Cricket 1896

250 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J uly 2, 1896, “ You have done a lot of wicket-keeping P” “ I have kept wicket for Hampshire. Booth used to say that I was the worst wicket­ keeper he had ever seen. I remember once keeping wicket for the Broadwater cricket club at Winchester, where they were playing against the Rifle Brigade. Somebody had written to Murray Marshall, the secretary, telling him that I was a useful sort of man to have on a side, and, as they happtned to be short, Marshall asked me to play. What was his opinion of me after the match I don’t know, but I missed four chances at the wicket, made a double duck, and went on to bowl without taking a wicket. This happened after I had begun to play for the county. Needless to say it was my only appearance for Broadwater.” ‘ ‘ What is the highest score ever made by Hampshire ? ” “ We made 643 against Somerset in the same year that Surrey made 650 against us. We were very anxious to beat the 650, and as, when eight wickets were down, only eight more runs were wanted, we were in great hopes of doing i t ; but the last two men were out without adding to the total. In the Surrey match W. W . Read made 168. He was missed off his first ball—about the only catch that was missed all through the long innings.” For many years Dr. Bencraft was con­ sidered one of the best cover-points in Eng­ land, and was also remarkably good in the country. He canstill fieldwell,but has dropped tomid-off, which he calls “ theoldman’splace.” “ I remember,” he said, “ playing against the Australians, at Southampton, in 1880. When Murdoch had made 97 he hit one to the boundary, and I caught him at the fifth attempt. I rather fancy that before I had done fumbling about with the ball he had made the three runs necessary to get his hundred; in any case it must have been a trying position for a man to be in, to see his hopes of getting a hundred fading away and then reviving three or four times, only to be lost at the last. It was pretty trying for me and the rest of the field too. In the evening of that day the Australians were dining with my father, and Spofforth bet me half-a-crown that he would bowl me first ball next day. I took the b e t; but he won it.” “ What have you done in the way of bowling? ” “ Very little. Once for Gentlemen of Hampshire against Gentlemen of Somerset I took 1*2wickets for 70 at Yatton, and I think that is about my best performance. I remem­ ber going on at Brighton when Newham had passed his hundred. After playing a ball easily he kicked it away accidentally (although upon my word I ihought for the moment that it was to mark his contempt at such poor bowling), and unfortunately for him it rolled into his wicket, much to my delight. A curious thing happened in another Sussex match. Walter Humphreys, when bowling to me, caught his elbow against his hip, and the ball trickled out of his hand towards short leg. I ran to hit it, while Humphreys and Phillips, the wicket-keeper, ran to pick it up. As it happened I got there first, and hit it to the boundary. Humphreys said, ‘ You can’t do that.’ ‘ Why ? ’ I asked. 4Because it was a no-ball.’ ‘ But you can score off a no-ball.’ ‘ Well, then it was a wide.* ‘ But it was within the batsman’ s reach.’ Then he said that at any rate he considered it was taking an unfair advantage, to which I replied that I was exceedingly pleased to have taken it. Altogether it was a very amusing incident.” That Dr. Bencraft is a busy man, must be obvious to anybody who remembers that in addition to his duties as secretary and captain of the county club he holds several public appointments. Recently he was made a Justice of the Peace for the Borough of Southampton, because it was considered by those in authority, that what is known as the “ sporting element” in Southampton ought to be represented on the bench, and very popular has been the appointment. “ I have always been warned,” said Dr. Bencraft, “ that cricket would be my ruin professionally, but on the contrary there can be no possible doubt that my connection with cricket has done me an immense amount of good from a professional point of view. The mention of my profession reminds me that, when I was married, the members of the county club entirely furnished my consulting room by way of a wedding present—a present which I appreciated very much indeed. During the time that I have been secretary and captain I have had to deal with the nicest possible set of professionals, and have never had any trouble whatever with them. I think that Baldwin is the best bowler we have had, and I have a very high opinion of Barton’s batting; I should think that Kent must be sorry to have dropped him, just as we are sorry to have dropped Easby. Among the best amateurs who have played for the county in my time are Captain Wynyard, F. E. Lacey, A. W . Ridley, G. H. Longman, D. Duncan, E. O. Powell (who now plays at Eastbourne) and H. VV. Forster. Just at present we suffer from not being able to get together our strongest team, and Arthur Hill, who is, perhaps, our best all-round man, is in South Africa shooting big game.” Dr. Bencraft was at school at St. Edward’s, Oxford, where he was in the eleven with Captain Wynyard. ‘ ‘ At St. Edward’s,” said Dr. Bencraft, ‘ ‘ we had a very good side indeed. Besides Wynyard the eleven included Terry, who afterwards kept wicket for i*omerset. He is now in Canada, where he has for a long time had a great 1 eputation as a fine bat. I was captain both of cricket and football at the school, and also at St. George’ s Hospital.” “ Did you play Rugby or Association ? ” “ I was half-back at Rugby and played for the United Hospitals—and at cricket as well. Once, and once only, I played Association, acting as goal-keeper for Southampton St. Mary’s, who were at that time by no means as strong as they are now. As they only asked me to play once. I presume that my performance did not satisfy them, and I am not altogether surprised at that. I only lost one goal, however, but there would have been two if one of the full-backs had not judiciously fisted the ball away for me. There were no penalty kicks in those days ” W . A. B ettesw orth . IBIS v. GOLDSMITHS’ IN STITU TE.