,| Wed­ nesday, June 10th to wit. T h e same paper which contained! the notice of this event, also included the marriage (on June 13th) of another cricketer, H . E. W . Hoffmeister, who played once or twice for Hampshire. And just lately the cricketers of Somerset­ shire have combined to give a suitable present to the Eev. A. P . Wickham, who, rumour has it, is to be married again this week. T h e Haverford College team which reached Liverpool yesterday on the s.s. Belgenland consists of fourteen players. They are accompanied by Dr. Mustard, professor of Latin in the College and Mr. Henry Cope, an alumnus of the College in 1869. E ight of the Haverfordians, it maybe added, are Friends and two of them of Quaker ancestry, so that they fittingly represent a Quaker College. T h e object of the visit to England is of ci urse to see where they really stand in ciicket and to learn how the game is played in the best of our schools. The team probably averages in age two or three years older than the school elevens they will meet, but on the other hand most of them as cricketers are only four years old, and under. Haverford College is rather an after school and bears a reputa­ tion in America hardly, if at all inferior to Yale or Harvard. W oodcock, the Leicestershire ciicketer, was a profes­ sional at Harvard for several years. W h e n Mr. Webbe had nearly reached fifty against Gloucestershire, W .G . went on to bowl, and, at exactly the proper time, gave the old Oxonian a full pitch to leg, which was, of course, utilized. W .G . must have, by this time, deliberately bow led some hundreds of full pitches to leg just when a batsman has been yearn­ ing to make his 50 or his hundred. No wonder that he is considered a good sportsman by all his opponents. T h e follow ing incident actually took place in a match at Hounslow on Satur­ day. T h e last two men were in and 50 runs were still wanting to win. One of the batsmen, playing a ball between the wickets, started with the hope of making a run. Finding the wicket-keeper also going for the ball, and doubting his ability to get across he turned to regain his crease. In turning he slipped and the wicket-keeper getting to the stumps put them down before the batsman recovered his ground. “ H ow ’s that p” brought the unexpected answer “ not out.” Asked for his reason the umpire readily replied, “ I gave him not out because the wicket-keeper took the ball in fron t o f the wicket.” R. F. F ox , who kept wicket for Oxford University at the Oval this week while Mr. Lewis was resting, seems to have been a rather accidental find for the captain. Though a Senior, he was prac­ tically unknown to the authorities, at all events, as a stumper of any pretentions. In consequence he took no part in any of the trial matches, and it was only recently at the nets that his capabilities as a wicket-keeper came into notice. H e was first tried for the University against M .C.C. and Ground at Oxford early in the month. In the Surrey match he kept very creditably indeed, more par­ ticularly as his hands were in anything but a fit state. I f the wicket at Lord’s had kept in the same condition on Wednesday morning as it was on Tuesday, there would hardly have been a question about the ability of the Englishmen to easily make the rims. But after rain in the night, and again in the morning, the ball kicked very con­ siderably— especially the frequent short ones off the fast bow lers—and run-getting became a fine art. The Australians spoiled everything b y missing three catches at a very critical time. I n the Irish Field of June 20th, there is a charming description of a lucky innings. The batsman “ pushed, prodded, and jabbed, and jabbed, prodded, and pushed, till like the player immortalized iu Norman Gale’s verse, ‘ the man who enicketh the length ball,’ the trick grew stale.” But the writer of the verse is A. H . C. Cochrane, the old Oxonian, and not Norman Gale. F o r some reason or other the number thirteen is generally spoken of as unlucky. Surrey men may, perhaps, think there is something in this, for the first (and only) county match lost b y Surrey this season was the thirteenth played. T h e splendid stand made by Gregory and Trott in the Australian second innings, which at one time made the prospect of a victory for their side by no means unlikely, is all the more to be admired because of the failure of nearly all the rest of the team. It must be very discouraging to our visitors to have to consider that of the twenty-two innings played b y them in the match only five produced more than twenty runs, and only two more than thirty runs. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. A P ublic S chool B o y .— Thanks for your suggestion. A S ubscriber and O ld C r ic k e t e r .— Tour letter was too late to be of any use. The following are some of the latest hundreds:— S. Boulton, Cirencester v. Marlboro’ College ...108* B r o w n , Y o r k s h ir e v . L e i c e s t e r s h ir e ......................... 131 . H ir s t , Y o r k s h ir e v . L e i c e s t e r s h i r e ......................... 107 . Dr. G . T h o r n t o n , M id d l e s e x v . G l o s t k b s h ir b 161. W . M c G . H e m in g w a y , C a m . U n iv . v . S u ss e x ...104] F. M it c h e l l , C a m b r id g e U n iv e r s it y v . S u ss e x 110 I P. W a d d y , O x f o r d U n iv e r sit y ' v . S u r r e y ...........107* G. H. S. T r o t t , A u s t r a l i a v . E n g la n d ...........143 S. E. G r e g o r y , A u s t r a l ia v . E n g l a n d ...........103 F. Huntley, Dulwich v. Grecians .......................... 135* A. R. Power, Tonbridge School v. Blue Mantles 115 Rev.R.T.Thornton, Blue Mantles v. Ton. School 119 D. L. A . Jephson, Burlington "Wan. v. Granville 132* R. J. Sivers, Hampton W ick v. Addiscombe ...160* J.H.R.Fraser, Haileybury Col. v. Kensington Pk. 126* H. H. Scott, Streatham v. Beckenham ... ...........100* R. Williams, Wanderers v. Granville .................. 126 H .Y.Bullock, Goldsmiths’ Ins. v. Champion Hill 105 W . J. L. Brewer, Billericay v. Brentwood ...........101* * Signifies not out. RICHMOND “ A” v. CHISW ICK PA RK .—Played at Chiswick Park on June 20. C h is w ic k P a r k . Capt. Cooper Coles, b Dick 2 H. Fawcett, b Gibbon 15 H. E. F. Teck, b Gib­ bon ..........................32 H. D. Howes, b Dick 0 C. L. Deam, b Docker 21 H.L.Horton, b Docker 7 F, Compton, retired h u r t ..........................19 Prendergast, b Dick ... W . Caxon, c Packer, b Dick .......................... L. W . Birt, not out ... H. D. Birt, b Dick B 24, lb 7, w 1, nb 1 33 Total ..151 R ic h m o n d . A. S. Bull, c and b Howes .................. 7 E. Evershed, b Howes 45 D. A . J. Bacon, c Deam, b Howes ... 7 J. J. Gibbon, b Pren­ dergast .................. 29 J. L. Packer, F. Kemp, llabbidge did not bat. L. Docker, run out ... 4 S. A. Williams, not out .......................... 7 A . L. Sloper, not out 1 B 15, lb 2, w 1, nb 4 22 Total ... Dick, and ...122 F. P. DULW ICH (2) v. GRECIANS (2).—Played at W est Norwood on June 20. D u l w ic h . F. Huntley, not out...135 S. Pulbrook, b Percy... 3 11. E. Mayo, b Gill ... 16 G. H. Reed, b Percy... 35 C. Whitehurst,cLilley, b G ill......................... 47 Extras.................. 13 Total ... *249 S. B. Halbert, C. W . Johnson, B. Heasman, W . H. Hutchinson, H. T. Lighton, and A . N. Other did not bat. * Innings declared closed. G r e c ia n s . E. Lilley, b Lighton... J. Locke, b Lighton... F. Curra, b Lighton . C. C. Percy, b Lighton E. Pope, c sub, b Lighton .................. H. Keighley, c sub, b Lighton ................... 15 N. H uggett,b Halbert 14 F. R. Pope, b Lighton 0 A . Keighley,b Halbert 2 B. Russell, b Halbert 2 J. Gill, not o u t ...........18 Extras................... 8 Total 90 PRESCOTT DIMSDALE’ S v. ST. SW ITH IN ’S.— Played at Catford Bridge on June 15 and 16. P r e s c o tt D im sd a lk ’ s . W . H. Coppinger, b Veillard ................... 2 J.H.Dimsdale,b Hunt 4 F. E. Hills, b Yeillard 23 L. V. Caudwell, c and b Hunt .................. 13 L. G. Ilsley, b Yeillard 1 W . Rowleage, runout 4 F. J. Vaughan, c Kerchner, b Lewis... G. Brown, b Lewis ... C. Ledger, c Metcalfe, b Veillard.................. L. B. Brewitt, not out B 1, w 1 ........... Total ........... S t . S w it iiin ’ s . A. E. Veillard, c and b L. W . Bayley, not out 37 Ilsley..........................34 S. Silverthome, b J.H .C .H unt, b Ilsley 64 Ledger ................... 17 A. W . Harpur, c sub, B 8, w 1 ........... 9 b Ilsley .................. 4 — S.J.Templeton.bllsley 6 Total (6wkts) 176 A. E.Lew is,b Ilsley... 5 A. E. Metcalfe, J. Metcalfe, and G. G. Kerchner did not bat.