-Played at Dulwich on June 27. I b is . C. S. Marshall, stBest, b Cryer ................ 22 W L. Roberson, b Joanes ..................30 E. White, c& b Joanes 8 G. Lewis, E. Rayner, R _ ___________, D. Ledbury and W . Wright did not bat. *Innings declared closed. G o ld s m it h s * I n s t it u t e . E. Dewey, not out ... 56 E. Buckland, not out 51 B 7, lb 2 ........... 9 Total (» wkts)*176 B. Newsom W . Perkins, W .H .Joanes. bWright 0 H. Cryer, c Roberson, b White ........... 8 H. E. Murrell, c Led­ bury, b Wright ... 3 L . T. Easton, run out 13 R. Windebank, b White .................. 0 B. R. Scully, lbw, b R oberson.................. 9 H, Mayq, not qut J4 P. Brownfield, b Ro­ berson ................... S. Best, c Ledbury, b Buckland................... W .H . Manley, b Ro­ berson ................... J. E. de Gruchy, b R obeison................... B 1 ,lb 5 ........... Total ........... E T O N R A M B L E R S v. W I L T S H I R E WANDERERS.—Played at Leyton on June 26 and 27. W il t s h ir e W a n d e r e r s . First innings. Smart, b De Zoete ... 8 H. Harris, c Miller, b Pelham ...........40 S. Gibbs, not out ... 60 J. Martin, lbw, b De V. Leese, c Bennett, b De Z o e te .................... 7 F. W . Laverton, b Miller ......................18 J. R. Wyndham, c Whatman,b Pelham 23 Atfield, c sub, b Tolle- mache ....................103 E. W . Omerod, b Miller .................... 7 W . H. Hardyman, c Whatman, b Miller 30 Second innings: V. Leese, not out.78; F. W . Laverton, run out, 36 ; J. R.Wyndham, bPelham, 20; Atfield, not out, 20; S. Gibbs, b Miller, 8'; Extras, 3.—Total (3 wkts.) 165. E to n R a m b l e r s . Zoete., W . H. Laverton, Miller ........... E xtras......... Total 11 , 0 , 42 ...354 R.A.Bennett,candbAtfield 76 runout A. D. Whatman, c Martin, b Atfield .................. ....26 39 J. A . Gibbs, b Sm art.......36 Hon. M. G. Tollemache, c Leese, b Sm art................. 5 A. M. Miller, run out........41 G. R. Z. Erskine, b F. W . Laverton .......................10 G. S. Foljambe, b Smart ... 0 Hon. H. A. Miller, c Gibbs, b Atfield ...................... 28 J. B. Pelham, b Smart ... 15 H. De Zoete, not o u t.......14 C. M. Thornton, b Sm art... 0 B 17, lb 2 .......19 c Wyndham, b Harris ...........63 c Atfield, b Smart 2 b Smart ... ... 51 c and b Atfield ... 29 b Atfield ........... 0 not out .......... 12 b Smart ...........10 c Wyndham, b Atfleld ........... 5 c F. W . Laverton, b Atfield.......... 17 b Atfield ........... 0 Extras...........18 Total ...........249 LLOYD ’S REGISTER v. CHAMPION H IL L .- Played at Honor Oak, June 27th. C h a m p io n H il l . A. Spratley, b W ood.. 2 W. Brown, lbw, b Carey .................. 6 E. Rapley, b Carey ... 7 E. Humphrey’s, c Martin, b Wood ... 8 A. Storey, c J. F. Hill, b Wood .................. 42 G. S. Arrowsmith, b Carey ................... l C. Chapman, b Dyer.. H. W . G. Crawford, b Carey .................. H. Fry, lbw, b Carey G. Holliday, c Carey, b Wood .................. C. T. Peai man, not out Extras ........... Total C. F. Redman, run out 9 S. A. Hill, c Pearman, b Arrowsmith.......... 15 J. R. Boxall, b Arrow­ smith .................. o E.Carey.b Arrowsmith 19 F. B. Wood, b Arrow­ smith ................... 0 W . M. Bradley, c Arrowsmith, b Rap­ ley ....................... P. L. Warlow, c Humphreys, b Rap­ ley .......................... L l o y d ’ s R e g is t e r . 29 17 J.F.Hill.c Arrowsmith b R a pley.................. J. A. Flower, not out A. K. Dyer,c Chapman b Arrow sm ith.......... A . S. Martin, b Arrow­ smith ......................... Extras ........... Total ...] HAMPSTEAD v. SU RBITON .-Played at Surbiton on June 27. P. M. Robinson, _ Robson, b Wilson ... 18 C. A . Trouncer, run out ..........................58 W . F. Forsyth, b Thornton.................. 14 J. M. Capel, c and b Wilson ................... 4 P. E. Boddington, b W ilson ...................18 j . F. Newton, c Rob­ son, b W ilson...........37 S u r b it o n . W. B. Windeler, b H a le .......................... 7 R. Howell, b Sharp ... 17 J. A. Smyth, not out 23 E. C. Prinsep, lbw, b Shan) ................... 2 G. Pinkerton, run out 3 B 11, lb 4 ...1 5 Total ...216 H a m p s t e a d . Dr. G. Thornton, b T rouncer...................93 A. E. Jeaffreson, c Newton, b Bodding­ ton ..........................29 A. J. East, c Newton, b Boddington........... 0 W . S. Hale, c Smyth, b Boddington..............27 W . H. Robson, b Pinkerton................... 0 C. C. McMillin, b Trouncer................... 8 P. F. W ilson, st New­ ton, b Trouncer ... 10 A .W . Sharp, b Smyth 2 J. G. Q,. Besch, b Trouncer.................. 26 A. O. Dunn, not out 6 F. H. Alexander, not out ........................... 0 B 3, lb 1, nb 4 ... 8 T otal (9 wkts) 209